Server and hosting requirements

Supported server-side configuration

We recommend that you install the following components on the computer where you want to run Kentico. If you do not install these components on your computer before installing Kentico, the Installer is capable of downloading and installing them or their suitable alternatives (except for the operating system and the built-in Visual Studio server) on its own. In such cases, your computer must be connected to the Internet.

  • Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (both 32bit and 64bit) or Windows 8 (both 32bit and 64bit), or their corresponding server versions – Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1, 2012, 2012 R2.
  • Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 or newer.
  • Microsoft Internet Information Services (see the table below) or Visual Studio/Visual Web Developer 2012/2013 built-in web server. Depends on which server you choose to install your web project into.
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2008, 2008 R2, 2012, 2014 (including free SQL Server Express Edition 2008/2012/2014). The collation set for the SQL server must be case-insensitive.

Internet Information Services overview

The following table lists instructions on how to install different versions of IIS on different operating systems.

Internet Information Services version

Operating system

Details and installation instructions

IIS 5.1

Windows XP Professional

not supported

IIS 6.0

Windows Server 2003

not supported

IIS 7.0

Windows Vista

not supported

Windows Server 2008

IIS 7.5

Windows 7 SP1

IIS 7 Installation and Deployment

Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1

IIS 8.0

Windows 8

Installing IIS on Windows Server 2012

Windows Server 2012

IIS 8.5

Windows Server 2012 R2

Installing IIS 8.5

For the Kentico Installer to work correctly with your IIS, check that the following features are installed on your computer:

  • On Windows 7: ASP.NET 4.0 or 4.5, .NET Extensibility, ISAPI Extensions, ISAPI Filters and Static Content
  • On Windows 8: ASP.NET 4.5,.NET Extensibility 4.5, ISAPI Extensions, ISAPI Filters and Static Content

See Configuring IIS for the installation of Kentico for instructions.

Note: The system may also work with other configurations. However, Kentico does not guarantee correct functionality for unsupported options.

Hosting requirements

Your hosting provider must meet the following requirements:

  • All server-side requirements
  • Full trust permissions for the ASP.NET application
  • A hosting plan with 1 GB or more of memory and a 100+ MB database is required

Note: Hosting in a medium trust environment is not supported.

You can pick from the list of our hosting partners.

Cloud hosting

Kentico fully supports the Microsoft Azure platform, including Azure SQL, Azure Storage and other services. Microsoft Azure SDK 2.5 is required. See Requirements and limitations for running Kentico on Microsoft Azure for details.

Development tools

If you want to create custom web parts or integrate custom code, you need:

Requirements for the Kentico administration interface

The Kentico administration interface is optimized for the 1920x1080 resolution (also known as 1080p or Full HD). Kentico makes use of the resolution to correctly display graph areas and other elements. Using Kentico on lower resolutions may result in some of the UI elements displaying incorrectly.

Supported browsers

  • Chrome 12+
  • Internet Explorer 9+
  • Firefox 4.0+
  • Safari 4.0+ on Mac OS

We strongly recommend using the latest versions of the browsers. Older browsers remain fully functional, but may display simplified renderings of certain components.

Supported client browsers for site visitors

  • Chrome 12+
  • Internet Explorer 7+
  • Firefox 1.0.5+
  • Opera 7.52+
  • Mozilla 1.7.1+
  • Safari on Mac OS
  • Mobile browsers are supported, but some features may be limited by browser capabilities

Older browsers may need slight adjustments to the site’s stylesheet to ensure that all functionality is displayed correctly.

Note: The visitor browser requirements also depend on the styling and custom functionality used on the website.