Server and hosting requirements

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Supported server-side configuration

Supported operating systems:

  • Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (32bit or 64bit)
  • Windows 8 or 8.1 (32bit or 64bit)
  • Windows 10 (32bit or 64bit)
  • Windows Server versions: 2008 R2 Service Pack 1, 2012, 2012 R2

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 on its own (except for the Visual Studio built-in server). In such cases, your computer must be connected to the Internet.

  • Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5 or 4.6.
  • Microsoft Internet Information Services (see the table below) or Visual Studio 2012/2013/2015 built-in web server.
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2, 2012, 2014 (including the free SQL Server Express Edition 2008 R2/2012/2014). 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 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 8.1

Installing IIS 8.5

Windows Server 2012 R2

IIS 10

Windows 10

Same process as IIS 8+

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

  • On Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 SP1: ASP.NET 4.5, .NET Extensibility, ISAPI Extensions, ISAPI Filters and Static Content
  • On Windows 8/8.1 and Server 2012/2012 R2: ASP.NET 4.5, .NET Extensibility 4.5, ISAPI Extensions, ISAPI Filters and Static Content
  • On Windows 10: ASP.NET 4.6, .NET Extensibility 4.6, ISAPI Extensions, ISAPI Filters and Static Content

See Configuring IIS for the installation of Kentico for instructions.

Note: The application in IIS must use an Application Pool with Managed Pipeline Mode set to Integrated. Classic mode is not supported.

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

Hosting requirements

Kentico has the following requirements when using a traditional hosting server (dedicated or shared):

  • Supported server-side software configuration (see above)
  • Full trust permissions for the ASP.NET application (hosting in a medium trust environment is not supported)
  • Hosting plan parameters:
    • Minimum: 4 GB memory (RAM), 200 MB database size
    • Recommended: 8 GB memory, 1 GB database size

Note: The recommended hosting parameters depend on the scale and implementation details of each project. Very large or heavily trafficked websites may have significantly higher requirements. For virtual hosting servers, the listed values refer to the memory capacity available for your web application, not the server’s overall resources.

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 2.7.1 is required for Azure Cloud Services. See Requirements and limitations for running Kentico in Azure Cloud Services for details.

Development tools

If you want to create custom web parts or integrate custom code, you need one of the following versions of Visual Studio:

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 15+
  • Microsoft Edge 38+ (Windows 10 Anniversary Update or newer)
  • Internet Explorer 9+
  • Firefox 8.0+
  • Safari 5.0.6+ 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 15+
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Internet Explorer 7+
  • Firefox 8.0+
  • Opera 11.6+
  • 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.