Joomla is one of the most popular CMSs around and is often compared with WordPress and Drupal. It is so popular that Joomla is often featured on the Fantastico installer, a program that comes packed with most hosts that allows you to install the CMS with a few clicks. Having Joomla hosting is great if you plan to use this open-ended CMS as it will help your website flourish for a number of reasons.
Quick Install
Most good Joomla hosts, especially those on shared environments, offer a quick install of Joomla through Fantastico. While this is certainly a boon for amateurs that cannot install a CMS by hand, it is not the true mark of a Joomla host. Some hosts, especially those in the VPS and dedicated territories, do not offer a quick install. This means that manual installation is necessary.
What really separates a true Joomla host from someone just offering a quick install is the support offered for Joomla. While you shouldn’t expect a host to do everything for you with this CMS, you should expect the host to offer an exemplary environment that best suits Joomla’s needs.
Plugin Support
One mark of a good host is its ability to support and work with the many plugins and applications that you can use to customize your Joomla platform. Many of these hosts actually offer plugins from their store front, though this is not entirely essential. The most important thing is to have a host that thoroughly supports all the facets in the Joomla CMS.
Programming Support
As a PHP application, Joomla requires PHP support to be properly installed and utilized. Joomla hosts typically have PHP5, through PHP4 is not entirely uncommon in some instances. Zend Optimizer and MySQL 5 are also common applications for a Joomla host, as these best utilize the features and consistent upgrades offered through the Joomla program.
Joomla Support
Running an older version of Joomla is a recipe for disaster. These versions quickly become unstable and hackers have an easier time sneaking into the earlier versions. That being said, you should always look for a Joomla host that readily supports the newest version of Joomla. Having a host that automatically performs the upgrade is optimal, but usually the upgrades are easy enough for even novice users to perform manually.
Responsive Servers
To best run a Joomla website you need to have it hosted on responsive servers. Look for servers that have a high amount of RAM and bandwidth, as these will often best work with your Joomla websites. While Joomla does not require a huge amount of RAM to run and load, having the extra RAM will ensure that your page quickly loads.
Our Joomla! Web Hosting Conclusion
Joomla is an incredibly popular CMS that enables users to build their own websites and manage their content with ease. If possible, look for a host that specializes in working with Joomla. This will help you make the most of the website and it will ensure your website works the best.
Ready to create your Joomla Website? Try any of the web hosts below, they each offer Joomla support and a quick one click Joomla installer: