Hosting

Many Different Hosting Options

Running WEC software does not require any specific hosting arrangement. WEC can run on your own server computer at your location (self-hosting) or on a server computer located elsewhere such as at a hosting-services company (hosted). You can even run WEC on your desktop computer -- ideal for learning and testing. And, you can run WEC on a server computer dedicated to your website (dedicated server) or one with many other websites running along with yours (shared server). The technical requirements for a server are:

Hardware:
A common webserver setup with a modern CPU and at least 1 GB of RAM

Operating System:
Unix/Linux, Windows, or Mac

Webserver:
Apache version 1.2 or higher, or 2.1 or higher
- mod_rewrite module required for generating more readable URLs

Scripting:
PHP Version 5.2 or higher
- at least 32 MB memory allowed for PHP scripts
- GD Library for image processing
ImageMagick or GraphicsMagick for image processing
Perl Version 5.8 or higher (only for AWStats for web statistics)

Database:
MySQL Version 4.1 or higher

Test the Server Before You Install: The WEC Server Checker is a PHP script you can run on a web server to test its suitability for hosting WEC and TYPO3. The WEC Server Checker Page provides instructions and the file to download.

Discuss various hosting options and issues online on the Hosting Forum.

For instructions on installing the WEC software, please see the Installing Page.

Turn-Key Hosting (the faster easier approach)

Many churches and ministries prefer a "WEC Turn-Key" hosting solution. WEC turn-key hosting consists of hosting-service companies or ministries that pre-install the WEC TYPO3 Starter Package for you. So, after very little setup time and effort, you can begin creating your church website with WEC. Except for Vine Hosting (see below) WEC cannot endorse the organizations in the list. However, each one of them has signed a WEC Third-Party Covenant Agreement. If you believe they have violated the agreement then please e-mail Info(at)WebEmpoweredChurch.com and explain the issue. Depending on the issue, we may remove them from the list.

Vine Hosting

The Vine Hosting (VineHosting.com) ministry was created to help churches apply WEC and other Internet technologies to enable them to become web-empowered. Choosing Vine is a way of supporting WEC because proceeds from Vine go back into this ministry. Vine offers WEC turn-key hosting with the latest version of WEC as well as website creation and maintenance services. Please choose a Vine Web-Empowered Church Hosting Plan.

Note: WEC is looking for additional hosting companies and ministries willing to provide WEC Turn-Key hosting. If you are interested, please go to the Hosting & Website Help page under "Adding You or Your Company to this List" for instructions.