> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.norrnext.com/norrcompetition/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.norrnext.com/norrcompetition/readme/technical-requirements.md).

# Technical Requirements

Technical requirements you need to meet to install and run NorrCompetition.

Please ensure your hosting server meets the technical requirements for the current Joomla! release and NorrCompetition.

### Supported Versions

| Version                 | Minimum Joomla          | Recommended Joomla | Minimum PHP | Recommended PHP | Status                            |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ------------------ | ----------- | --------------- | --------------------------------- |
| **NorrCompetition 3.x** | **Joomla 5.4**          | **Joomla 6.x**     | **PHP 8.2** | **PHP 8.4**     | **Active (Current)**              |
| **NorrCompetition 2.x** | Joomla 5.0 / Joomla 4.4 | Joomla 5.4         | PHP 8.1     | PHP 8.2 / 8.3   | End of Life (Security fixes only) |
| **NorrCompetition 1.x** | Joomla 3.10             | Joomla 3.10        | PHP 7.4     | PHP 8.0         | End of Life (Unsupported)         |

### Database Requirements

* **MySQL:** 8.0.13 or higher with InnoDB support (recommended)
* **MariaDB:** 10.4.0 or higher
* **PostgreSQL:** 12.0 or higher

### PHP Configuration & Extensions

The following PHP extensions are required for proper operation of NorrCompetition:

* **GD** or **ImageMagick (imagick)** extension (required for resizing, cropping, generating thumbnails, and WebP image generation)
* **fileinfo** (required for MIME type validation on media uploads)
* **intl** (recommended for internationalization and transliteration)
* **json** and **mbstring** (required for UTF-8 string manipulation and JSON parameters)
* **zip** and **curl** (for package installations, remote updates, and cloud API integrations)

#### Recommended PHP Settings

| Directive             | Minimum | Recommended | Notes                                                                        |
| --------------------- | ------- | ----------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `memory_limit`        | `128M`  | `256M+`     | Required for image processing, thumbnail creation.                           |
| `upload_max_filesize` | `16M`   | `32M+`      | Set according to the maximum allowed media upload size in component options. |
| `post_max_size`       | `16M`   | `32M+`      | Must be equal to or greater than `upload_max_filesize`.                      |
| `max_execution_time`  | `30`    | `60+`       | Allows adequate time for batch image processing and file transfers.          |
| `max_file_uploads`    | `20`    | `20+`       | Required when contestants upload multiple images.                            |

### Browser Requirements

NorrCompetition works seamlessly on all modern browsers:

* Google Chrome / Chromium (latest)
* Mozilla Firefox (latest)
* Apple Safari (latest)
* Microsoft Edge (latest)
* Mobile browsers (iOS Safari, Android Chrome)