Hosting for online stores: the complete checklist 2026
A good webshop hosting checklist is indispensable when you start an online store or want to evaluate your current hosting. Your store's hosting has a direct impact on your revenue: every extra second of load time costs you an average of 7% in conversion. In this complete guide we go through everything you need to check when choosing hosting for your online store, from technical requirements to security and scalability.
Why do you need a webshop hosting checklist?
Webshop hosting places different demands than regular website hosting. An online store processes payments, stores customer data and must run reliably 24/7. A few hours of downtime can mean thousands of euros in lost revenue. Moreover, the GDPR requires that you take appropriate technical measures to protect personal data. This webshop hosting checklist helps you make the right choice systematically.
The consequences of poor webshop hosting
- Lost revenue - 53% of mobile users leave a site that takes longer than 3 seconds to load
- SEO damage - Google ranks slow websites lower
- Customer loss - 79% of dissatisfied visitors do not return
- Security incidents - data leaks lead to fines and reputational damage
- Scaling problems - the website crashes during traffic peaks (Black Friday, campaigns)
Webshop hosting checklist: performance requirements
Performance is the most important factor in your webshop hosting checklist. A fast online store converts better and ranks higher in Google.
Minimum performance requirements
| Metric | Minimum | Ideal | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| TTFB (Time to First Byte) | Under 800ms | Under 200ms | Speed of server response |
| LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) | Under 2.5 sec | Under 1.5 sec | Core Web Vital, affects SEO |
| Uptime | 99.9% | 99.99% | Every minute of downtime costs revenue |
| PHP memory | 256 MB | 512 MB+ | WooCommerce/Magento requirements |
| PHP version | 8.1+ | 8.2 or 8.3 | Performance and security |
SSD storage is mandatory
Use only hosting with SSD (Solid State Drive) storage. SSDs are up to 100 times faster than traditional HDD disks for random reads, which is directly noticeable with database operations. NVMe SSDs offer the highest performance. Also take a look at our guide on choosing webshop hosting for more details on performance requirements.
Server location
Choose a server that is physically close to your target audience. For Dutch online stores, a server in Amsterdam or elsewhere in the Netherlands is ideal. The distance between server and visitor affects the latency and therefore the load speed.
Webshop hosting checklist: security
Security is a crucial part of your webshop hosting checklist. Your online store processes sensitive data such as credit card numbers, addresses and passwords.
SSL certificate
An SSL certificate is absolutely mandatory for any online store. It encrypts the connection between visitor and server, which is essential for protecting payment data. Check whether your hosting provider offers free SSL certificates through Let's Encrypt.
DDoS protection
A DDoS attack can completely take down your online store. Check whether your hosting provider offers DDoS protection and at what level. Cloud-based DDoS protection through a CDN like Cloudflare offers the best protection.
Security checklist
- SSL certificate included and correctly configured
- DDoS protection at network and application level
- Web Application Firewall (WAF) available
- Malware scanning and automatic removal
- Regular security updates of the platform
- PCI-DSS compliance (for credit card processing)
- Two-factor authentication for the admin panel
- IP whitelisting for administrator access
Webshop hosting checklist: scalability
Your online store must be able to handle peaks in traffic without performance problems. Think of Black Friday, Christmas, marketing campaigns or viral moments.
Handling traffic peaks
| Hosting type | Scalability | Peak handling | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared hosting | None | Poor | Not suitable for online stores |
| VPS | Vertical (manual) | Average | Small to medium stores |
| Cloud hosting | Horizontal + vertical | Excellent | All online stores |
| Managed WooCommerce | Automatic | Good | WordPress/WooCommerce stores |
Webshop hosting checklist: backup and recovery
A robust backup system is essential for your online store. A hack, an error in an update or a server problem should never lead to permanent loss of orders, customer data or product catalog.
Backup requirements for online stores
- Daily automatic backups - at a minimum, preferably several times per day
- Off-site storage - backups in a location other than the server
- Database and files - a complete backup of both the database and the file system
- Point-in-time recovery - restore to a specific moment
- Easy recovery - one-click restore or a simple recovery process
- Retention period - keep at least 30 days of backups
Read our guide on making a website backup for more details on backup strategies.
Webshop hosting checklist: technical requirements per platform
WooCommerce (WordPress)
WooCommerce is the most popular online store platform. The hosting requirements depend on the number of products and visitors.
- PHP 8.1+ with at least 256 MB of memory (512 MB recommended)
- MySQL 8.0+ or MariaDB 10.6+
- At least 2 GB RAM for the server
- Object caching through Redis or Memcached
- WP-CLI available for management
- LiteSpeed or Nginx web server for optimal performance
Magento / Adobe Commerce
Magento is a heavier platform that requires more server resources:
- PHP 8.1+ with at least 768 MB of memory
- MySQL 8.0+ or MariaDB
- Elasticsearch or OpenSearch required
- At least 4 GB RAM (8 GB recommended)
- Varnish cache strongly recommended
- Redis for session and cache storage
Shopify (hosted)
Shopify is a fully hosted solution where you do not have to do any server configuration. The hosting is included in your Shopify subscription. This is ideal if you have no technical knowledge but do want a reliable online store.
Webshop hosting checklist: support and service
The quality of the support is crucial for an online store. If your website goes down on a Saturday afternoon during a busy sales period, you want to get help quickly.
Support requirements
- 24/7 availability - online stores run day and night
- Multiple channels - phone, chat, email and ticket system
- Response time SLA - at most 15 minutes for critical issues
- Technical expertise - support that understands your platform
- Proactive monitoring - the provider detects problems before you notice them
The full webshop hosting checklist
Here is the complete checklist you can use when evaluating webshop hosting:
- SSD/NVMe storage available
- Server location in the Netherlands or Benelux
- PHP 8.1+ with sufficient memory
- MySQL 8.0+ or MariaDB 10.6+
- SSL certificate included for free
- DDoS protection active
- Web Application Firewall available
- Daily automatic backups with off-site storage
- Uptime SLA of at least 99.9%
- CDN integration available
- Object caching (Redis/Memcached)
- HTTP/2 or HTTP/3 support
- 24/7 technical support
- Easy scaling options
- Staging environment available
- Migration assistance offered
- PCI-DSS compliance (for credit cards)
- SSH access for advanced management
With this webshop hosting checklist you are equipped to make a well-considered choice for your online store hosting. Take the time to compare multiple providers on all these points and do not choose based on price alone. The cheapest hosting can ultimately be the most expensive if it costs you revenue through slow load times or downtime. Invest in quality hosting and your online store will reward you with better conversions and satisfied customers.
Evaluating hosting for specific online store platforms
The webshop hosting checklist differs per platform. Each online store system places its own demands on the hosting environment.
PrestaShop hosting requirements
PrestaShop requires PHP with at least 256 MB of memory, MySQL or MariaDB and sufficient disk space for product images. PrestaShop's performance depends strongly on the caching configuration. Implement Varnish or a similar reverse proxy cache for optimal load speeds. PrestaShop also supports Elasticsearch for improved search functionality with large product catalogs.
Shopware hosting considerations
Shopware is a growing platform in the Dutch e-commerce market. The hosting requirements are comparable to other PHP-based online stores, but Shopware makes intensive use of Elasticsearch and Redis. Make sure your hosting supports these services. The latest version of Shopware also requires Node.js for building the storefront, which requires additional server configuration.
Headless commerce hosting
With headless commerce you separate the frontend from the backend, which places specific hosting requirements. The backend API runs on a traditional server, while the frontend is hosted as a static site or through server-side rendering. This often requires a CDN with edge computing capabilities in addition to your regular hosting. In this case the webshop hosting checklist must be extended with criteria for API performance and CDN configuration.
Multi-channel commerce hosting
Online stores that sell through multiple channels, such as their own website, marketplaces and social media, place extra demands on the hosting. The server must have sufficient capacity to process API requests from all channels at the same time. Real-time inventory synchronization requires reliable database performance and low latency. Consider a hosting solution with horizontal scaling capabilities to absorb peaks from multiple channels simultaneously.
Future developments in webshop hosting
The webshop hosting checklist will evolve over the coming years due to technological developments. Edge computing makes it possible to process content closer to the end user, which drastically improves load times for international online stores. Serverless architectures eliminate the need to manage servers and scale automatically with demand. Progressive Web Apps offer app-like experiences through the browser and place new demands on hosting configurations. AI-driven personalization requires more computing power for real-time product recommendations. Augmented reality product previews increase bandwidth requirements. By following these trends and adapting your hosting in good time, you ensure that your online store is prepared for the future of e-commerce.
Legal requirements for online stores
In addition to technical hosting requirements, your online store must also comply with legal obligations that affect your hosting choice. The GDPR requires that personal data of European customers is stored on servers within the EEA or in countries with an adequate level of protection. Therefore choose a hosting provider with data centers in the Netherlands or elsewhere in Europe. You are obliged to use an SSL certificate for all pages where personal data is processed, which in practice means that your entire online store must run over HTTPS. The Distance Selling Act sets requirements for the information you must display, including clear prices, shipping costs and return policy. Make sure your hosting offers sufficient capacity to load these pages quickly. Keep transaction data and invoices for at least seven years in accordance with the fiscal retention obligation. Implement a cookie-consent solution that complies with the ePrivacy Directive and make sure your hosting environment supports this. A legally compliant online store starts with the right hosting infrastructure that safeguards privacy, security and availability.
Planning scalability for growing online stores
An online store that processes ten orders per day today may be running a hundred orders per day a year from now. Plan your hosting infrastructure with this growth in mind. Choose a hosting solution that can easily scale up without migration to another platform. Monitor your resource usage monthly and identify bottlenecks before they cause problems. Invest in caching solutions such as Varnish or Redis to reduce the load on your database as your product catalog and customer base grow.
Webshop hosting checklist: performance requirements for e-commerce
An online store places higher demands on hosting than a standard website. Every extra second of load time costs conversions. That is why a thorough webshop hosting checklist is indispensable when choosing the right hosting solution.
Minimum performance requirements per store size
| Store size | Products | Visitors/day | RAM | CPU | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | Up to 100 | Up to 500 | 2 GB | 1-2 cores | 20 GB SSD |
| Growing | 100-1,000 | 500-5,000 | 4 GB | 2-4 cores | 40 GB SSD |
| Established | 1,000-10,000 | 5,000-25,000 | 8 GB | 4-8 cores | 80 GB SSD |
| Enterprise | 10,000+ | 25,000+ | 16 GB+ | 8+ cores | 160 GB+ NVMe |
NVMe storage is strongly recommended for online stores because of the faster read and write speeds compared to regular SSD. This translates directly into faster database queries and therefore shorter load times for product pages, search results and the shopping cart.
Webshop hosting checklist: security and compliance
Strict security requirements apply to online stores that process payments. The webshop hosting checklist must therefore contain extensive security measures that comply with PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard).
- SSL/TLS certificate - Mandatory for every online store. Make sure all pages are loaded over HTTPS, not just the checkout process. Let's Encrypt offers free certificates.
- Website firewall - Protect your online store against SQL injection, XSS and other attacks with a web application firewall.
- DDoS protection - A DDoS attack can take down your online store for hours. Choose hosting with built-in DDoS mitigation or use a service such as Cloudflare.
- Automatic backups - Daily backups with at least 30 days of retention. Regularly test whether backups can actually be restored.
- Malware scanning - Automatic daily scans for malware and vulnerabilities.
- Two-factor authentication - Secure all admin accounts with 2FA.
Never store full credit card data on your own server. Always use an external payment provider (Mollie, Stripe, Adyen) that is PCI DSS certified. This considerably reduces your compliance obligations.
Webshop hosting checklist: scalability during peak periods
Online stores experience extreme traffic peaks around Black Friday, Sinterklaas and Christmas. Your hosting must be able to handle these peaks without the website becoming slow or going down. Include these scalability measures in your webshop hosting checklist:
- Caching strategy - Implement full-page caching for product pages and category pages. Redis or Varnish as a caching layer reduces the database load by 80-90%.
- CDN for static content - Serve product images and other media through a CDN to reduce the load on your server.
- Horizontal scalability - With cloud hosting you can automatically add extra servers as traffic increases.
- Load testing in advance - Test your online store with tools such as k6 or Apache JMeter to determine how many simultaneous visitors your hosting can handle.
- Database optimization - Make sure database queries are optimized and use indexes on frequently used search fields.
Plan capacity well before peak periods begin. It is cheaper to temporarily deploy extra resources than to miss revenue through a slow or unreachable online store. Actively monitor your server with server monitoring tools so that you can intervene quickly in case of capacity problems.
Webshop hosting checklist: email and communication
An online store generates large volumes of transactional emails: order confirmations, shipping updates, invoices and password resets. The reliability of these emails is crucial for the customer experience. Include email configuration in your webshop hosting checklist.
Use a dedicated transactional email service (such as Mailgun, Amazon SES or Postmark) instead of your hosting's SMTP server. These services offer higher deliverability, detailed statistics and better scalability. Configure SPF, DKIM and DMARC records for your sending domain to prevent your order confirmations from ending up in the spam folder. A professional email signature in your transactional emails strengthens your customers' trust in your online store.
Set up autoresponders for your customer service inbox so that customers immediately receive a confirmation of receipt with an expected response time. Use email aliases for different departments: orders@, support@, returns@ and info@.
Webshop hosting checklist: migration and future growth
A good webshop hosting checklist looks not only at the current needs but also at future growth. Choose a hosting solution that scales with your online store without requiring a full migration.
Plan your hosting migration carefully when your current solution no longer suffices. Make a full backup of files and database, first test the migration on a staging environment, and schedule the switchover outside the busiest shopping hours. Change the DNS TTL value to a low value (300 seconds) at least 24 hours in advance so that the DNS switch propagates quickly. After the migration, actively monitor for errors and performance issues for at least a week.
Evaluate your hosting at least annually based on growing requirements. An online store that started on shared hosting can grow to a VPS, then to cloud hosting and eventually to a dedicated server cluster. Each step brings more capacity, flexibility and cost. Make sure your hosting provider offers an upgrade path so that you can grow without switching providers, which reduces the complexity of migrations.
Webshop hosting checklist: international e-commerce
For online stores that sell internationally, hosting places extra demands. The webshop hosting checklist with international customers includes points that are less relevant for a purely Dutch online store but become crucial with cross-border sales.
Server location affects the load time for visitors in different regions. A server in the Netherlands is ideal for Western European traffic, but visitors in Asia or North America experience noticeably higher latency. Use a CDN with edge servers worldwide to serve static content locally. For dynamic content, consider a multi-region setup with database replication so that dynamic pages are also loaded quickly from the nearest server location.
Multilingual online stores generate more pages and database queries, which places higher server demands. Implement per-language caching and consider separate domains or subdirectories per language for better SEO in the respective markets. Make sure your hosting is legally compliant for all markets you serve: the GDPR for Europe, the CCPA for California and local regulations in other markets. Choose a hosting provider with data centers in the EU that complies with the EU data protection rules, unless you have specific reasons to store data outside the EU.
Webshop hosting: technical support and SLA
The quality of technical support is an underestimated factor in the webshop hosting checklist. When your online store is unreachable during a busy sales period, the speed at which your provider responds directly affects your revenue. Check the Service Level Agreement (SLA) of your hosting provider for guaranteed uptime (at least 99.9%), maximum response time on support requests (under 15 minutes for critical issues), and the availability of support outside office hours and on weekends. A 24/7 support team with knowledge of your specific CMS platform is ideal for webshop hosting. Test the support before you enter into a long-term contract by asking a technical question and assessing the quality and speed of the answer.
Take a look at our web hosting offering at Theory7 for reliable and fast hosting.
Sources and references
- WooCommerce - Official documentation (woocommerce.com)
- Let's Encrypt - Free SSL certificates (letsencrypt.org)
- Cloudflare - Learning Center (cloudflare.com/learning)
- Dutch Data Protection Authority - GDPR information (autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl)
