Last updated 13th May 2020
Objective
This guide collects some technical details about the OVHcloud Web Hosting infrastructure, based on frequently asked questions.
Requirements
- an OVHcloud Web Hosting plan
- access to the OVHcloud Control Panel
Instructions
OVHcloud is providing you with services for which you are responsible, with regard to their configuration and management. You are therefore responsible for ensuring they function correctly.
This guide is designed to assist you in common tasks as much as possible. Nevertheless, we recommend contacting a specialised provider and/or the software publisher for the service if you encounter any difficulties. We will not be able to assist you ourselves. You can find more information in the “Go further” section of this guide.
FTP
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Access error ("530 Login authentication failed"): You can make sure the access credentials to your hosting space are correct by checking via the OVHcloud Control Panel ("FTP - SSH"). Passwords are never displayed but they can be changed. Please refer to our FTP guides.
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FTP connections have to use passive mode. Please make sure your script or FTP client is adjusted accordingly.
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In order to connect via SFTP, a Professional plan or better is required. You can upgrade your plan directly in your OVHcloud Control Panel ("General information", "Plan", "Change offer").
Databases / SQL
Simultaneous Database Connections
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On Web Hosting plans (shared databases), there is a limit of 30 concurrent connections per database (200 with the included Private SQL database). Plese refer to the product page to verify the available options of our Web Hosting plans.
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You can also order additional Private SQL databases, which have some customisation options:
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max_connections: 100 by default, with the possibility of increasing to 200
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max_user_connections: 50 by default, with the possibility of increasing to 200
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Find out more on our website and in our guide.
Connections from an external server
- For security reasons it is not possible to connect from an external server to a Web Hosting plan's database, irrespective of whether they are shared or Private SQL databases. Only OVHcloud Web Hosting servers are able to connect to the database servers. Any other connection will cause the following error:
Warning: MySQL Connection Failed: Host ip.your.connection is not allowed to connect ...
Shared SQL server limitations
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Log in to the PhpMyAdmin interface and then enter show variables to verify the values of the MySQL server variables.
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The MySQL version cannot be changed for Web Hosting databases.
Please refer to this guide for more information about managing databases.
PHP
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We recommend to consult our website to make sure the Web Hosting plan you would like to order will be appropriate for your hosting requirements.
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You can verify the details of the configuration on our website; please see under Web Hosting libraries below.
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You will be able to change the PHP version for your Web Hosting, either in the OVHcloud Control Panel ("Configuration") or by editing the .ovhconfig file. Mixed configurations are also possible with the latter. Detailed instructions are available in our guides:
Configuring the .ovhconfig file of your Web Hosting plan
Modifying the configuration of a Web Hosting plan
The .ovhconfig file is functional at the root folder of the Web Hosting or in a level 1 subdirectory (usually /www/). The only way to override the main .ovhconfig settings is with another .ovhconfig file in a subfolder.
Placing this file deeper in the directory structure will have no effect (e.g. /www/test/, /www/test/test2/). Make sure the file is readable by your CMS (604 or 644).
PHP-FPM
PHP-FPM is enabled by default on the Web Hosting infrastructure in order to speed up PHP responses. Please note that it might not be active if you are running an older version of a Web Hosting plan which you have not upgraded (services ordered before 2014).
Some server variables are different without PHP-FPM:
| Variable | without PHP-FPM | with PHP-FPM |
|---|---|---|
| max_execution_time | 120s | 300s |
| max_input_vars | 2000 | 16000 |
| memory_limit | 128M | 512M |
PHP scripts
Once you are connected to your hosting server via SSH, outgoing traffic will be blocked for security reasons. We therefore recommend to use PHP scripts. Please refer to our SSH guide for more information. You can consult the official PHP manual on how to execute commands and perform other tasks.
As an example, you can use the function gethostbyaddr() to retrieve the hostname:
1. <?php
2. echo gethostbyaddr($_SERVER["REMOTE_ADDR"]);
3. ?>
OVHcloud does not force PHP updates. Customers are fully responsible for keeping their services secure and for ensuring that any installed software is updated regularly.
Web Hosting libraries
We recommend to consult the information pages to verify the available libraries for your Web Hosting plan. You can find your "infos" page by using the respective cluster link: http://cluster015.hosting.ovh.net/infos/
To find out on which Web Hosting cluster your service is located, log in to your OVHcloud Control Panel and select Web Cloud in the top navigation bar. Click Hosting plans in the services bar on the left-hand side, then choose the Web Hosting plan concerned. Next, navigate to the FTP - SSH tab.
You can verify the cluster number of the Web Hosting on this page under FTP server.
For CloudWeb Hostings, please refer to: https://cloudweb-infos.hosting.ovh.net/
Cookie Policy
Cookies and trackers used in the provision of the Shared Hosting service.
In order to ensure the proper functioning of websites hosted on the Shared Hosting service, a "SERVER ID" cookie for those websites is placed on the end user's device. The "SERVER ID" cookie enables a service for allocating incoming traffic between the different infrastructures used for hosting the website (OVHcloud Load Balancer). It allows the user to stay on the same host server for the duration of the session. This helps to maintains and preserve the consistency of the user experience.
The "SERVER ID" cookie is a file stored on the end user's device that indicates the instance (server) of the infrastructure with which the user interacts. The cookie is anonymous in that no personal data of the user is processed.
The "SERVER ID" cookie is placed on the user's device for a period of less than 24 hours.
Based on the fact that this cookie is anonymous and is only necessary for the operation of the Shared Hosting service, it is not liable to the prior consent of the website visitor within the meaning of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Information about statistical tools
OVHcloud Web Statistics
OVHcloud makes available to the client statistics on website visitors and audience measurement of the website(s) hosted as part of the Hosting service(s) (hereinafter "OVHcloud Web Statistics"). OVHcloud Web Statistics helps to identify the geographical area of users of these websites, the characteristics of the devices used to access the website(s), the page views and HTTP codes. OVHcloud Web Statistics is enabled by default as part of the Shared Hosting service and can be readily disabled at the customer's request by contacting the technical support. In order to provide "OVHcloud Web Statistics", OVHcloud performs data processing.
OVHcloud Web Statistics reports are compiled from anonymised traffic data, such as the IP address and logs of users of the website, the url of the request, the duration of the request and the "user agent".
In order to be used as part of OVHcloud Web Statistics Statistics, the aforementioned data is anonymised and aggregated using algorithms operated by OVHcloud on its own infrastructure. In particular, in order to be processed and analysed to determine the geolocation of the user (limited to a region), the IP address of the user, present in the above mentioned traffic data, is extracted in anonymised form. Thus, no personal data allowing the identification, direct or indirect, of the website users is stored as part of OVHcloud Web Statistics.
Go further
Logging in to your Web Hosting plan’s storage space
Activating HTTPS on your website with an SSL certificate
Optimise your website’s performance
Join our community of users on https://community.ovh.com/en/.