PHP and database
Use PHP 8.2 or newer with PDO MySQL, OpenSSL, fileinfo, ZIP, iconv and mbstring. Optional integrations can also require cURL. PHP 8.4 is the version recommended in the current easy-install guide. Check the PHP version selected for the website rather than relying on the hosting account's default terminal version.
Use a dedicated MySQL or MariaDB database. The current installation kit specifies MySQL 8.0+ or MariaDB 10.6+, with InnoDB and utf8mb4. Create a new empty database and a dedicated user with the privileges needed to create its tables and operate that database. Do not import SQL before setup.
Files and document root
Extract the Desk release into a new directory. The current Desk ZIP has no enclosing application folder, so create the destination directory first. Serve that directory at an HTTPS origin such as https://support.example.com, rather than under a URL subdirectory.
Include hidden .htaccess files and ensure Apache honours them. Nginx needs equivalent denial rules. Before accepting data, requests for /app/, /database/, /storage/, /tools/ and /tests/ must return 403 or 404. The PHP application accesses private files internally.
Ownership and permissions
The web PHP user needs write access to app/ and storage/ for setup. Run scheduled PHP commands as the same Unix user. Keep generated private configuration and logs private; do not use world-writable permissions. Disable public PHP error display.
The setup page checks required extensions and writable locations. These requirements describe the package; verify your chosen host with the installer and the first-test checklist before using real customer data.