Can You Install Redmine on Shared Hosting? What It Needs, and Three Options If It Won’t Fit
Redmine is free, and you already pay for a shared hosting plan that runs your WordPress site. Why not install Redmine next to it? Then you open the install guide and find a long list of commands.
Redmine is an open-source project management tool that has been in use around the world for many years. It is well documented and rich in features. But it does not run the way WordPress and other PHP software does, and that makes shared hosting an awkward home for it.
This article goes through Redmine’s official requirements and installation steps, and shows where shared hosting gets in the way. It then covers three options for when Redmine will not fit.
Key takeaways
- Installing Redmine assumes command-line access and an environment that keeps a Ruby program running. It cannot be installed with a browser and FTP alone.
- The current release, Redmine 7.0, needs Ruby 3.2 or later. Of the five well-known shared hosts we checked, only one offers a Ruby version that new, and none of them publishes a guide for installing the current Redmine.
- When Redmine will not fit, the realistic choices are a VPS, a hosted Redmine service, or a different tool that is built for shared hosting.
Note: this article is written by the developer of GeckoFlag. Information about Redmine and the hosting providers is based on their official pages, checked on October 5, 2026.
What Redmine needs
Start with the official installation guide. As of October 2026, the current release line is 7.0.
| Item | Redmine 7.0 requirement |
|---|---|
| Runtime | Ruby 3.2, 3.3, 3.4 or 4.0 (runs on Ruby on Rails 8.1) |
| Database | MySQL 8.0 to 8.4, PostgreSQL 14, SQL Server 2012 or higher, or SQLite 3. SQLite is not for multi-user production use |
| MySQL setting | Change the transaction isolation level to READ COMMITTED |
| Optional | ImageMagick (Gantt export to image, thumbnails), Sidekiq (the recommended queue backend for production) |
Source: Installing Redmine (official guide)
The official guide has 11 steps:
- Download and extract the Redmine package
- Create an empty database and a database user
- Write the connection details in a config file (config/database.yml)
- Install the required libraries from the command line (bundle install)
- Generate a session secret from the command line
- Compile the assets from the command line
- Create the database tables from the command line
- Load the default data from the command line
- Set write permissions on a few folders
- Start a server from the command line and test the installation
- Open it in a browser and log in
This is not the WordPress pattern of uploading files and opening an installer in the browser. Steps 4 to 8 and step 10 are done by logging in to the server and typing commands.
What comes after step 10 matters just as much. Redmine serves its pages from a Ruby program that keeps running. The server you start in step 10 is only a test. To use Redmine day to day, you need a separate setup in which an application server runs all the time behind the web server.
Four things that get in the way on shared hosting
Hold those requirements up against an ordinary shared hosting plan, and four problems appear.
1The Ruby version may be too old, or missing
Many shared hosts do offer Ruby, but the version varies widely. HostGator’s help pages list Ruby 1.8.7 for shared plans. hosting.com (formerly A2 Hosting) lists versions up to 2.6 in its Ruby selector. Namecheap goes up to 3.4.
Redmine 7.0 needs Ruby 3.2 or later. Ruby 2.5, which several hosts still provide, reached end of life in 2021.
You can sometimes build a newer Ruby inside your own home folder. That means compiling software on the server, which raises the difficulty another notch.
2You need the command line (SSH)
More than half of the installation steps are commands. You need SSH access to run them, and whether you get it depends on the host and the plan. On some hosts it is off by default and has to be enabled or requested.
Even with SSH, you do not have administrator (root) access. If a step needs an extra system package, for example to build one of Redmine’s libraries, you may not be able to install it.
3You cannot keep your own program running
This is the biggest one. Shared hosting puts many customers on one server, so a customer starting their own long-running process is generally not part of the deal. Memory and process counts are capped as well. Namecheap, for example, limits its entry-level shared plan to 1 GB of memory.
The one route that some hosts do provide is the “Setup Ruby App” feature in cPanel. It runs a Ruby application through Passenger, which the host manages, so you are not starting a server yourself. Where that feature is missing, or only offers an old Ruby, there is no supported way to keep Redmine running.
4The database may not be on Redmine’s list
For MySQL, the official guide lists versions 8.0 to 8.4. Many shared hosts provide MariaDB instead, which is compatible with MySQL in most respects but does not appear in Redmine’s list of supported databases. Namecheap’s shared hosting, for instance, runs MariaDB 11.4.
Points 1 and 4 are version problems. Points 2 and 3 come from how shared hosting is built. Versions may catch up over time, but the limit in point 3 is part of what shared hosting is.
Where well-known shared hosts stand
We checked what five well-known hosting providers say on their own support pages about Ruby on shared plans. Checked on October 5, 2026.
| Host | Ruby on shared plans | Meets Redmine 7.0 (3.2 or later)? | What the host says about Ruby apps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Namecheap | 3.0 to 3.4Chosen in cPanel’s “Setup Ruby App” | ✓The version does | Publishes a guide to “Setup Ruby App”. Database is MariaDB 11.4. SSH can be enabled on any plan |
| hosting.comformerly A2 Hosting | 1.8 to 2.6 | No | Supports Rails through “Setup Ruby App”, and tells you to use Ruby 2.5 for it |
| HostGator | 1.8.7Rails 2.3.18 | No | Newer Ruby and Rails versions are for VPS or dedicated servers |
| DreamHost | Installed, version not listed | NoRuby apps cannot be run on shared plans | Running a Ruby app is only available on a Managed VPS or Dedicated server. Passenger is not supported |
| Bluehost | Version not listed | UnclearThe host does not publish a version | “Limited support for Ruby applications. Not ideal for running full Ruby on Rails environments.” Recommends VPS or dedicated hosting |
Based on each host’s own support and specification pages. Specifications can differ by plan and by when you signed up.
Four of the five either offer a Ruby that is too old, or tell you plainly that a VPS or dedicated server is the place for Ruby applications.
Namecheap is the interesting case. Its shared hosting offers Ruby up to 3.4 through cPanel’s “Setup Ruby App”, so the version requirement is met and there is a host-managed way to keep an application running. That still leaves open questions: the database is MariaDB rather than one of the MySQL versions on Redmine’s list, Redmine’s libraries have to be installed without root access, and everything has to fit inside the plan’s memory limit. Namecheap’s guide covers Ruby applications in general, not Redmine. We have not tested this setup ourselves, so treat it as an experiment, not as a supported way to run Redmine.
None of this is a fault in shared hosting. It is built for websites that run on PHP, and for PHP the same hosts offer current versions. An application like Redmine, which runs continuously on Ruby, simply sits outside what shared hosting was designed for.
Three options when Redmine will not fit
If Redmine will not go onto your shared hosting, there are three ways forward. Which one is right depends on whether what you want is Redmine itself, or issue tracking on the hosting you already have.
| Option | A good fit if | What you take on |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rent a VPS and install Redmine | You want Redmine, and someone on the team is comfortable with the command line | Building, updating and securing the server |
| 2. Use a hosted Redmine service | You want Redmine, and you do not want to run a server | A monthly fee |
| 3. Use a different tool that runs on shared hosting | You want to keep using your current hosting, and it does not have to be Redmine | Feature differences from Redmine, and moving your data |
1Rent a VPS and install Redmine
If you want all of Redmine under your own control, this is the standard route. A VPS gives you administrator access, so you can follow the official steps as written.
Some providers offer a VPS that starts with Redmine already installed. Hostinger, for example, has a Redmine VPS template on Ubuntu 24.04. Check which Redmine version a template installs, because it is not always the latest.
In exchange, looking after the server becomes your job. Updating the operating system and Ruby, taking backups and guarding against break-ins are all on your side. The deciding question is whether someone on the team can handle a server, and can keep doing so.
2Use a hosted Redmine service
There are services that run Redmine for you, with no installation or maintenance. Planio is one that Redmine’s own website lists. The provider manages the server and you use Redmine in the browser.
Planio has a free plan for 2 users and 1 project, and paid plans start at $25 a month for 5 users. If your starting point was “Redmine, because it is free,” note that the assumption changes here.
3Use a different tool that runs on shared hosting
If all you need is to manage issues and tasks on the hosting you already have, look at tools that run on PHP and a database alone. Leantime, Kanboard and our own GeckoFlag are examples.
Their requirements and installation effort are compared in Project Management Tools You Can Install on Shared Hosting Without Docker.
None of them does everything Redmine does. Repository integration, fine-grained permissions and workflows, and plugins are Redmine’s strengths. If you need those, you will be happier with option 1 or 2.
What to know before moving from Redmine to GeckoFlag
This article is written by the developer of GeckoFlag. For readers weighing GeckoFlag as the third option, here are the limits of a move as well as the good points.
What GeckoFlag does
GeckoFlag is a project and issue management tool sold as a one-time purchase. It runs on PHP 8.2 or later and MySQL or MariaDB. Upload the files, open the site in a browser, and the installer starts. There is no command line involved. Updates and backups are done from the admin screen too.
It brings together issues, parent and child issues, comments, a Kanban board, a Gantt chart, a wiki and file sharing. The interface is built so that designers, project leads and clients, people who are not engineers, can use it without getting lost.
Limits to check before you move
- There is no dedicated migration tool. You export Redmine issues as CSV and import them into GeckoFlag. Imported issues are registered as new ones, and issue numbers are reassigned.
- Only the basic issue fields move over. That means fields such as status, priority, assignee, start date and due date. Comment history, attachments and wiki pages cannot be moved. Parent and child relationships are not carried over by CSV either.
- The import needs some preparation. Statuses, priorities and assignees have to be registered in GeckoFlag first. Rows that refer to ones that do not exist are skipped. See the Import & Export manual for details.
- Redmine has features that GeckoFlag does not. Time tracking, custom fields, workflow settings, repository integration, plugins, an API and fine-grained permissions for each role.
- It is not free. It is a one-time purchase of $30, and hosting costs are separate.
GeckoFlag is not the right choice for moving a Redmine that has years of history in it. It suits teams that are starting fresh, or teams that move only their open issues and begin again.
For a feature-by-feature comparison, see GeckoFlag vs Redmine. You can try the real screens in the demo.
Summary: do you want Redmine, or issue tracking on your hosting?
Redmine was not designed to be installed on shared hosting. It needs the command line and an environment that keeps a Ruby program running. Most well-known shared hosts either offer a Ruby that is too old for the current release or point you to a VPS for Ruby applications, and none of them publishes a guide for installing the current Redmine.
If you are unsure, this is a simple way to decide:
- You need Redmine’s features and someone can handle a server: install it on a VPS.
- You need Redmine’s features and do not want a server: use a hosted service.
- Issue tracking on your current hosting is enough: choose a tool that runs on PHP.
If the third option is yours, the comparison of tools for shared hosting is the next thing to read. GeckoFlag’s installation steps are in the manual, and the price is on the pricing page. We hope this helps you find the setup that fits your team.
Sources
- Installing Redmine (Redmine: requirements and installation steps)
- Ruby Maintenance Branches (Ruby: support status of each version)
- Commercial Offerings (Redmine: hosting services)
- Pricing (Planio)
Note: specifications and prices are as of October 5, 2026. Check each official page for the latest information before you install or sign up.