--- title: "Self-Hosted Site Management Guide" type: "wiki" space: "Axero Documentation" author: "Maxwell Drain" created: 2024-01-17T00:29:27Z updated: 2026-09-28T00:12:38Z tags: ["site-administrator"] url: "https://my.axerosolutions.com/spaces/5/axero-documentation/wiki/view/100101/self-hosted-site-management-guide" --- # Self-Hosted Site Management Guide This guide covers how to keep a self-hosted Axero site secure, fast, and reliable. **About Self-Hosted Sites:** Self-hosted sites, also known as on-premises sites, are Axero deployments that you manage on your own infrastructure. This gives you complete control, but also means you are responsible for meeting all infrastructure and security requirements. ### Best Practices Follow these practices to keep your intranet secure and running well. 1. **Infrastructure Maintenance** - Keep your infrastructure up to date with Axero's [specifications](https://my.axerosolutions.com/spaces/5/axero-documentation/wiki/view/329/on-premises-installation-guide#requirements) and with industry standards. Click the **Follow** button on that page to be notified when the requirements change. - Keep a separate development environment that mirrors your production \(live\) setup; see [On-Premises Additional Instances](https://my.axerosolutions.com/spaces/5/axero-documentation/wiki/view/25620/on-premises-additional-instances "On-Premises Additional Instances"). - Refresh that environment with production data from time to time, so your tests of updates and changes are accurate. 2. **Software Update Compliance** - Install Axero's General Release updates promptly. Axero provides software support for the two most recent versions. - Always test updates in your development environment before you install them on production, to keep disruptions low. - Do not modify system files or settings without explicit Axero approval. 3. **Application and Infrastructure Support** - Axero's support team helps with any issue in the application itself. - We do not provide on-demand support for infrastructure issues, because your team manages that infrastructure with third-party systems. 4. **Collaborative Troubleshooting** - When a problem needs it, give Axero access to your systems so we can troubleshoot it. - When reporting issues, follow our [Online Support](https://my.axerosolutions.com/spaces/5/axero-documentation/wiki/view/33697/online-support "Online Support"). Include your system configuration, the steps you took, and anything else you noticed. 5. **Traffic Inspection in Front of the Site** - A web application firewall, reverse proxy, or CDN \(content delivery network\) in front of your site checks the content of each request, called the request body, as well as its URL. When someone saves a page, the body normally carries Axero's own asset paths, such as `/Assets/Uploaded-CMS-Files/`. A rule that matches those paths refuses the save before Axero ever receives it, and the person saving sees only a generic error. - When an action such as a save fails and Axero's exception log shows nothing for it, check the firewall, proxy, or CDN rules first. A request stopped in front of the site never reaches Axero, so Axero has nothing to log. Ask the team that manages that layer to allow the site's own asset paths in request bodies. * * * ### System Modification Policy **Do not modify system files or settings without explicit Axero approval.** This includes web.config files, Hangfire settings, database configurations, IIS application pools, Elasticsearch configurations, and system files. **Contact [Online Support](https://my.axerosolutions.com/spaces/5/axero-documentation/wiki/view/33697/online-support "Online Support") before making any system changes.** Unauthorized modifications can make the system unstable, open security vulnerabilities, and void your support agreement. **Why This Policy Matters:** As our platform evolves, we may need to update configuration files or system settings. Unauthorized modifications can prevent successful updates, cause compatibility issues, and create security vulnerabilities. This policy keeps your system supportable and secure. * * * ### Multi-Site Hosting **Can multiple Axero sites run on the same server?** Yes. Several Axero sites can share a virtual machine \(VM\) if it is properly configured and has enough resources. This works well for development environments and low-traffic internal sites, but a production site needs careful planning. #### Technical Requirements To host multiple sites on one VM, meet these requirements: - **Adequate Resources:** Sufficient CPU, memory, and fast disk I/O to support all sites and their concurrent Elasticsearch processes. - **Sufficient Storage:** Enough disk space for each site's data, user uploads, and IIS file system. - **Proper Isolation:** Each site must be in its own folder with separate files and configurations. - **Process Separation:** Each site needs a dedicated IIS Application Pool to prevent one site from affecting others. - **Search Independence:** Use a separate Elasticsearch instance for each site to avoid data conflicts and ensure search integrity. **Important:** This shared hosting approach is suitable for development or staging environments. For business-critical production sites with high-availability requirements, dedicated VMs provide better performance, stability, and isolation. #### Environment Separation **Never mix production and non-production sites on the same server.** Testing, debugging, and experiments on a non-production site can use significant resources and slow down or destabilize your live production site. **Recommended Approach** - **Production:** Use dedicated VMs for business-critical sites requiring maximum performance and uptime. - **Development/Testing:** Multiple non-production sites can safely share a single VM with proper isolation. - **Staging:** Use a separate staging environment that mirrors production for accurate pre-deployment testing. * * * ### Security Updates These are the current minimums for a self-hosted Axero site. Each one has been in effect since the date shown, so a site that has not met them yet is already behind. | Security Requirement | In Effect Since | Details | | :---: | :---: | :---: | | **Elasticsearch 8** | January 1, 2025 | Upgrade to Elasticsearch 8 to get the latest security patches, performance improvements, and new features. Elasticsearch 7 reached [end of life](https://www.elastic.co/support/eol) on January 15, 2026, and no longer receives security updates. | | **TLS 1.2 with [Strong Cipher Suites](https://my.axerosolutions.com/spaces/5/axero-documentation/wiki/view/329/on-premises-installation-guide#ciphers)** | January 1, 2024 | TLS 1.2 is mandatory and replaces the [outdated TLS 1.1](https://media.defense.gov/2021/Jan/05/2002560140/-1/-1/0/ELIMINATING_OBSOLETE_TLS_UOO197443-20.PDF). It uses stronger encryption to protect data while it travels between systems. | | **Windows Server 2019** | December 9, 2023 | Upgrading is necessary because of [Windows Server 2012's EOL in October 2023](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-server-2012-r2) \(end of life\). Moving off an unsupported system closes the security risks that come with running it. | | **SHA-256 in SAML Transactions** | June 1, 2023 | SAML transactions \(the exchange behind single sign-on\) need SHA-256 because the older SHA-1 hashing algorithm has known vulnerabilities. SHA-256 is the algorithm the identity provider uses to sign the SAML response. | | **SQL Server 2016 SP2 or higher** | July 31, 2022 | SQL Server 2012 reached end of life \(EOL\) in July 2022. Upgrade to SQL Server 2016 SP2 or newer to stay within current data protection regulations and keep the database supported. Microsoft's extended support for SQL Server 2016 itself ended on July 14, 2026. | #### Related pages - [On-Premises Installation Guide](https://my.axerosolutions.com/spaces/5/axero-documentation/wiki/view/329/on-premises-installation-guide "On-Premises Installation Guide") \(the requirements and installation steps\) - [On-Premises Additional Instances](https://my.axerosolutions.com/spaces/5/axero-documentation/wiki/view/25620/on-premises-additional-instances "On-Premises Additional Instances") \(to copy a site to another environment\) - [On-Premises Disaster Recovery](https://my.axerosolutions.com/spaces/5/axero-documentation/wiki/view/100100/on-premises-disaster-recovery "On-Premises Disaster Recovery") \(to plan backups and recovery\) - [Third-Party Controls and Frameworks](https://my.axerosolutions.com/spaces/5/axero-documentation/wiki/view/32290/third-party-controls-and-frameworks "Third-Party Controls and Frameworks") \(the third-party components the product uses\) - [How to Add Required Cipher Suites](https://my.axerosolutions.com/spaces/5/axero-documentation/wiki/view/104881/how-to-add-required-cipher-suites "How to Add Required Cipher Suites") \(add the cipher suites the product needs\)