Server Requirements

One of the biggest advantages of the Smart AI Contact Form & Floating Widget is its incredibly lightweight, zero-dependency architecture.

Because we engineered this specifically as a "Drop-in" solution, you do not need a Virtual Private Server (VPS), Composer, Node.js, or a MySQL database. It will run flawlessly on almost any standard shared hosting environment.

Minimum Requirements

To ensure the script runs smoothly, captures leads, and routes emails properly, your server must meet the following basic requirements:

1. PHP Version

• Minimum: PHP 7.4+
• Recommended: PHP 8.1 or higher

2. PHP Extensions

Most modern hosting providers (cPanel, Hostinger, SiteGround, etc.) have these enabled by default, but it is worth double-checking if you encounter any errors:

• cURL: Required to communicate securely with the AI providers (OpenAI, Gemini, Groq).
• JSON: Required to read your custom content.json knowledge base and parse AI responses.
• OpenSSL: Required by PHPMailer to send secure SMTP emails over port 465 or 587.

3. File Permissions

The script needs permission to write data to your server in order to instantly save the lead information.

• The folder where you install the script must have Write Permissions (usually 755) so that PHP can automatically generate and append data to the leads.csv file.

What You Do NOT Need

To clear up any confusion, here is a list of things you do not need to worry about:

• ❌ No Database: You do not need to create a MySQL database or use phpMyAdmin.
• ❌ No Composer: The required PHPMailer files are already bundled securely in the /lib folder.
• ❌ No Root Access: You do not need SSH or Root access to install this. A simple File Manager upload or FTP connection is all you need.

API Keys Required

Before you proceed to the installation step, make sure you have at least one of the following API keys ready. (You only need the key for the specific AI model you choose to use):

• OpenAI API Key (For GPT-4o-mini)
• Google Gemini API Key (For Gemini 1.5 Flash)
• Groq API Key (For Llama 3.1 8b)

Once you have verified your hosting supports standard PHP and you have your API key ready, you can move on to the next section: Upload & Install.