A self-hosted LMS that runs on ordinary hosting you already have
LMS Advisor installs on your own PHP and MySQL server, a VPS or a capable cPanel account, and keeps every course, exam recording and learner record on infrastructure you control. The same product also runs in our cloud, so you can start hosted and move later.
Self-hosted installs can be bought on a subscription or a one-time license. Pricing is quoted on learner numbers and modules.
- No vendor cloud requiredInstall it where your policies say data must live, on premises or in your own cloud account.
- Maintained from the browserDatabase migrations, backups, health checks and a security scanner are in the admin area.
- Full feature setProctored exams, SSO, SCIM, HR sync, mobile apps and AI all work on a self-hosted install.
What a self-hosted install needs
- A Linux server with PHP 8.1 or later and MySQL
- A VPS or a well-specified cPanel account is enough
- Scheduled cron jobs for email queues, reminders and retention
- Your own Anthropic or OpenAI key if you want the AI tools
- Someone who can patch a server and restore a backup
Five reasons an organization runs its own LMS
Most self-hosting decisions come down to one of these. If none applies to you, our cloud is the simpler route.
What we handle and what your team takes on
Self-hosting moves work from us to you. Here is the list, so nobody is surprised in month three.
What LMS Advisor provides
The application, its updates and the tools to keep a self-hosted install healthy without opening a terminal for routine tasks.
- The installer and an admin page that runs database migrations after each update
- Downloadable database backups and storage checks in the admin area
- A built-in security scanner and system-health report
- The same features as the cloud: exams, proctoring, SSO, SCIM, HR sync, mobile apps, AI
- Support for the application and the update path
What your team provides
The server and the habits that keep it safe. None of this is unusual for a team that already runs a website or an intranet.
- A server with PHP 8.1 or later, MySQL, HTTPS and enough disk for video
- Operating system and PHP patches, and a tested restore of the backups
- The scheduled cron jobs the LMS relies on for email, reminders and retention
- Outbound email through SMTP or Amazon SES
- Your own Anthropic or OpenAI API key if the AI tools are switched on
Not sure your team wants the second list? Start in our cloud. Courses, modules and question banks export and import between installs, and we will tell you before signing what moving a whole instance involves.
From empty server to first learner
Provision the server
A VPS with PHP 8.1 or later, MySQL and HTTPS, or a cPanel account that meets the same requirements. Size the disk for the video you expect to upload, because course video is usually the largest thing on the server.
Install and run the setup
Upload the application, point it at the database and run the installer. It creates the tables, the first admin account and the scheduled tasks you need to register in cron.
Connect sign-in and email
Set up SMTP or Amazon SES for outbound mail, then SAML SSO or SCIM with your identity provider if your IT team requires it. Both are included, with no higher tier to buy.
Bring content across
Import Moodle .mbz backups or LearnDash courses directly, upload SCORM, xAPI and cmi5 packages, or build lessons in the module studio. Tutor LMS and LifterLMS courses come across through the Migrator plugin.
Set retention, then go live
Decide how long proctoring snapshots, audio clips and visitor data are kept, switch on the deadline reminders you want, and enroll the first group.
Self-hosted LMS Advisor and the usual alternatives
The right-hand column describes what we found on vendor pages in October 2026. Vendors change their terms, so check the current page before you decide.
| What to check | LMS Advisor, self-hosted | Typical alternatives |
|---|---|---|
| Can you run it on your own server? | Yes. Plain PHP and MySQL, on a VPS or cPanel hosting. The same product runs in our cloud. | Most commercial LMS products are cloud only. Among the vendors we checked, Moodle and eFront advertise a self-hosted option. Docebo, Absorb, TalentLMS and LearnWorlds do not. |
| Who does the upgrades? | You apply the update, then the admin page runs the database migrations. No command-line work for routine updates. | Open-source installs such as Moodle need a maintained server, PHP version upgrades and plugin testing at each major release. |
| Proctored exams | Native, set per exam, with evidence stored on your server under your retention settings. | Usually a separate proctoring vendor, so recordings sit in that vendor’s cloud even when the LMS is self-hosted. |
| Identity | SAML 2.0 SSO and SCIM 2.0 included. | Often included on a higher plan, or through a plugin on open-source installs. |
| Mobile apps | The LMS Advisor iOS and Android apps connect to your self-hosted install. A branded app is a paid add-on. | Varies. Some self-hosted products have no store app, or charge for a branded build. |
| License | Subscription or a one-time license, quoted on learner numbers and modules. | Open-source is free to license and paid to run. Commercial products are subscription only in every case we checked. |
| What it does not do | No built-in checkout, no content library, no drag-and-drop report builder, no AICC or H5P. | Open-source platforms often have plugins for these. Commercial clouds usually include a checkout or a content library. |
Sources, read 19 October 2026: Moodle hosting options, eFront, Docebo pricing.
When self-hosting is the wrong call
We sell both routes, so we have no reason to push you toward one. These are the cases where we would tell you to use the cloud.
Nobody owns the server
If patching, backups and cron jobs would fall to whoever is free that week, the install will drift. The cloud exists for exactly this team.
A deadline is close
Provisioning, DNS, TLS, email and an internal change request can take longer than the install. A cloud workspace is ready the same day.
You want zero outbound dependencies
The AI tools call Anthropic or OpenAI, AI captions use OpenAI Whisper, and live sessions use Zoom or Google Meet. Each is optional, and none works without the connection.
You need a certification on paper
Self-hosting puts the data under your controls, but LMS Advisor itself holds no SOC 2, ISO 27001 or HIPAA certification.
What does self-hosting an LMS actually involve?
Self-hosting means the LMS runs on a server your organization controls, and your team is responsible for keeping that server up to date. For LMS Advisor that is a PHP and MySQL application with a web installer, so the day-one work is close to installing any other web application: provision a server, create a database, upload the files, run the setup, register the cron jobs and point a domain at it.
The ongoing work is where teams underestimate self-hosting. Someone has to apply operating system and PHP patches, check that backups restore, keep the TLS certificate renewed and watch disk space as course video accumulates. We built the admin area to take the application-level tasks off that list: migrations run from a page, backups download from a page, and a health report flags what needs attention. The server-level tasks stay with you.
Why we built a product that can be self-hosted
We spent years setting up and repairing LMS platforms for clients, and the projects that came back to us most often were self-hosted ones that had drifted: an open-source LMS two major versions behind, a plugin that broke at the last upgrade, a proctoring integration whose recordings nobody could find. The organizations had chosen self-hosting for good reasons, usually data control, and were paying for it in maintenance.
LMS Advisor keeps the reason and removes most of the cost. Proctoring, exams, certificates, SSO and SCIM are in the core application, so there is no plugin set to keep in step. Updates are applied from the admin area. And because the same product runs in our cloud, an organization that later decides the server is not worth the effort can move without changing software.
Who should self-host, and who should not
Self-host when a rule or a contract names where data must live, when exam recordings are too sensitive to hand to a third party, when you already run servers and the marginal cost of one more application is low, or when a one-time license on your own hardware beats years of per-learner fees. Government bodies, certification bodies, universities with their own data centers and companies in regulated industries are the usual cases.
Use the cloud when the team that would run the server is one person with other jobs, when the program has to be live in days, or when the honest answer to “who restores the backup at 2am” is nobody. There is no prize for self-hosting. The point is control, and if you do not need it, you are buying work.
Where the data sits on a self-hosted install
Everything is on your server: the MySQL database with learner records, enrollments, attempts and certificates, and the storage folder with course media, lesson materials, proctoring snapshots and audio clips. Retention settings in the admin area delete proctoring evidence and visitor data on the schedule you choose, and the daily job removes both the database rows and the files on disk.
Three things leave the server only if you switch them on: AI calls to Anthropic or OpenAI, AI captions through OpenAI Whisper, and live sessions through Zoom or Google Meet. Each is off until an admin enables it, and each is listed on our security page so your reviewer can see the full set.
Self-hosted versus cloud, in practice
The product is the same. What differs is who holds the database, who patches the server and how the license is priced. Our cloud is priced as a subscription on learner numbers and modules. A self-hosted install can be priced the same way or as a one-time license, with support and updates set out in the quote. For a longer comparison of the two routes, our post on self-hosted vs cloud LMS walks through the cost, security and operations questions one at a time.
Self-hosted LMS questions
What is a self-hosted LMS?
What server does LMS Advisor need?
Is a self-hosted LMS cheaper than a cloud LMS?
Do all features work on a self-hosted install?
How do updates work when we self-host?
Can we move from your cloud to our own server later?
Is self-hosted LMS Advisor open source?
Can a self-hosted LMS run without internet access?
Next steps for a self-hosted project
Tell us where the data has to live
Describe your hosting, your identity provider and the rules you have to meet. We will show you a self-hosted install and quote it on your numbers, as a subscription or a one-time license.
- Walkthrough built around your programs
- Cloud or self-hosted, priced for your numbers
- Reply within one business day