Nowadays encoding application sources is a common practice, when it comes to protecting/licensing source code. Not only for licensing but, it also ensures increased accuracy, minimizing the storage space and much more.

Today, Ioncube is one of the most popular and widely used solutions to prevent unauthorised access to your source code.

Ioncube Loader, What is it and how it is useful ?

Ioncube, a PHP extension provides two tools – Encoder to compile PHP files and Loader, which handles execution of such encrypted files and speed up the web pages. The extension makes it easy to protect your PHP source code from easy observation, theft and change by compiling to bytecode. Encoding your application sources offers many benefits. Developers: Helps in protecting and licensing your application sources.

Website Owners: Hides sensitive data and protect scripts from unauthorised changes.

Website Designers: Protect your creative work and a revenue stream from future script updates.

Now we get to know about ioncube and it’s benefits, what’s next? Installation, now many questions pops up on our mind,

How to go ahead with this?
What version should I use?
Is the installation is that much hard?
The list goes on.

But what’s really involved? Installing ioncube loader simply involves two steps:

Download the ioncube extension file – https://www.ioncube.com/loaders.php
Include the line in php.ini to load the extension.

Download the right version

For Ubuntu, Debian, Windows :

It is important to choose the correct Ioncube version that suits your system settings. To know about your hosting system and environment follow the below steps:

- Create a info.php in the root directory of your web server and add the following code :

- Visit http://yourdomain.com/phpinfo.php, gives you the required details.

how to install ioncube loaders with phpinfo details

From the above image, you can get the PHP version, server OS details and the system processor type, which is useful in deciding the appropriate loader.

Using Terminal : Run the below commands in the terminal,

Setting up the Loader After downloading the right Loader based on your server settings. The next step is to enable the loader, initially to find the path of the extension folder.

Check on the http://yourdomain.com/phpinfo.php, and search for extension_dir
Using Terminal, run the command php -i | grep extension_dir
Now, the final step is to add a line in your php.ini file

For CentOS : zend_extension = /usr/local/ioncube/ioncube_loader_lin_5.5.so For Ubuntu, Debian : zend_extension = /usr/lib/php5/20131226/ioncube_loader_lin_5.6.so For Windows : zend_extension_ts = c:WINNTioncube_loader_win_5.6.dll For FreeBSD : zend_extension_ts = /usr/local/ioncube/ioncube_loader_fre_5.6_ts.so

Installing with the Loader Installer or Loader Wizard A Loader Wizard PHP script can be helpful with installation, when it is available in a Zip and tgz archive. Download and install the script into your web space, and then launch the script in your browser for guidance on installation and selection of the correct Loader package. The Wizard is also provided within the Loader packages below

For more info you can refer to http://www.ioncube.com/loader_installation.php and to download the package http://www.ioncube.com/loaders.php.

Installing Ioncube in Hosting Providers Nowadays Ioncube loaders are supported/installed already with all hosting providers. The easy and speedy process is to contact your hosting support to enable ioncube for your account or to yourself consult your hosting support forums and FAQ.

In general creating a custom php ini to enable ioncube for your hosting is sufficient. Here you can find steps that are shared by various hosting types to make it easy for our users without search for the supported content.

Shared Hosting Support

Search for ioncube, if you can’t find anything similar, then it is not enabled.
Search the hosting FAQ, forum for any instruction to enable ioncube

Note :

Os_type – (linux or windows) | phpversion – (5.4, 5.6, 7) | .ext – (so – Linux, dll – Windows)

For Server Side Install In general the Loader can be enabled automatically in web servers without changing the php.ini file or server restart. In some cases, zend extension line can be added to the php.ini file to enable ioncube. To add the line refer the above.

Installation with Various Hosting HostGator

Log into your HostGator cPanel
Go to the Software → Services in cPanel
Click on the “PHP Config” and select “PHP5 (Single php.ini) and save the changes.
You will be directed to Install Default php.ini page
Click on the option to install IonCube, check “IonCube” and click “Install”
Once it is done, go to “File Manager”
Select Web Root (public_html/www) to load in file manager
Browse and find newly created php.ini.default, then select and rename the file as php.ini
Now the IonCube is enabled.

Blue Domino:

Log into the Control Panel
Click on CGI and Scripted Language Support under Scripting and Add-Ons.
Click on PHP Scripting.
Add the following line:
zend_extension = /usr/local/lib/ioncube/ioncube_loader_lin_x.x.so
(Where x.x is the version of your php)
Click on the Save button

OVH Hosting:

Add the following line to a custom .htaccess file:

SetEnv IONCUBE 1

SetEnv PHP_VER 5

Or create a file called .htaccess, and using a text editor put the above code lines in it, save changes, and upload it to the root of the store files.

Ktools – Use a local php.ini to configure the ioncube loaders which need to be in the ioncube directory. Aruba – Ioncube is not supported according to Ktools customers (1).

Glow Host – Request the support for Ioncube support. – Click Here

Godaddy – On PHP5 linux accounts, php.ini must be named php5.ini

IX Web Hosting / Host Excellence – Already installed by default. One time the php.ini had to be put in the cgi-bin directory.

Jacobson Hosting – Some servers have Ioncube. Open a support ticket for installation or configuration requests.

Network Solutions – It appears as if Ioncube is not supported.

Web Hosting Pad – Already installed by default. If you use a local php.ini, ioncube will not work.

Yahoo – It appears as if Ioncube is not supported.

Below listed are some hosting providers along with a link for the installation procedure

Just Host Web Hosting Click Here

iPage – Click Here

Blue Host – Click Here

Hostmonster – Click Here

Fatcow – Click Here

Jaguar PC – Click Here

Dreamhost – Click Here

IPOWER – Click Here

Lunarpages – Click Here

Pow Web – Click Here

Netfirms – Click Here

Site Ground – Click Here

Start Logic – Click Here

Loader Downloads

OS/Platform	Tar file	Zip file
Windows VC9 (32 bits)	tar.gz	zip
Windows VC9 (Non-TS) (32 bits)	tar.gz	zip
Windows VC11 (32 bits)	tar.gz	zip
Windows VC11 (Non-TS) (32 bits)	tar.gz	zip
Windows VC11 (64 bits)	tar.gz	zip
Windows VC11 (Non-TS) (64 bits)	tar.gz	zip
Windows VC14 (32 bits)	tar.gz	zip
Windows VC14 (Non-TS) (32 bits)	tar.gz	zip
Windows VC14 (64 bits)	tar.gz	zip
Windows VC14 (Non-TS) (64 bits)	tar.gz	zip
Linux (32 bits)	tar.gz	zip
Linux (64 bits)	tar.gz	zip
Linux Armv7l	tar.gz	zip
FreeBSD 6 (32 bits)	tar.gz	zip
FreeBSD 6 (64 bits)	tar.gz	zip
FreeBSD 7 (32 bits)	tar.gz	zip
FreeBSD 7 (64 bits)	tar.gz	zip
FreeBSD 8 (32 bits)	tar.gz	zip
FreeBSD 8 (64 bits)	tar.gz	zip
FreeBSD 9 (32 bits)	tar.gz	zip
FreeBSD 9 (64 bits)	tar.gz	zip
OpenBSD 4.5 (32 bits)	tar.gz	zip
OpenBSD 4.6 (32 bits)	tar.gz	zip
OpenBSD 4.7 (64 bits)	tar.gz	zip
OS X (32 bits)	tar.gz	zip
OS X (64 bits)	tar.gz	zip
Solaris (32 bits)	tar.gz	zip

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