---
url: /relyai-acellemail/requirements.md
description: >-
  What your server and account need before you install RelyAI for AcelleMail —
  AcelleMail 4.0.24+, PHP 8.2+, the ionCube Loader, an AI provider, outbound
  HTTPS, and an active license.
---

# Requirements

Verify the prerequisites below before installing RelyAI for AcelleMail.

## Server and software

| Requirement | Minimum |
| --- | --- |
| **AcelleMail** | 4.0.24 or newer |
| **PHP** | 8.2 or newer (runs on 8.2, 8.3, 8.4 and 8.5) |
| **ionCube Loader** | 13.0.2 or newer (see below) |
| **An AI provider** | An OpenAI or Anthropic API key, or a self-hosted / Ollama Cloud endpoint |
| **Outbound HTTPS** | To your AI provider and to relyweb.co for licensing and updates |
| **License** | An active RelyAI license |

## The ionCube Loader

RelyAI distribution packages are encoded with ionCube:

* **Version required:** ionCube Loader **13.0.2 or newer** matching your PHP runtime.
* **AcelleMail compatibility:** Uses the same loader extension required by AcelleMail core.
* **Single build:** A unified build runs across PHP 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, and 8.5 without separate packages.

::: danger ionCube Loader required
RelyAI cannot execute without the ionCube Loader.

* **Symptom:** Plugin fails to load or shows a fatal encoding error upon activation.
* **Fix:** Enable ionCube Loader 13.0.2+ in your PHP configuration and restart your web server.
  :::

## Why an AI provider and a license

AI features require external intelligence and domain validation:

* **AI provider:** Connect an OpenAI or Anthropic API key, or an Ollama endpoint. Self-hosted Ollama models incur zero per-token cost; cloud providers bill directly.
* **License gate:** All AI operations require an **Active** domain-bound license key. See [Licensing](/relyai-acellemail/licensing).

## How to check

* **AcelleMail version:** Check your AcelleMail admin area's About/version display.
* **PHP & ionCube:** Review `phpinfo()` or run `php -v` to verify PHP 8.2+ and ionCube Loader 13.0.2+.
* **Outbound HTTPS:** Verify firewall rules allow outbound traffic to provider endpoints and `relyweb.co`.
* **API credentials:** Have your OpenAI, Anthropic, or Ollama endpoint details ready.

## Related pages

* [Installation](/relyai-acellemail/installation)
* [Connect an engine](/relyai-acellemail/guides/connect-an-engine)
* [Licensing](/relyai-acellemail/licensing)
* [Configuration](/relyai-acellemail/configuration)