The request path
From browser to WordPress, in four stages
DNS resolves to ScaleShield
Your domain's A record points at 31.132.2.56, which is ScaleShield. Host your DNS with us (all record types, zone import included) or keep it wherever you like; either way, every visitor arrives at ScaleShield first, never directly at the server running your site.
ScaleShield terminates TLS and filters the noise
Your free certificate (wildcard included, auto-renewed) is handled here. Firewall rules and bot detection then strip out the exploit scanners, credential-stuffing scripts and request floods that make up a large share of raw WordPress traffic. Only legitimate requests continue inward.
Your dedicated container renders the page
Each site gets its own container with WordPress pre-installed and the PHP version you chose (7.4 to 8.4). Its resource allocation is not shared with other customers, so nobody else’s traffic spike, cron job or badly-behaved plugin can slow your renders.
A database that is yours alone
One database per site: never shared tables, never a shared instance where a neighbour’s slow query delays yours. We keep a live standby copy on a second machine, updated continuously as changes happen.
Designed to fail well
What happens when things go wrong
We commit to 99.99% uptime, and we would rather show you how we keep it than just quote a number. Here is how the platform is built to keep your site serving when parts of it fail, and to make recovery a proven path rather than a prayer.
Your site keeps serving
The machines that serve your site handle their own traffic. If our control system goes down entirely, they keep serving and your site stays up.
A live database standby
A live copy of your database is kept on a second machine, ready to take over, so a current copy of your data is always on separate hardware.
Restore-tested backups
Every backup is restored into a sandbox nightly to prove it works. Recovery is rehearsed every single night, automatically.
Independent monitoring
Per-minute checks alert you by email, webhook or Slack the moment your site stops responding, with a public status page for the platform itself.
Your keys, always
Managed doesn't mean locked out
We run the infrastructure; you keep full access to everything that is yours.
SFTP & WP-CLI
SFTP on port 2222 with scoped sub-accounts, and WP-CLI for scripted admin: search-replace, exports, plugin management.
phpMyAdmin
Direct access to your dedicated MariaDB database whenever you need to look under the bonnet.
Cloning & backups
One-click site cloning before risky changes, manual snapshots on demand, and full / file / database-level restores.
Dashboard control
PHP version, domains, DNS, email, monitoring, team roles and 2FA. All self-service, all audit-logged.
Dive deeper: performance, security, maintenance & backups, or see plans & pricing.
Architecture questions, answered plainly
What actually runs my WordPress site?
A dedicated container, created just for your site, on our UK worker infrastructure. It holds your WordPress files and PHP runtime (7.4 to 8.4, your choice), and connects to a MariaDB database that belongs to your site alone. No other customer shares your container or your database.
What happens when a visitor requests a page?
DNS resolves your domain to ScaleShield. ScaleShield handles TLS with your free certificate, applies firewall rules and bot filtering, and forwards legitimate requests to your container, which renders the page from your dedicated database.
What happens if part of your platform fails?
Even if our control system goes down, the machines that serve your site keep running and your site stays up. We keep a live standby copy of your database on a second machine, and every backup is restore-tested nightly, so recovery is proven, not assumed. We commit to 99.99% uptime, and we are glad to show you exactly how we keep it.
How do I get files and data in and out?
SFTP on port 2222 (with scoped sub-accounts for contractors), WP-CLI for scripted WordPress admin, phpMyAdmin for the database, and the dashboard for everything else: backups, cloning, monitoring, PHP version, domains and email.
Where do custom domains point?
You point an A record at 31.132.2.56 (ScaleShield) or move your DNS to us entirely (full DNS hosting with all record types and zone import is included). TLS certificates are issued automatically once the domain resolves.