FileMaker Hosting Best Practices: Security & Performance
Look, I've seen too many businesses learn these lessons the hard way. Here's what actually matters.
Security First (Because It Has To Be)
1. SSL/TLS Is Not Optional
Every FileMaker connection should be encrypted. Period. We provide the SSL certificates on your FileMaker Server, HTTPS for WebDirect, and encrypted connections for FileMaker Pro clients. If you’re sending credentials or data in plain text in 202, you’re asking for trouble.
2. Keep FileMaker Server Updated
I know, updates can be scary. But security patches exist for a reason. We test every FileMaker Server update in our staging environment before rolling it out to production. You should too.
3. Firewall Everything
Only open the ports you actually need. FileMaker Server needs port 443 for HTTPS and 5003 for FileMaker clients. That’s it. Everything else should be blocked at the firewall level.
4. Use Strong Authentication
FileMaker’s built-in accounts are fine, but consider OAuth or external authentication for enterprise deployments. And please, enforce strong password policies. “password123” is not a password.
Performance That Actually Performs
5. Right-Size Your Server
More RAM = better FileMaker performance. We typically recommend at least 16GB for production servers, but 32GB or more is better if you’re running multiple databases or have lots of concurrent users.
6. SSD Storage Is Essential
Spinning disks are dead for database hosting. SSDs (or better yet, NVMe drives) make a massive difference in FileMaker Server performance. Your users will thank you.
7. Monitor Everything
You can’t fix what you don’t measure. We monitor CPU, RAM, disk I/O, network traffic, and FileMaker Server stats continuously. Set up alerts so you know about problems before your users do.
8. Regular Backups (And Test Them)
FileMaker Server’s built-in backup is good, but it’s not enough. We do:
- Hourly progressive backups (on request)
- Daily full backups
- Weekly clones
- Daily Off-site backups
Network & Connectivity
9. Location Matters
Host your FileMaker Server close to your users. If your team is in California, don’t host in Virginia. Latency kills FileMaker performance. We offer 42 global locations for exactly this reason.
10.You can se multiple machines for WebDirect
If you have a solution that a lot of users need to access at the same time, consider using multiple machines for FileMaker WebDirect
The Bottom Line
FileMaker hosting isn’t rocket science, but it does require attention to detail. Follow these best practices and you’ll avoid 90% of the problems I see businesses run into.
Want someone else to handle all this? That’s literally what we do. Try us free for 7 days and see the difference professional FileMaker hosting makes.