# Our history

Source: https://www.fortrabbit.com/us/history
Created: 2026-03-15
Reviewed: 2026-04-29

> fortrabbit has been hosting PHP projects since 2012, with roots going back further. The milestones, the pivots and the platform rewrites.


## Founding partners

- Ulrich Kautz
- Oliver Stark
- Frank Lämmer

## 2004 - Early days

Over two decades ago, back in 2004, we already offered a range of internet-related services, mostly about web design, but also including web hosting, e-mail and domain registration. As a network of connected developers we worked for a variety of clients. We mostly implemented standard websites with [WordPress](/software/wordpress), but we also touched Textpattern, Drupal and Typo3.

![Website](/images/fortrabbit-website.png)

The hosting aspect back then primarily involved reselling our root server resources. See a [capture of our website fortrabbit.de](https://web.archive.org/web/20040502130143/http://www.fortrabbit.de/dienst.html) from 2004 in the internet archive.

## 2007 - Getting more serious

As an agency we started implementing more custom build dynamic websites, usually in CakePHP, since [Laravel](/software/laravel) was not around yet.

We also decided to separate the hosting services from the agency business. So we fortrabbit became a hosting side gig project. We purchased servers and set them up in a data center in Berlin to indulge in our passion for technology, product development, and meeting customer needs.

We combined infrastructure and software into a hosting system called MISH. MISH offered distributed services, variable resources billed on consumption, and a mix of automation and customization, similar to a blend of modern shared hosting and managed hosting.

![Servers](/images/server.jpg)

However, the MISH hosting solution had limitations in scalability due to its hardware components. We had a new vision: to narrow our focus and build a hosting platform that would better address our own needs, specifically tailored for modern and professional PHP web development.

## 2012 - fortrabbit GmbH

We made the decision to abandon all of our web agency client projects and focus exclusively on this project. In 2012, we implemented our new cloud hosting solution using AWS. It was the first European Platform as a Service specifically designed for PHP, which was a perfect fit for the growing PHP renaissance and the yet still young Laravel scene.

## 2015 - V2

Ever since we have been developing our platform with all kind of ups and downs. In 2015, we launched a major platform upgrade. In 2016, we introduced the third generation of Apps, called Universal Stack, and also opened our second data center location in the US.

## 2016 - 2021

The next years we have mostly been busy scaling operations.

## 2022 - New platform vision

After a lot of thinking and long discussions, we began developing the new platform version in 2022.

## 2023 - New platform in the making

We are busy building the new platform.

## 2024 - New platform still in the making

We are still busy building the new platform.

## 2025 - New platform coming to light

Private alpha launches in March. Public beta launches in November.

## 2026 - Forward to public launch

We are looking forward to achieve feature parity and full stability for the new platform.

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- [The fortrabbit chronicles](/tag/chronicles)