What is PHP?
PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely used, open-source, general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development and can be embedded into HTML.
PHP originally stood for Personal Home Page. Today, it is referred to as PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor. If you would like to know more about PHP, you can find a link to their site here.
What PHP does for you is a little easier to explain. Essentially, PHP is a scripting language that allows for advanced features for your website. This includes interactive menus and animations, as well as database connectivity. It is almost certain that your favorite websites are using some PHP scripting (including this one).
Most popular website Content Management Services (CMS) are built on PHP, including WordPress and Joomla. It is estimated that 4 out of 5 websites contain some PHP scripting.
PHP is constantly evolving as the public's need for website features and security changes. For this reason, PHP follows a two-year lifespan model, with a new minor version released every year (typically in November). Each version is fully supported for two years, with an additional year of security updates only.
What PHP version should I be using?
While older PHP versions will still work with most browsers, these are no longer supported or updated and will not receive any security updates. This may leave your website and hosting account vulnerable to attack from scammers and hackers. For security reasons, it is best to run the newest PHP version available that your website is compatible with. If you are using a CMS such as WordPress, keeping it updated (which you should be doing anyway) should enable you to maintain the most recent PHP version.
In addition to security, basic website functionality can be impacted if you’re running older versions. If the version of PHP that you are using is removed from the server, your site will be forced to use the default PHP version on the server, and your website might not be compatible with the newer version. For instance, if you use a database or more advanced PHP functions, you may see errors on your site, or it may not load at all.
Why should I update my PHP version?
As explained earlier, older versions of PHP have fewer features, but more security vulnerabilities. For this reason alone, it is beneficial for you to keep your website running on the most current software possible. You can see what versions are currently supported here.
New PHP minor versions are supported for two years and will receive security updates for an additional year, for a total of three years. While older, deprecated versions will still work as long as your web server supports them, they will no longer receive security updates, leaving you vulnerable to attacks.
But aside from the feature and security benefits, there will come a time when we will need to disable these older versions of PHP on the servers. These older versions can become a security hole that may leave the server vulnerable to attack. Older versions of PHP are eventually phased out and removed from our servers.
While we intend to never remove PHP versions without notifying our customers first, a security issue may be so severe that we would need to take immediate action. If your site only works with that version, it will be down until you update it.
How can I update my PHP version?
You can update your PHP version with the MultiPHP Manager app in the Software section of your cPanel.
Before updating your PHP version, please review these warnings:
- If your website is a basic HTML website, then you do not need to worry about your PHP version.
- If you are using a CMS such as WordPress or Joomla, updating those should correct issues. If you had someone build the site for you, you may need to contact your website developer if you are having further issues.
- While PHP versions are typically safe to update within a major release version (for example, updating from PHP 7.1 to PHP 7.4), updating from one major release to another can cause compatibility issues.
- If you are updating from PHP5 to PHP7 or PHP8 (there is no PHP6), you should be fine if your site does not use a database. There were huge coding changes for database handling between PHP5 and PHP7 that can break your site.
- It is recommended to update your PHP versions in steps. If you are currently using PHP5.6, try updating to PHP7.0 first. If that is successful, then try PHP7.4 (skipping PHP7.1 to PHP7.3 should be fine). If everything is still working fine, you can then update to PHP8.0. Keep doing this until you reach the current version.
- If you encounter a version that is no longer compatible with your site, you should revert to the latest version that your site supports. Then, work with your developer to update the website so it functions with the newest PHP version.
To update your PHP version, follow these steps:
Step 1: Go to: https://manage.christianwebhost.com/ or click the "Login" button located at the top right of our website. Unless you change them, your login details are the email address and password used when the account was created.
Step 2: Once logged in, click the Services block and choose your cPanel service to access its management page.
Step 3: From the Actions menu on the left, click Login to cPanel (you do not need your cPanel credentials for this method).
Step 4: Once logged in, scroll down to the Software section and click the MultiPHP Manager app.
Step 5: Now that you are in your MultiPHP Manager, you can see what version your sites are using, the default version of PHP on your server, warnings about deprecated versions, and you can set the PHP version per domain.
- If you see a warning that the default version is deprecated, it means that while the PHP version will still work, it is no longer receiving updates. These warnings are designed to help you select the most suitable PHP version to use. Tip: Use the latest available version.
- The default version is also the version that your sites will use if you have them set to “inherit”. If your sites are set to “inherit”, the version the site is using will change if the server is updated.
- PHP-FPM (FastCGI Process Manager) is an advanced function that is set at a server level and may not be enabled on your server. If it is enabled, it will show here.
Step 6: To set the PHP version for a specific domain, check the box to the left of the domain, adjust the PHP version in the top right, and click Apply.
- You can select multiple options at once, or choose all of them by clicking the box at the top of the list.
Step 7: Once the process is complete, you should see that the PHP version has been updated to the new version in the list.
Step 8: Clear your cache, and then reload your website to check if your site functionality is compatible with the new PHP version. If you are having issues, you may need to revert the change and make website updates before trying again.