

After all those years I can't claim I always get it right, especially with some PHP changes which are either very hard to locate in the code, or clash with Joomla's core code not being ready for them yet. It's doable, for sure, but it's really hard and very time consuming. This is not normal and I cannot possibly hold other developers to the same standard.
Cpanel php 8 upgrade#
As a provider of software commonly used to facilitate the PHP upgrade process I always support the latest and greatest PHP version before it's released. Ultimately, the difficulty of upgrading PHP is a question of whether your software provider is willing to commit the time and effort to keep up with the times. This is why people may tell you that upgrading your site is hard - they are using outdated software which typically predates the PHP version they are trying to upgrade to. New features get implemented which might break code not expecting them. As a result some features we were using in the past get deprecated and ultimately removed, breaking software still using it. This is necessary, as the way we build software, and the context in which it is used, also change over time. If you find yourself on an EOL version of PHP, act immediately. Key take-away: Always plan to upgrade PHP on your site when your currently used version enters its Security Support phase. As a result, the best approach for your decision-making is to consider any PHP EOL version as insecure, therefore in need of an upgrade as soon as possible. You cannot possibly know if your site is secure or not, or when and if it will receive a security fix for the EOL PHP version. However, there is no way to tell which and when.Įssentially, using an EOL PHP version gives you security uncertainty. Moreover, the Linux distribution your hosting company uses to power their servers will backport some of the security fixes to older, EOL versions of PHP. There is no way to tell how long that will be. There is usually some time between a PHP version becoming EOL and a security issue being discovered for this PHP version. Using an EOL version of PHP doesn't make your site insecure right away. Supported versions are listed on PHP's site along with a handy timeline which tells you when PHP enters each support phase - and when they become End of Life (EOL). A new version is released every year and gets two years of Active Support (bug fixes and security fixes), and one year of Security Support (security fixes only). PHP uses a timed version release strategy, much like Joomla itself.

Configure the PHP version before you upgrade to it.Let's see what the end of PHP 7's service life means for your site and what you can do about it in pragmatic, practical terms. While neither affirmation is the absolute truth, there are always a few kernels of truth in every plausible lie. You probably also heard that this is terrible news for the security of your site and / or that upgrading your site to PHP 8 is a dreary task.

As many of you have heard, PHP 7 became End of Life last month, on November 28th.
