php 7 is end of life
PHP is a programming language used in software and web development. It is an Open Source, server side scripting language that is used globally by thousands of Developers and Development agencies.
There are communities that support PHP, communities for the good of code just want to continue the enhancement of one of the most used programming languages available. We found this article gives great insight into not only who supports PHP, but actually who pays for PHP.
As with all software and as the teams create new versions with improvements, previous versions just can’t continue – they can’t be supported and teams can’t maintain endless different versions of software packages.
Ultimately this means you could be using software that is not only out of date, it could be a security risk to your business. New technologies recognise issues with previous software and it could even provide an entrance to your business from unethical software hackers.
PHP versions 5.6, 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, and 7.4 are End of Life (EoL). EoL means these versions will no longer have security support and could be exposed to unpatched security vulnerabilities.
As you can see from the graph below, the versions in red are end of life and you can see version 8 runs out of Security patching support on the 26th November, 2023.
Anything in red is EoL, Green has active Support and Orange only has Security fixes:
laravel skips a php beat
Whilst you can confidently continue to use PHP version 8 with the knowledge that security patches become available for vulnerabilities, it doesn’t mean PHP 8 is the preferred version. We wrote an article recently on the launch of the highly
anticipated Laravel v10, with the news that Laravel 10 isn’t supporting PHP v8, going directly to PHP 8.1. When you consider this gives users active support until November 2023 and Security Support until late 2024, it makes sense.
server support for php7
Many Applications built using PHP 7 are failing and in addition it is becoming increasingly harder to find hosting companies to cater for these applications or even websites.
Recently a client came to Wirebox with the requirement for their site to be hosted, their current web host who we can not name had basically stated that their WordPress site would not be supported as it utilises PHP 7 through WordPress. Whilst the software needs to be updated the deadline was days away, there was not the time to upgrade the platform to be compatible with PHP and therefore supported on their existing hosting environment.
In this instance we were fortunate to partner with WP Engine, a WordPress specialist hosting platform that was able to extend its support for PHP 7, whilst Wirebox were able to upgrade the software to be PHP 8 compatible.
If you need assistance upgrading your PHP version, please contact Wirebox for more information.
