Changing the PHP version of your website
A newer PHP version is faster and receives security updates. A version that is too old will one day trip your site up without warning. The change itself takes a minute; the preparation is the work.
Check first
- See what your CMS supports. Every common CMS publishes, per version, which PHP versions were tested. Never go higher than that.
- Update your extensions. Outdated plugins and themes are the reason a site throws errors after the switch, not PHP itself.
- Make a fresh backup. Not because the change is dangerous, but so you can go back without hesitating.
The change itself
- Change the PHP version in the Interworx control panel of your hosting. This is done per website, so you can start with one site.
- Reload your website and look at the front page, a detail page and the admin area.
- Test what a visitor actually does: submitting a contact form, logging in, and for a shop an order through to the payment step.
If something breaks
A white screen or an error message after the change means code is running that no longer works on the new version. Set the PHP version back to the previous value — your site works again immediately — and then find out which plugin or theme caused it. In the meantime, do not settle permanently on an outdated version: that is postponement, not a solution.
Which version do you pick?
The highest version your CMS and your extensions support. Do not stay on a version that no longer receives security updates, even if your site still runs on it perfectly well.
In doubt?
Get in touch with your domain name at hand. We check which version you run today and what your site can handle, and switch it over together with you at a time that suits.
