Moving to PHP 7.4 and Discontinuing Some Old Versions
A large part of our service involves keeping server-side and client-side software up to date, secure and fast. One of the key elements of our server stack that requires expert maintenance is the PHP programming language, which is a prerequisite for the functioning of the majority of the websites. PHP is an extremely popular and well-supported language and, as any software, its development involves the continuous release of new versions. New versions introduce new features and important performance and security enhancements. As a managed hosting service provider we keep track of how each PHP version evolves, especially how fast it is adopted by the leading application developers, and we make proactive efforts to make sure our customers get all the benefits of the newer versions as soon as possible. Here is our latest PHP maintenance update.
Moving to PHP 7.4 as the server default
As of June 2021, we will be switching the default version on our servers to PHP 7.4. This means that all new sites will be using 7.4, unless manually switched to a different one. PHP 7.4 has been around for more than 2 years now and has already become widely compatible with different CMS’s, themes and plugins, where PHP 7.3 (our current default) is already out of active support and will get out of security support too by the end of this year. Keeping your PHP version up to date has undeniable performance and security advantages and that is why we are now helping you switch to PHP 7.4.
All websites using our Managed PHP service will also be upgraded to 7.4 in the period June 10-21, 2021. PHP 7.3 will still be available on our servers and can be set up manually for any site by our clients from Site Tools > Dev > PHP Manager.
Discontinuing support for 7.2, 7.1, 7.0, 5.6 and lower at the end of the year
At the same time, the security support for all PHP versions below 7.3 has been officially over for quite some time, and given the exploits that leak out once in a while, we believe the risk of using them is growing higher. Additionally, the performance of websites using old PHP versions is considerably lower compared to sites using newer versions. That is why we are starting a process of discontinuation of PHP 7.2, 7.1, 7.0, 5.6 and lower on our servers. After June 21, 2021 we will be gradually updating the sites using old PHP versions to PHP 7.4. PHP versions below 7.3 will no longer be supported on our servers after December 31, 2021.
What to do if you are using an old PHP version?
This PHP update will affect many websites on our platform. That is why we have started communicating the update one month ago and we strongly encourage you to evaluate the impact of upgrading to 7.4 on your site as soon as possible by using this tool:
your-domain.com/.well-known/sg-php-try-v74
To see if a site will work properly after the upgrade, please type the above URL using your own site domain in the browser and browse through the site, its subdomains (if any) and its admin area. If anything does not look or behave as expected, we highly recommend that you further investigate your site compatibility with PHP 7.4 and fix any issues before the update. If you have broken plugins or a theme, consider updating or replacing them. If that’s too hard, or the problem is elsewhere, contact your developers for assistance.
Note: By opening your website through the link above you will browse it using PHP 7.4. This change affects ONLY your current browser session. All other visitors will continue to access your site with its current PHP version. To stop the compatibility check browsing mode in your own browser, please close the browser and access your site again via its standard URL.
Magento special case: Sites using Magento 2.3.6 or lower are not compatible with PHP 7.4 That is why, if you have such a website, we strongly recommend you update it to 2.3.7 as soon as possible, so that it is compatible with PHP 7.4 and ready for the PHP upgrade.
We are aware that sites currently using PHP version 7.2 or lower may need longer time to fix possible incompatibilities with PHP 7.4. That is why, the owners of such sites were provided with a link for possible opt-out in the email about the update, sent over the past few days. By opting out through this link, clients confirm that they do not want us to update their site PHP version for them, but are aware that this version will nonetheless stop functioning after December 31, 2021.
For clients using PHP 7.3, we strongly recommend that they do not postpone their PHP update, but in case this is really needed they may simply switch to manual PHP version management, until their site is ready for PHP 7.4.
Looking forward to seeing more secure and much faster sites after the update!
Comments ( 26 )
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Carl Kessler
How can I get the form to opt out of the upgrade from PHP 5.6?
Hristo Pandjarov Siteground Team
Please, contact our technical support team for additional assistance on that matter.
Heather
How do I know when my site will be updated? I only just realized it was set to manual so reset to managed?
Hristo Pandjarov Siteground Team
Either set it to managed or manualy up the version. If you decide to go manual, note that you will remain on that version until you change it again or we deprecate it (which will usually means years) so I would recommend opting in for the managed version.
Ivan M Altinbasak
The form was issued while I was traveling, now I’m back and see the the form is expired, and my site is down. Not cool!
Gergana Zhecheva Siteground Team
Sorry to hear you have found your website inaccessible upon returning! We warned all affected clients with a one-month heads-up notification containing the opt-out form link at the end of May. By the end of June, a month later, the opt-out link was no longer accessible. Glad to see the quick fix provided by our Chat Support, i.e. manually setting the PHP version, brought your website back up and running.
Lieve Dedecker
For anyone using LDAP authentication in Joomla (the same applies most likely to Wordpress) - it is only supported for versions up to 7.2. It could work perfectly well for any higher versions too but SiteGround is refusing to install the required PHP modules on their shared servers. So unless you're willing to spent quite some extra money on a VPS solution, LDAP authentication is impossible after December 31.
Gergana Zhecheva Siteground Team
The PHP-LDAP module is not installed on our hosting environment for PHP versions above 7.2, which is in effect for Cloud and shared hosting users.
Pawel
Website of my client went down as well after upgrade to 7.4. It's not okay to do auto updates in projects. Especially when some websites use legacy code and it's not possible to rewrite them easily! I don't have access to admin panel for your hosting only SSH access, how can I switch php version back, or can you send instructions so I can tell client what to do?
Gergana Zhecheva Siteground Team
We understand how this change can affect the appearance and functionality of your websites. That is why, all account owners were notified a month in advance about the upcoming change. We strongly recommend you to consider an upgrade to one of the latest, still supported PHP versions, but in case more time is needed, the account owner can switch the PHP version manually from SiteTools > DEV > PHP Manager.
Chris
Now with PHP 7 not being supported, when will Managed PHP be migrated to PHP 8 (8.1)? Or has that already taken place? Reference php's twitter: https://twitter.com/official_php/status/1597203297537957888
Ivan Naidenov Siteground Team
Right now the default Managed PHP version is still 7.4.33 to ensure maximum compatibility across the many websites we're hosting. Our team continuously tests the performance and security of the versions we support so you can use any of them safely - from 7.4.33 up to and including 8.2.0. We'll be sure to notify you before any major changes related to the Managed PHP. In case you need to change the PHP version or review the ones we offer, please follow the steps here: https://my.siteground.com/support/kb/what-is-managed-php/ .
Martin
Why doesn't Siteground allow the option of a managed PHP 8? Given that PHP.net say "Support for PHP 7 has been discontinued since 03 Nov 2022.Please consider upgrading to 8." it seems that we have the option to manually upgrade all our sites to 8.0.27 or 8.1.14 but then we're presumably stuck needing to change each of our sites manually with each 8.0.X upgrade. I realise that you're trying to ensure maximum compatibility, but working to the lowest common denominator means we all risk missing critical upgrades in 8 or sticking with your management of a discontinued PHP.
Gabriela Andonova Siteground Team
Hello Martin, thank you for commenting. The reason why we haven't switched to PHP 8.x by default is that many sites use plugins, themes, and modules that will not function properly on PHP 8.x. We are trying to ensure maximum compatibility before changing the default managed PHP version, and give our clients the needed time and freedom to choose a version that would suit their website setup. In the meantime, we're usually one of the first companies to make available and offer the option to test all the latest PHP versions on our servers, even before they are officially announced as stable. Check our blog for reference: https://www.siteground.com/blog/php-8-2-release-candidate-on-siteground-servers and https://www.siteground.com/blog/php8/, etc. Currently, all users whose sites work with PHP 8.x, are welcome to apply it manually via Site Tools -> Devs menu (and switch back to managed PHP after we've switched to 8.x). As soon as we begin mass migrations to PHP 8.x, we will inform our clients via email and post an announcement on our blog as well.
Angelo Quaglia
I appreciate very much your work but I can only agree with Martin. Either you write that you will patch 7.4 yourself in case of reported vulnerabilities (but even then who will be able to find vulnerabilities in the version patched by you?), or you introduce as a choice a managed php 8.* version.
Gabriela Andonova Siteground Team
Thank you for the comment, Angelo. The majority of websites use plugins, themes, or modules that will not function properly if they are migrated to PHP 8.x now. This is why we do not believe it is safe to mass update millions of websites at this time. Many clients may experience issues if this is done, so for all users whose sites work with PHP 8.x, we recommend updating the version manually via the Devs menu of their Site Tools. It is important to note, however, that our current managed version of PHP 7.4 is perfectly secure and we fully support and manage it on our servers. Moreover, we build the PHP binaries ourselves and maintain complete control over the PHP we provide to our clients. As a result, we can patch issues in PHP itself even if the official PHP team has stopped supporting version 7.4. Hope this clears things up.
Martin
Hi Gabriela Thanks for repeating your position, but I'm not seeing anyone in this thread requesting that you migrate millions of websites against their owners will (although many higher-end hosts have done so). We are asking for choice. It is not viable for us to manually update all our SiteGround hosted websites every time there is a new PHP version. We are requesting that you give the option for us to move to a Managed PHP 8.x version. You seem to be saying that in the interest of safety we can't have the choice of a safely managed current PHP version because millions of websites use out of date (hence potentially dangerous) plugins, themes and modules. So we all need to use discontinued PHP, or risk forgetting a critical update to the current PHP. You also seem to be saying that you have taken on responsibility for supporting and patching PHP 7.4 yourselves. Does SiteGround really have the resources to identify and mitigate all potential vulnerabilities of an entire deprecated language? Wouldn't it be safer and more cost effective to give the option of managed PHP8 in addition to managed PHP7.4 and then start warning users who remain on 7.4.
Daniel Kanchev Siteground Team
Hi, Martin. As the main person behind all our products I decided to jump into the conversation and clarify some things. I am not sure what "managed PHP" means for you exactly. However, I'll explain our understanding and let you know how our system works. At this point we have some ideas how to improve the way PHP versions are managed on our servers. Your feedback could help is improve our vision. Let me start by first saying that all PHP binaries on our servers are fully managed. We compile the PHP ourselves; we add C patches to those binaries to speed up the PHP and make it more secure; we add our own modules when we think this is needed and we also patch security holes in PHP – even when PHP.net has dropped support for an old version. Our business depends on running secure and fast PHP on our servers – we can't afford to simlpy depend on binaries provided by other companies. That being said, all PHP versions on our servers are fully managed! Let me now move on to what the term "managed PHP" means – this simply is the default PHP version that works on our servers unless you specify that you want your application to use let's say PHP 8.1. It also means that when we decide the default should be different we are responsible for moving all sites to the new default without causing a havoc. All other PHPs are regularly updated when new minor releases appear – as a matter of fact we usually have the stable PHP binaries on our servers even before the official release – this is how closely we monitor the PHP merge requests and tags on Github. Having more than one managed PHP means introducing even more complexity to the system. If we do that – 2 years from now we will have 3 or even 4 groups of sites with different default managed PHP versions. Organizing campaings to brings those people to a newer PHP will be a nightmare. Thus, we wait long enough and then move everyone to the new managed version. When you manage millions of websites you'll be surprised how many websites are not compatible. Last but not least, we are considering changes to the system which will allow us to be more flexible. I am not saying we will introduce changes for sure anytime soon but I have ideas that managed PHP should be just an abstraction and actually we need to have a roadmap for total deprecation of PHP versions – then we can change default versions faster without waiting to migrate all websites and at the same time regulary inform users that they need to migrate to a newer version because on date X the PHP they are using will be gone and they site will probably go down if they do not upgrade the PHP. This is of course tricky and requires careful planning and execution. That said, if you want please explain how you want this to look like so that I can take into account your concerns and recommendations.
Martin
Thanks for the detailed response Daniel. And my apologies for the slow reply - these comments don't seem to send me reply-notifications. I had no idea that having a site on SiteGround effectively meant using SiteGround PHP rather than the PHP Group's reference implementation. I must confess that I'm not sure how to feel about that. What I want in terms of Managed PHP 8 is probably a lot more simple than your vision for it... Simply a setting I can select for each of my sites that automatically updates our PHP to the latest stable 8.x.y release recommended by the PHP group for all users, following automated testing for breaking changes by yourselves. It would be great if we were also emailed on launch of new 8.x releases with a recommendation to upgrade if appropriate. If you need to fully manage your PHP in the way you describe, I would suggest just 2 versions: Legacy (7.4) and Recommended (8.x) then have all new clients start with Recommended and strongly recommend that all existing clients upgrade from Legacy as soon as they are able. If nothing else, using a discontinued PHP by default can't be good for marketing...
Martin
Is there any update on this?
Gabriela Andonova Siteground Team
Thank you for the comment, Martin. At this time, there are no new updates. Your suggestions have been noted and forwarded to our R&D team for further consideration, though. Rest assured, as soon as there are any PHP updates, they will be published on our blog.
Martin
Thanks Gabriela
Martin
Bump
Ivan Naidenov Siteground Team
Hello Martin! We've not introduced any major new updates to how the Managed PHP service works. There is still a single Managed PHP version that is automatically updated and all of the PHP versions available have been reviewed/ patched by our team to ensure maximum security and performance for the end user. This is the moment to mention that we implement new suggestions from our clients based on several factors like the volume of requests, the existing need, how well the idea fits together with the rest of our system, and the general focus of SiteGround as a company. You can refer to the detailed response by Daniel above. We'll keep you posted, as usual, via the blog and our Social Media outlets for the latest news.
Jon
I agree with Martin, this is getting silly that 7.4 is the managed ultrafast php version. I use it because it is ultrafast. Who wouldn’t want the fastest version for their website? Anyway this is now becoming very concerning as Elementor have just announced that the lowest supported php version is now 7.4. It didn’t take them long to drop 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3. So I can only assuming won’t be long before they don’t 7.4. As many people use SiteGround and Elementor, this is worrying that SiteGround are just giving the same rubbish answer and not listening to their customers. I personally will consider moving to another host if this isn’t looked at and customer advice taken seriously. https://developers.elementor.com/elementor-3-19-developers-update/?fbclid=IwAR2lzx5pRKWyBdQ_JMsf41tbZHiwPIfiY46IaoJsTzSPz-RfqUUoR0gbJs4_aem_ARqDvwpna5sVEB-w0mA1WpeXMSjIb0ZlqPlEXJwHmzcvTCrhLBdWWv0nhmoyX6cp_ls
Ivan Naidenov Siteground Team
Hello Jon. Thank you for commenting and for the opportunity to clarify. You don't have to use the older PHP 7.4 to utilize UltrafastPHP. Ultrafast PHP is available for PHP versions 7.3.33 and above on SiteGround. You can go to Site Tools > Devs > PHP Manager and if you'd like - utilize Ultrafast PHP with the latest PHP we support - 8.2.15 or 8.3.2, etc. Yes, the Managed PHP ver right now is 7.4.33. But this is not a vanilla PHP ver, rather we implement our custom patches to ensure maximum security and performance for the people using it. We support a wide range of PHP versions to deliver compatibility and hassle-free hosting to a wide range of users. In this way, if your site is not ready for PHP 8.2.15 let's say, you don't have to worry about broken themes or plugins - just use a lower PHP ver for the time being. Last but not least - we agree with all of you that using the latest stable PHP version should be the the best way to go, we're just offering a choice in the matter to the people using us.
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