If you use PHP to serve dynamic web pages, or use a CMS that uses PHP under the hood, maintaining an up-to-date PHP version is essential for the security and performance of your web applications.

PHP versions reach their EOL approximately three years after their release, after which they will no longer receive security updates.

This means any websites using these versions will be vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

You should always keep your PHP versions up to date within the supported lifetime of the given version of PHP.

Changing the PHP version for your application can be challenging, but RunCloud simplifies this task by allowing you to manage different PHP versions across various applications on the same server. This means you can use different PHP versions for each website you host, which is great for compatibility.

Note for Legacy Applications: If, for some reason, you have legacy applications that require an outdated PHP version, it is highly recommended that you isolate those applications using Docker environments. This will allow you to use old PHP versions in a controlled environment while keeping the rest of your server updated with the latest security patches. Learn more about creating a RunCloud docker environment and using outdated PHP versions in the RunCloud documentation.

The process is quite straightforward. We will start by navigating to the web application dashboard. Log in to your RunCloud account, find the server hosting the web application you want to modify, and then click on the specific web application to access its dashboard.

Once on the dashboard, look for the Settings option in the left-hand menu and click on it. This will bring you to the settings page of your web application.

Within this settings page, you’ll see a section dedicated to PHP Version, where your currently selected PHP version is displayed in a dropdown menu. By clicking on this dropdown menu, you will see a list of all available PHP versions for your server.

Choose your desired PHP version from the list and click the Update PHP button to initiate the update. RunCloud will then start the update process, which may take some time, depending on the size of your website.

Once the update is complete, navigate back to the web application’s main dashboard page. You should see that the updated PHP version is now displayed within the web application information.