Seravo actively follows the latest software development technologies. PHP 8.0 was already released back in the autumn of 2020, and it was tested by Seravo soon after, making it available to our customers for a long while now. However, we did not recommend deploying PHP 8.0 on all sites immediately, as although the WordPress core has supported 8.0 since the core version 5.6, most WordPress add-ons such as plugins and themes have not yet been able to support the PHP version 8.0. This is bound to change, however.
PHP 8.0 Recommended, 8.1 Also Available
During 2021, the most popular plugins for WordPress have finally updated to be compatible with 8.0. At Seravo we can finally recommend it to be used on WordPress sites. At the same time, we’ll be enabling PHP 8.0 by default on new sites.
PHP 8.1 was released at the end of last year (November 25th, 2021). It is also available for Seravo’s premium hosting customers already for testing purposes. For now, we only recommend using version 8.0 – the list of new features, changes and deprecations in 8.1 is really long.
If it is necessary to change the PHP version of your site, our instructions can help with that. See our general update guide in Seravo’s Knowledge Bank, help.seravo.com.
Consider the Date of Expiration
While there is nothing to prevent you from continuing the use an outdated PHP version, upgrading to the latest version is highly recommended. Upgrading can help in protecting your site from vulnerabilities caused by non-upgraded components. In the long run, Seravo aims to end support for obsolete versions of PHP altogether.
Later this year, in November 2022, security support for PHP version 7.4 will end, meaning that developers will have about a year to upgrade the site’s PHP version into 8.0. If your WordPress site is brand new, we recommend using at least PHP 8.0. If, on the other hand, you are developing an existing site, preferably upgrade your site to PHP 8.0, but enable at least 7.4!
Need help with updates?
As the customer of Seravo’s premium WordPress hosting and upkeep, you can order a review of your site and an update of the PHP version from the us as expert work. The most convenient way to reach us is by e-mail, help@seravo.com.