General
What is PHP?
PHP is a programming language used for many common web applications, including Drupal, Joomla, WordPress, and Moodle.
What is PHP 8.1?
PHP 8.1 is the newest major version of PHP released by its developers. It brings many improvements but also some backward-incompatible changes. For more information, please see the PHP 8.1 release announcement.
Why should I upgrade to PHP 8.1 or PHP 8.2?
PHP 8.1/8.2 is the future of PHP. The current version of PHP 8.0, will reach end-of-life and cease to be supported by November 2023.
Upgrading PHP
How do I upgrade to PHP 8.1?
Clients currently using PHP 8.0 will be provided staging sites and/or POC servers by June 15, 2023. These clients may request to have staging sites and/or POC servers set up earlier by sending an email to support@smartt.com.
Clients currently using PHP 8.0 may request to have staging sites and/or POC servers set up by sending an email to support@smartt.com.
Which applications support PHP 8.1?
As of May 10, 2023, the PHP 8.1 support for common web applications is:
Application | Status |
|---|---|
Drupal 7.x | No. |
Drupal 9.x | Yes, as of Drupal 9.3.0. Drupal 9 reaches end-of-life on November 1, 2023. |
Drupal 10.x | |
Joomla 3.10.x | Joomla 3.10 reaches end-of-life on August 17, 2023. |
Joomla 4.3 | Unknown |
Moodle 3.x | No |
Moodle 4.1 (LTS) | Yes, Supports PHP 8.1 |
Moodle 4.2 | Yes, Supports PHP 8.1 |
WordPress 6.2 | “Beta compatibilty” for PHP 8.1 and PHP 8.2. |
Note that while the core software may support PHP 8.1, some plugins may not. You may need to replace plugins or wait on the plugins to be updated.
How can I prepare for upgrading to PHP 8.1?
Keep your applications up-to-date. New versions of the software will include PHP 8.1 support and address any known bugs with PHP 8.1.
If you use custom plugins or a custom application, we recommend you request a staging environment as soon as possible so you have the opportunity to test your site on PHP 8.1 and make any needed changes.
What if my application will not work on PHP 8.1?
Smartt will support PHP 8.0 until it reaches end-of-life in November 2023. You may choose to use PHP 8.0 until then so you have the opportunity to either upgrade your software to support PHP 8.1 or to migrate to new software that supports PHP 8.1.