PHP is one of the programming languages that WordPress is built on.So for a faster and secure website,latest PHP version is as important as updated themes and plugins.
There are two main benefits to keeping PHP up-to-date:
- Website may be faster because PHP becomes more efficient with each new version. Updating to WordPress’s recommended version (currently 7.4 or higher) can deliver a performance increase that will benefit all visitors to the website.
- Website will be more secure. PHP, like WordPress, is maintained by its community. Because PHP is so popular, it is a target for hackers – but the latest version will have the latest security features. Older versions of PHP (lower than 7.4) do not have this, so updating is essential to keep our WordPress site secure.
How to check PHP version
To check what version of PHP , WordPress site is using, from the WordPress Dashboard, select Tools > Site Health from the sidebar menu, and then select the Info tab. Expand the Server section and scroll down until PHP version.
There are a couple of steps we should take to avoid problems before proceeding:
1.Make a backup of website: Before making any changes, create a complete backup of WordPress website, including all files and databases. This will allow us to restore site if something goes wrong during the update process.
2.Update WordPress, themes, and plugins:Make sure WordPress installation, themes, and plugins are up to date. Developers often release updates to ensure compatibility with the latest PHP versions and to fix any bugs or security vulnerabilities.
3.Check PHP compatibility: Verify that WordPress theme and plugins are compatible with the PHP version we plan to update to. Some older themes or plugins may not work properly with newer PHP versions, so it’s crucial to check for compatibility.
4.Disable caching: Temporarily disable caching before updating PHP. Caching can sometimes cause issues during updates, so it’s better to clear the cache and disable caching temporarily.
5.Fix any PHP compatibility issues:
6.Update PHP:
If we run into any issues at this stage, either change the PHP version back ourself, contact hosting company or a professional web developer. In the unlikely event something goes wrong and we need to restore our backup, contact our host and ask them to restore the previous version of PHP we had running. We can then restore our backup.