Membership site on PHP 7.4, 22 plugins
Audit finds 3 abandoned plugins and one theme function using create_function(). Two plugins replaced, one patched, theme fixed.
Estimate: audit + €690 package + ~€300 plugin replacement work.
APPLICATION SERVICES · PHP
PHP Version Upgrade & Migration — Off End-of-Life PHP, Without Breaking Production
PHP 8.1 stopped getting security fixes on 31 December 2025 and PHP 8.2 follows on 31 December 2026. When a critical bug like PHP2Shell lands, supported branches get a release the same day — end-of-life branches wait for someone's backport, or never get one. We move your application to a supported PHP version with a fixed-price audit, a staged rollout and a rollback plan.
PHP 8.1 and older get no security releases. PHP 8.2 reaches end of life on 31 December 2026.
Quick Answer
Optimum Web upgrades PHP applications from 5.x, 7.x, 8.0 and 8.1 to supported versions (8.3, 8.4 or 8.5). We start with a fixed-price readiness audit (€390 / $429, 3 business days) that scans your code, dependencies and extensions and returns a fixed price for the upgrade. Typical prices: WordPress or WooCommerce sites from €690, framework applications (Laravel, Symfony, Yii) from €2,400, legacy custom code quoted after the audit. Every upgrade runs on staging first, ships with a rollback path and a 14-day warranty.
PHP support timeline
Security-support end dates per php.net/supported-versions, status as of 25 October 2026. Highlighted: the branch most sites are still on.
| Version | Security support ends | Status on 25 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 5.6, 7.0–7.3 | Ended 2018–2021 | End of life |
| 7.4 | 28 Nov 2022 | End of life |
| 8.0 | 26 Nov 2023 | End of life |
| 8.1 | 31 Dec 2025 | End of life |
| 8.2 | 31 Dec 2026 | Ends in about two months |
| 8.3 | 31 Dec 2027 | Security fixes only |
| 8.4 | 31 Dec 2028 | Supported — our default target |
| 8.5 | 31 Dec 2029 | Supported — target when your framework supports it |
WHY UPGRADES BREAK
Why upgrades break (and why it's not a one-line change)
Stricter types
Since PHP 8.0 many internal functions throw TypeError instead of warning. Since 8.1, passing null to non-nullable internal parameters is deprecated — legacy code does this everywhere (strlen(null), trim(null)).
Changed comparisons
PHP 8.0 changed string-to-number comparisons (0 == "abc" is now false). Login checks, filters and imports built on loose comparison change behaviour silently.
Removed functions and extensions
create_function(), each(), money_format(), the old mysql_* API and mcrypt are gone. Code that "worked for years" fails at runtime only on the path that calls them.
Dynamic properties
Deprecated in 8.2 — floods logs in older frameworks and plugins and becomes a hard error later.
Dependencies
Your framework, Composer packages and WordPress plugins each have their own minimum and maximum PHP versions. One abandoned package can block the whole upgrade.
The server side
New FPM pools, different php.ini defaults, new extension builds, OPcache and session settings — plus cron jobs and CLI scripts that run on a different PHP than the website.
HOW WE UPGRADE
Six steps from audit to aftercare
01
Readiness audit (3 business days)
Static analysis with PHPCompatibility and PHPStan, Rector dry-run, Composer constraint check (composer why-not php 8.4), plugin/theme compatibility for WordPress, extension inventory, cron/CLI inventory. Output: list of required changes, risk rating, fixed price and timeline.
02
Staging environment
Copy of production on the target PHP version, side by side with the current one.
03
Automated + manual fixes
Rector for mechanical changes, engineers for logic changes (comparisons, null handling, removed functions). Every change in a reviewable pull request.
04
Testing
Your existing tests plus smoke and regression checks on critical flows (login, checkout, forms, imports, admin). Where there are no tests, we write characterisation tests for the critical paths first.
05
Cutover with rollback
New PHP-FPM pool runs alongside the old one; switch traffic, watch error logs, switch back in seconds if needed.
06
Aftercare
14-day warranty, deprecation log review, and an optional maintenance plan to keep minor versions current.
FIXED PRICE · EUR
Pricing
Upgrade Readiness Audit
€390 / $429
- Scope
- Any PHP application; report + fixed upgrade price. Credited against the upgrade if you proceed within 30 days.
- Timeline
- 3 business days
WordPress / WooCommerce
from €690 / $749
- Scope
- Up to 30 plugins, one theme, one site. Plugin replacements quoted separately.
- Timeline
- 3–5 business days
Framework application
from €2,400 / $2,590
- Scope
- Laravel, Symfony, Yii, CodeIgniter, CakePHP; up to ~50,000 lines of application code.
- Timeline
- 2–4 weeks
Legacy / custom PHP
after audit; typically €4,000–12,000
- Scope
- No framework, PHP 5.x/7.x, few or no tests, possibly framework upgrade too.
- Timeline
- 4–10 weeks
Typical effort by codebase
Estimates from comparable upgrades; your audit gives a fixed number.
| Starting point | Target | Typical effort |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress, 15–30 maintained plugins, PHP 7.4 | 8.3 / 8.4 | 1–3 days |
| WooCommerce with custom theme and 2–3 custom plugins, PHP 8.0 | 8.4 | 3–6 days |
| Laravel 8 on PHP 8.0 (framework upgrade to Laravel 11/12 needed) | 8.3 / 8.4 | 2–4 weeks |
| Symfony 4.4 / 5.4 application | 8.4 | 2–5 weeks |
| Custom PHP 5.6/7.0 code, ~30k lines, mysql_* calls, no tests | 8.3 / 8.4 | 6–10 weeks |
| Magento 2.4.x on PHP 8.1 | 8.3 (per Adobe's matrix for your 2.4 release) | 2–6 weeks |
Typical scenarios
Illustrative scenarios built from the stacks we maintain. Not client case studies.
B2B portal on Symfony 4.4 / PHP 8.0
Upgrade path Symfony 4.4 → 5.4 → 6.4 with PHP 8.3. Rector handles most deprecations; the remaining work is in custom form types and Doctrine mappings.
Estimate: 3–4 weeks.
In-house CRM on custom PHP 7.1
mysql_* → PDO, mcrypt → OpenSSL with data re-encryption plan, loose comparisons in permission checks fixed and covered by tests.
Estimate: 6–8 weeks, phased so the CRM stays in use.
Results You Can Expect
Since 1999
We have run PHP in production for 27 years — Symfony, Laravel, WordPress and custom code.
−60% load time
Page load time cut on a Symfony news portal with 50,000+ daily visitors — see the case study below.
3× traffic spikes
Handled on the same portal without downtime after the rebuild.
TECHNOLOGIES
Technologies & Tools
PHP 8.4PHP 8.5RectorPHPStanPHPCompatibilityComposerLaravelSymfonyWordPressMagentoPHP-FPMDocker
EXPLORE MORE
Related Services
PHP2Shell Emergency Patch
Fixed-price patching of CVE-2026-109618/109619 with a per-host report.
Learn MoreCase study: Symfony news portal
50,000+ daily visitors, 60% faster page loads, no downtime in traffic spikes.
Learn MoreCustom PHP Development
Build and extend PHP applications with senior engineers.
Learn MoreSymfony Development
Symfony applications, upgrades and long-term support.
Learn MoreApplication Modernization
Move legacy applications to a modern, supported stack.
Learn MoreMaintenance & Support
Keep PHP and dependencies current after the upgrade.
Learn MoreFAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Usually 8.4: supported until the end of 2028 and widely supported by frameworks and plugins. 8.5 if your stack supports it. We do not recommend 8.2 as a target — it reaches end of life on 31 December 2026.
Yes for PHP itself; the audit covers all intermediate changes. Frameworks sometimes need stepwise upgrades.
Normally a few seconds at cutover, or none. The old PHP stays installed until you sign off.
The backport fixes one bug. The next critical PHP vulnerability will again ship as releases for supported branches first, and EOL branches may not get one at all.
Yes, it is often required and included in the quote after the audit.
We write characterisation tests for the critical flows before changing anything, so we can prove behaviour did not change.
Yes, via maintenance plans or dedicated engineers.
Find out exactly what your upgrade costsin 3 business days.
Whether you need a dedicated team, a single specialist, or a complete digital transformation — we're here to help.
Or email us directly: info@optimum-web.com