PHP ( created in 1994 by Rasmus Lerdorf ) is one of the most popular and widely used server-side web programming languages.
PHP It is the language on which over 80% of the websites on the Internet are based.
If you need to use old PHP versions to keep running your sites or applications we can do it. Go ahead with the short reading.
The PHP programming language enjoys extraordinary versatility, so much so that it can be incorporated directly into HTML code. But that's not all: PHP also finds application in numerous Web templating systems, Content Management Systems (CMS) such as WordPress, Joomla and Drupal, and Web frameworks of various kinds. This versatility translates into almost universal compatibility with a variety of platforms and applications which, most likely, will already be part of your technological ecosystem if you operate in the web sector.
One of PHP's main strengths is its ease of use and low barrier to entry. These factors make it an ideal choice for a wide range of entities, from startup companies to government agencies and large organizations. PHP is designed to be extensible and modular, meaning it can grow and adapt to the evolving needs of a project or an entire company.
Regarding the support lifecycle, Each version of PHP is designed to receive full support for two years starting from its initial stable release. During this two-year period, all reported bugs and security vulnerabilities are actively resolved and fixed through timely releases.
However, once this two-year active support period has expired, the version enters a “critical security support” phase for an additional year. At this stage, only the most serious security issues are addressed. At the end of this third year, the version reaches its “End of Life” (EOL). This means that no more updates of any kind will be released, including those related to security.
This life cycle has raised significant concerns among companies, especially in the case of PHP versions 5.6, 7.0 and 7.1, all of which reached end-of-life in December 2018. For many organizations, this deadline represented a critical moment, pushing them to seriously consider upgrading to the latest version to avoid security risks and ensure stable and efficient operation of their web applications.
If you are still using versions of PHP that have reached their end of life (EOL), the security implications for your website or application could be serious. These versions, now obsolete, no longer receive security updates, exposing your digital ecosystem to a wide range of vulnerabilities and potential exploitations.
In practice, a website based on unsupported versions of PHP becomes an attractive target for hackers and bad actors, turning into a sort of "playground" for illicit activities.
Although this reality is well known, many organizations, from large public bodies to start-ups, from e-commerce portals to web agencies with a considerable number of sites, continue to operate on outdated PHP platforms. One of the main obstacles to upgrading is the cost in terms of money and time required to adapt existing code to the new version. Additionally, the update process may involve significant risks, such as breaking existing functionality or introducing new bugs.
To better illustrate the dilemma, let's take as an example a case that actually happened to one of our valued customers. The organization in question acquired a popular online magazine that used a highly customized version of WordPress 3.5. The challenge was to migrate the entire project to a newer version of WordPress, 6.0, without disrupting daily operations. This involved moving the site to a new server, creating a staging environment and re-adapting numerous custom plugins and changes made to the WordPress core.
The process was far from simple and required around six months of intensive work. During this period, we provided PHP 5.3 based hosting and comprehensive systems support to the client's developer. This included not only hosting, but also advanced security measures, hardening strategies and setting up a dedicated staging environment to test new implementations before going live.
If you are in a situation where if you need to host older versions of PHP, we have a perfect solution for you in the form of a service called Harden PHP hosting that offers the same solid protection as supported PHP versions.
Not only Harden PHP protects your old PHP versions (5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4) with ionCube Loaders, PHP extensions required by each of these old versions, but you can also take advantage of selecting the PHP version you want each of the websites to run.
It takes a few minutes to start working and our team, always on 24/24 to make sure you never encounter any problems, will also migrate the entire website from the old server to our new hosting.
Hosting of old versions of PHP
We can't stress enough the importance of security and stability when it comes to web hosting, especially if you're using outdated versions of PHP. Precisely for this reason, our Hosting service goes far beyond the simple provision of server space; we are committed to creating an isolated, protected and constantly monitored environment to ensure the greatest possible safety for our customers.
We offer a wide range of hosting solutions that support different PHP versions, from the oldest to the latest. Here is a detailed list:
- PHP 5.2 hosting
- PHP 5.3 hosting
- PHP 5.4 hosting
- PHP 5.5 hosting
- PHP 5.6 hosting
- PHP 7.0 hosting
- PHP 7.1 hosting
- PHP 7.2 hosting
- PHP 7.3 hosting
Older versions, specifically 5.2 through 5.5, are maintained in a specially isolated environment to mitigate associated risks. This is achieved through the use of sandboxing techniques, VPS (Virtual Private Servers), Cloud instances and with a strict separation of privileges between different applications and users.
For additional security measures, we disable potentially dangerous PHP functions that are not strictly necessary for the operation of your site or application. For example, functions like system() e exec(), which could be exploited for remote code execution attacks, are strictly disabled unless they are absolutely essential for your project.
Additionally, for those customers who have specific geographic security needs, we offer the ability to implement geographic filtering. This allows you to limit access to your websites or applications only from countries considered 'trusted', while access from other geographical locations can be disabled. This is an additional security measure that can be particularly useful for protecting sensitive assets or meeting specific regulatory requirements.
Our Hosting offering isn't just limited to providing a place to host your site; We actively work to ensure that the environment in which your project is hosted is as secure and reliable as possible, regardless of which PHP version you use.
If you are looking for a reliable hosting service that supports old PHP versions without compromising the security and stability of your project, you are in the right place. We understand that there are situations where upgrading to a newer version of PHP may not be immediately feasible, and for this reason we offer a wide range of hosting solutions that include support for PHP 5.2 up to PHP 7.3.
We invite you to write to us directly to discuss your specific needs. Send us an email to info@managedserver.it with details regarding the type of application or CMS you are using. If you have a proprietary custom application, include this information as well. It also indicates which version of PHP you need and any other requirements such as disk space or additional resources. These details will allow us to size the service more accurately, ensuring you receive exactly what you need.
Don't leave the security and performance of your online project to chance. Take advantage of our experience and tailor-made solutions to ensure a hosting environment optimized for your needs.
