How to Check and Update PHP Versions in WordPress: A Complete Guide to Improving Your Site's Performance and Security

What is PHP?

PHP is an open source server-side scripting and programming language used to build and maintain websites. It runs on web hosting servers.

How to Check and Update PHP in WordPress [Step-by-Step Guide]

What is the role of PHP in WordPress?

Any WordPress website uses four languages: HTML, JavaScript, CSS and PHP.

• HTML and CSS Control the design and display of the site, such as text formatting, colors, positioning, and fonts.
• JavaScript and PHP Responsible for website functionality such as user interface updates, form validation and submission.

Instead of storing each page as an HTML file, WordPress uses a number of PHP files to control different parts of the site, such as headers, footers, navigation, or comments.

When a user visits a web page, PHP pulls data from the server and dynamically generates the page. The server processes the request, generates PHP code, creates the HTML page, and sends it to the user.

Why should I update PHP in WordPress?

Updating to the latest version of PHP can improve the speed, performance and security of your website. Here are some of the benefits:

1. Improve website speed and performance Every time a user loads a web page, PHP processes a server request to find the content in the WordPress database and send it to the browser in HTML format. This generates a lot of PHP requests, which affects the speed and performance of your website. Updating PHP on a regular basis introduces new features and functionality, utilizes resources more efficiently, makes websites run faster, and improves the user experience.
2. Better website compatibility When updating the PHP version, other components of the WordPress site such as themes and plugins are also optimized for the latest PHP version. This ensures that the core website files are compatible with the latest PHP updates, providing excellent performance.
3. Enhanced website security Since PHP is a popular programming language for WordPress websites, it is often a target for security attacks. The latest PHP updates contain vulnerability fixes and patches to improve website security. Without updating to the latest version, websites are vulnerable to viruses, malware and unauthorized access. Therefore, checking and updating the PHP version of WordPress on a regular basis will better secure your website.

How do I check the current PHP version in WordPress?

Checking the version of PHP your site is currently running is very simple. Here are two ways to do it:

1. Using the WordPress Site Health Tool If you are using WordPress 5.0 or later, you can check the PHP version via the dashboard.The steps are as follows:
   • Log in to the WordPress dashboard.
   • Go to "artifact">"Site Health".
   • Switch to the "Information" tab.
   • Click "server (computer)" to see which version of PHP the site is currently using.

2. Using the Hosting Control Panel This can be done by cPanel Check the PHP version. The steps are as follows:
   • Log in to your cPanel.
   • Navigate to "General Information".
   • Here you can see the current PHP version of the site.

What should I do before updating PHP in WordPress?

Before updating the PHP version of your website, there are a few things you need to keep in mind to avoid losing data or settings. Here is what you need to do:

1. Creating Website Backups Backing up your website is important in case something goes wrong during the update process and data is lost. Backups can be created using a free WordPress plugin or through a hosting control panel.
2. Update WordPress Update the site's core, themes, and plugins to ensure they are compatible with the latest version of PHP. Please go to the Updates page in your WordPress dashboard to check for available updates and upgrade.
3. Check your server Make sure your server supports the latest PHP version of WordPress. This information can be found in your hosting provider's documentation or by contacting their customer service. If the server does not support the latest PHP version, request support or consider switching hosting providers.

How do I update PHP in WordPress?

Next update the PHP version to the latest version. Here are four easy ways to use different hosting tools:

1. Update PHP version in cPanel

Steps:

1. Log in to your hosting provider's website and go to cPanel.
2. Scroll down to the "Software" section and click on "Select PHP version".

3. Click Current PHP Version on the new page, select the latest version of PHP and set it to the current version.

2. Updating the PHP version in Kinsta

Step 1: Create a staging environment

1. Log in to the MyKinsta dashboard and select the site where you want to change the PHP version.

2. Click on the drop-down menu next to the site name, select "Staging", and then click "Create New Environment".

Step 2: Update PHP Version

1. In the MyKinsta dashboard, find the "Tools" section under the menu of your website and navigate to "PHP Engine".
2. Click "Modify" and select the new PHP version from the drop-down menu.
3. Confirm the pop-up window, click on "Modify PHP version" and wait a few minutes for it to finish.

Step 3: Test the site in a staging environment

1. Test your WordPress website, themes and plugins in a staging environment to make sure everything works.
2. If a problem occurs, troubleshoot it by deactivating and reactivating the plug-ins one by one.

Step 4: Update PHP on the live site

1. Log in to the MyKinsta dashboard and select your website.
2. Click on "Tools" and select "PHP Engine", and then click "Modify".

3. Update PHP version in SiteGround

Steps:

1. Log in to the SiteGround dashboard and go to the Sites tab.
2. Under Site Name, click on Site Tools.
3. Navigate to DEVS > PHP Manager from the left sidebar.

4. Click on the pencil icon and select "Change PHP version manually".
5. Select the latest PHP version from the drop-down menu and click "Confirm" to save your changes.

4. Update PHP version in WPEngine

WPEngine is a hosting provider who automatically updates the PHP version of WordPress websites. However, if you want to check and update the PHP version manually, you can do so by following these steps:

Steps:

1. Log in to your WPEngine dashboard.
2. Go to the "My Sites" page and click on the name of your site.
3. Find the current PHP version number on the page and click on it.

4. Choose to upgrade to the latest PHP version.
5. Confirm and save the settings.

What should I do after updating my PHP version?

After updating the WordPress PHP version, please check all the components of your website (such as themes and plugins) to make sure they are working properly. If you encounter problems, you can fix them by restoring a backup of your website.

Summary:

Keeping the PHP version up-to-date in WordPress is essential for improving site speed, performance and security. The current PHP version can be easily checked by using the Site Health Tool or Hosting Control Panel. Before updating PHP, be sure to back up your site and ensure that all components are compatible with the latest version. The steps for updating PHP using different hosting tools such as cPanel, Kinsta, SiteGround and WPEngine vary, but each method is relatively simple. After updating, check that all components of your website are functioning properly to ensure a seamless transition to the latest PHP version. If you encounter problems, you can fix them by restoring a backup.

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