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PHP
php.net › supported-versions.php
PHP: Supported Versions
Each release branch of PHP is fully supported for two years from its initial stable release.
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PHP.Watch
php.watch › versions
PHP Versions • PHP.Watch
PHP 8.3 is the latest stable PHP version, bringing typed class constants, Granular DateTime Exceptions, fallback value support for PHP INI Environment Variable syntax, and more.
Discussions

How to check PHP version?
The URL given is one that works with the script they provide or expect you to write. There's no built-in "magic URL" to show that information with PHP. A HTML page of configuration information can be generated in PHP code using phpinfo() You may also want to pay attention to the top section of phpinfo() output that lists the ini files read, to make sure you're editing the right files. This same information is available on the command line through the following commands: php -i (full information similar to phpinfo()) php -m (enabled modules / extensions) php -v (version) php --ini (ini files read) See also php --help for more command-line options. Note that you can also set most ini settings at runtime in a script using ini_set() . In this specific case see also the error_reporting() function. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/PHPhelp
6
1
November 4, 2023
hosting - What is the best php version to use with WordPress? - WordPress Development Stack Exchange
What is the best php version to use with WordPress... without going over the top. More on wordpress.stackexchange.com
🌐 wordpress.stackexchange.com
October 19, 2015
What's the best way to keep up to date with new PHP versions? | The FreeBSD Forums
PHP is pretty fast moving with multiple maintained versions - a quick search of the package repo shows that FreeBSD packages 8.0 through 8.3. I run a couple different web services for personal use which require PHP, but I'm not a PHP developer and I don't really keep track of when new PHP... More on forums.freebsd.org
🌐 forums.freebsd.org
November 26, 2023
What is the oldest PHP Version you still have to maintain and why? What do you miss the most from the current versions? Share your grief with us.
5.6 Zero tests ~14 year old codebase in some parts, most of it is rawdog php and includes. No class structure beyond what we've added for new features. Client actively beligerant at this point to our original agreed goal of them getting 7.x running alongside it on their hardware, and moving portions of the app over as they are worked on, so there's no feature freeze for 12-18 months as it's migrated. They've brought in a second outsourced team as we "aren't moving fast enough" / actually giving a damn to fix security flaws when we find them. This outsourced team is going as well as you'd expect from hearing the term "outsourced team"... Hoping they either get their head out of their ass, or we can cut them off as a client at somepoint. It's just not worth it. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/PHP
57
30
February 19, 2024
scripting language focused on web development
PHP is a general-purpose scripting language geared towards web development. It was created by Danish-Canadian programmer Rasmus Lerdorf in 1993 and released in 1995. The PHP reference implementation is now produced by … Wikipedia
Factsheet
Designed by Rasmus Lerdorf
Developer The PHP Development Team, Zend Technologies, PHP Foundation
Factsheet
Designed by Rasmus Lerdorf
Developer The PHP Development Team, Zend Technologies, PHP Foundation
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › PHP
PHP - Wikipedia
4 days ago - PHP 5.1 and PHP 5.2 were released the following years, adding smaller improvements and new features, such as the PHP Data Objects (PDO) extension (which defines a lightweight and consistent interface for accessing databases) In 2008, PHP 5.x ...
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PHPUnit
phpunit.de › supported-versions.html
Supported Versions of PHPUnit
The fact that a version of PHPUnit supports a specific PHP version means that this version of PHPUnit works on that PHP version for PHP code that is compatible with the version of PHP required by the PHPUnit version in question. For example, PHPUnit 8.5 requires PHP 7.2.
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Zend
zend.com › resources › php-versions
PHP Versions: Performance, Security, and Feature Comparisons | Zend
In this collection of resources, we look at the ongoing changes in PHP, how these changes are made, and track the evolution of the language to the most current PHP version.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/phphelp › how to check php version?
r/PHPhelp on Reddit: How to check PHP version?
November 4, 2023 -

hi, I'm new to PHP.

I want to change display_errors to On for debugging, but see many PHP versions installed.

I thought going to http://localhost/first/index.php?language=English&page=phpinfo would give me the version , but it just renders the regular index page.

Ty.

Find elsewhere
Top answer
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There isn't (and shouldn't) be an answer with any specific version for this. New versions come out, old versions get discontinued.

  • At the minimum you should use supported version of PHP. This ensures it still receives bug fixes and (or for less recent version) security updates.

  • Preferably you should be use the latest stable version of PHP. This ensures you get best possible performance.

PHP site has handy Supported Versions page, which clearly covers currently relevant versions and roadmap for their support.

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IMPORTANT EDIT

This has unknowingly came to my attention as it slipped my mind, PHP 5.4 have already reach EOL and the last security support was stopped on the 14th of September 2015.

According to official documentation, PHP 5.5 will finally reach its EOL on the 10 of July 2016 (Active support has already been stopped but this version will still get security updates until its final EOl date of 10 of July 2016).

So to come back to the original question, you should be running on minimum at least PHP 5.5 now, but be sure to get ready to switch to PHP 5.6 within the next 8 months as from date of this answer

ORIGINAL ANSWER

Wordpress are still stuck on the dinosaur PHP versions, so any PHP version newer or equal to 5.3 should do.

It is however very very important to note that all PHP versions prior to version 5.4 have been EOL'ed, the last version being 5.3 a year ago. In short, this means than any PHP version older than 5.4 are no longer supported or updated, which will cause huge security issues if you are still using it.

So, for safety, the bare minimum you should be running safely is PHP 5.4.x, where x should be the latest security release.

In short, to be rather safe than sorry, just like Wordpress, it is always always the best to have the latest available stable release installed.

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Kinsta®
kinsta.com › home › resource center › blog › learn php › why you should be using supported php versions
Why You Should Be Using Supported PHP Versions
April 24, 2025 - Supported PHP versions (especially PHP 8 and higher) offer security enhancements, performance benefits, and all-around better developer features.
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Virtuozzo
virtuozzo.com › home › virtuozzo application management documentation › php versions
PHP Versions | Virtuozzo Dev Docs
February 23, 2026 - PHP Versions Within the confines of PHP hosting at the platform, the following PHP engine versions are supported: PHP 8.1.33 PHP 8.2.30 PHP 8.3.30 PHP 8.4.18 PHP 8.5.3 The up-to-date list of the releases available on the platform is provided via the dedicated, regularly (weekly) updated Software ...
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3v4l
3v4l.org
Online PHP editor | Test code in 250+ PHP versions
3v4l.org (leetspeak for eval) is an online shell that allows you to run your code on my server. I compiled more than 250 different PHP versions (every version released since 4.3.0) for you to run online.
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FreeBSD
forums.freebsd.org › ports and packages › installation and maintenance of ports or packages
What's the best way to keep up to date with new PHP versions? | The FreeBSD Forums
November 26, 2023 - PHP is pretty fast moving with multiple maintained versions - a quick search of the package repo shows that FreeBSD packages 8.0 through 8.3. I run a couple different web services for personal use which require PHP, but I'm not a PHP developer and I don't really keep track of when new PHP...
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MonsterInsights
monsterinsights.com › home › docs › common questions › update php: php versions supported by monsterinsights
Update PHP: PHP Versions Supported by MonsterInsights - MonsterInsights
June 14, 2025 - At MonsterInsights, our favorites are Bluehost and SiteGround, both of them are officially recommended by WordPress as well. Our website is hosted with SiteGround. They both use servers with the latest PHP versions and keep them up to date, so you don’t have to.
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Ubuntu
ubuntu.com › server › docs › how-to › web-services › install-php
How to install and configure PHP - Ubuntu Server documentation
December 11, 2025 - By default, when libapache2-mod-php is installed, the Apache2 web server is configured to run PHP scripts using this module. First, verify if the files /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/php8.*.conf and /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/php8.*.load exist.
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Liquid Web
liquidweb.com › home › latest php versions: the ultimate guide
Current PHP Version 8.5 and Version History | Nexcess
January 2, 2026 - Learn what's the latest PHP version and why you need to use it. Find out about the new features, active maintenance, bug fixes, and security updates.
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Cloudways
cloudways.com › home › learn php tutorials, tips and guides › php version history: brief timeline of the world’s most used backend language
PHP Version History: Brief Timeline of World’s Most Used Back-end Language [INFOGRAPHICS]
1 month ago - PHP powers around 72.2% of all websites, underscoring its dominance in web development. Major versions like PHP 5, 7, and 8 introduced key improvements in performance, security, and syntax.
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Amezmo
amezmo.com › php-versions
PHP Versions - Amezmo
Amezmo has all supported versions of PHP available for you to use.