It is very important that every time there is a new version of PHP you update your website...
Why?
There are many reasons why you should leave behind the outdated version of PHP and make way for the latest version. In this article we will give you the top 5 reasons why you should upgrade.
Let's start by defining what PHP is:
PHP (Hypertext Pre-Processor) is a web programming language.. It is the most widely used for developing dynamic websites (e.g., created with WordPress, Joomla and Drupal) and applications quickly and easily, and is compatible with most operating systems.
Each PHP version is only valid for 2 or 3 years.After this time, the different updates of WordPress or any Content Management System (CMS) begin to present incompatibilities with outdated PHP, as well as problems on your website.
Now that you know what PHP is, we will tell you the 5 most important reasons why you should upgrade PHP... but first, please note that the latest version of PHP is 8.1.1, released on December 17, 2021.
5 Reasons to upgrade PHP:
- SAFETY:
This is the most important reason to upgrade PHP. The most current versions are better at detecting the hackers and do not let them act inside your website.
On the other hand, if you have a e-commerce and you handle personal data such as credit card numbers, addresses, telephone numbers, bank accounts, etc... it is absolutely necessary that you have one of the most current versions of PHP, this way, you will avoid that your users, clients, or you are stolen or defrauded.. Remember that if your customers have a bad experience in your online commerce, they will be the ones who will speak ill of your business.
Remember that PHP versions lower than 7.0 are already deprecated. and are not compatible with content generators, so if you have one of these versions, your website is insecure.
We recommend you to visit the following link, from "CVE Details" where you can view vulnerability lists and statistics for all PHP versions: https://www.cvedetails.com/product/128/PHP-PHP.html?vendor_id=74
- PERFORMANCE:
With the latest versions of PHP your web page will be much faster and you will be able to take full advantage of your server's functionality.
The newest versions of PHP are excellent for improving the loading speed of your online business, as they already the most recent versions have been found to have the ability to handle a higher number of requests per second without requiring more memory on the part of the web server.
Thus the higher the version, the faster the speed and the lower the latency, therefore, this will influence your SEO and your customers' satisfaction. The faster a web page loads, the better it will rank in search engines, as this indicates that the user will have a better experience browsing this website.
- SUPPORT:
If you have an outdated version of PHP and you have a technical problem, it will be very difficult to find information and solutions for the difficulty you are facing, since with the passage of time and new versions, the old ones become obsolete.
With the new versions you will be able to count on official technical support and, also, the more updated the version you are using, when you are going to change to the latest version, you will find between these two versions more compatibility and adaptation between the add-ons and other elements that are incorporated.
- IF YOU USE WORDPRESS:
WordPress recommends its users to upgrade to PHP 7.3 or higher versionsThis will allow access to more functionalities, provide faster loading, improve speed, security and compatibility with new themes, and pluginsof your website.
- EVOLUTION:
The better options your website offers, the greater the benefits for you. You can't expect to get good results if you use and offer an obsolete tool.where your surfers will be dissatisfied with its speed and functionality.
If the PHP version of your website is lower than 7.0 we recommend you to update it.If you do not use PHP, your website will turn out to be a disaster because plugins, themes and other code are also updated and are not guaranteed to work with obsolete PHP versions.
We hope that with these 5 reasons that we have shared with you, you will decide to check which version you have and, if it is the case, update it for a better performance of your website, as well as see the benefits that you can get from it.If you don't have a website yet or if you already have one but want to improve its security, speed or functionality you can contact us, at ClickPanda we are available to provide information and advice to support your business, venture or company with the best options to enhance your web presence.
