PHP Life Cycle & Supported Versions

The WP Cloud platform removal of PHP 8.1 will occur on 31 December 2025.

WP Cloud follows the publicly available PHP supported versions life cycle, which includes supporting a release branch of PHP for two years from its initial stable release plus an additional two years for critical security issues only.

With this schedule in mind, we plan deprecations and default-version changes in advance and publish them on the WP Cloud blog and the Platform Update Schedule.

Note that for PHP versions >8.1, WP Cloud has adopted a modified schedule. Each year, hosts should work with their customers to upgrade sites away from the retiring versions by December 15th – 12:00 UTC. It’s recommended to start on the upgrade, default change, and user-facing removal process as soon as possible.

Retrieve PHP Version Dates via the WP Cloud API

To better inform clients of WP Cloud of the addition and removal of PHP versions from the platform, we’ve added a /verbose parameter to the get-php-versions endpoint. This response includes more detailed information about the available PHP versions, including the platform default and “until” and “status” details for each version. The “until” value should be treated as the absolute end date for a given version on WP Cloud.

PHP Upgrade Recommendations

On a yearly cadence, hosts should aim to perform the following to ensure end user sites are upgraded well before the platform removal date. Giving a buffer time for site owners to resolve potential issues.

1. Plan early.
   Schedule upgrade planning, testing, and customer communications immediately to avoid last-minute issues.
2. Retire deprecated PHP versions in phases.
   • Set a clear date—well before the WP Cloud platform removal deadline—to remove the retiring PHP version from all user-facing PHP controls.
   • Set a later date to remove the version from internal developer tools. Ensure support teams stop using rollbacks as a solution and guide users to supported versions.
3. Force-upgrade all remaining sites.
   Choose a date, again ahead of the platform cutoff, to auto-upgrade all remaining sites. Aim to match the platform’s current default PHP version.
4. Communicate upgrades clearly & early.
   Use emails, in-app messages, and UI notices to inform users about the changes, timelines, and any required action.
5. Advance default versions quickly.
   After a PHP release, update your default version as soon as possible. Design upgrade cycles that encourage forward movement—e.g., by promoting new versions and making older ones less attractive as they near end-of-life.