Running an unsupported PHP version means your application is exposed to unpatched security vulnerabilities — many hosting providers and security scanners flag this as a critical risk. This guide lists the exact EOL date for every PHP version from 7.0 through 8.5, explains the PHP release cycle, and tells you which version you should be running right now.
Quick answer: PHP 8.4 is the current recommended version (EOL December 31, 2028). PHP 8.3 is in security-only mode. PHP 8.2 reaches EOL December 31, 2026. PHP 7.x is entirely end of life.
All PHP Versions — EOL Dates at a Glance
| PHP Version | Release Date | Active Support Ends | Security Support Ends (EOL) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHP 8.5 | Nov 20, 2025 | Dec 31, 2027 | Dec 31, 2029 | ✅ Active |
| PHP 8.4 | Nov 21, 2024 | Dec 31, 2026 | Dec 31, 2028 | ✅ Active — Recommended |
| PHP 8.3 | Nov 23, 2023 | Nov 23, 2025 | Dec 31, 2027 | 🟡 Security Only |
| PHP 8.2 | Dec 8, 2022 | Dec 8, 2024 | Dec 31, 2026 | 🟡 Security Only |
| PHP 8.1 | Nov 25, 2021 | Nov 25, 2023 | Dec 31, 2025 | ❌ EOL |
| PHP 8.0 | Nov 26, 2020 | Nov 26, 2022 | Nov 26, 2023 | ❌ EOL |
| PHP 7.4 | Nov 28, 2019 | Nov 28, 2021 | Nov 28, 2022 | ❌ EOL |
| PHP 7.3 | Dec 6, 2018 | Dec 6, 2020 | Dec 6, 2021 | ❌ EOL |
| PHP 7.2 | Nov 30, 2017 | Nov 30, 2019 | Nov 30, 2020 | ❌ EOL |
| PHP 7.1 | Dec 1, 2016 | Dec 1, 2018 | Dec 1, 2019 | ❌ EOL |
| PHP 7.0 | Dec 3, 2015 | Dec 3, 2017 | Dec 3, 2018 | ❌ EOL |
| PHP 5.6 | Aug 28, 2014 | Aug 28, 2016 | Dec 31, 2018 | ❌ EOL |
🚨 If you're running PHP 8.1 or below, your site is vulnerable. PHP 8.1 reached EOL December 31, 2025. PHP 7.x has been EOL since 2022 or earlier.
Understanding the PHP Support Lifecycle
Every PHP release (from PHP 8.1 onwards) follows a 4-year lifecycle:
- Active Support (2 years): Regular bug fixes, performance improvements, and security patches
- Security Support Only (2 years): Critical CVEs only — no bug fixes, no performance improvements
- End of Life: Zero patches of any kind. Newly discovered vulnerabilities will never be fixed.
PHP 8.4 — Current Recommended Version
Released November 21, 2024. Key improvements:
- Property hooks — getter/setter logic directly in class property declarations
- Asymmetric visibility —
public private(set)access modifiers - New array functions:
array_find(),array_find_key(),array_any(),array_all() - HTML5 parser for the DOM extension (
Dom\HTMLDocument) - Performance improvements over PHP 8.3
Active support ends: December 31, 2026
Security support ends (EOL): December 31, 2028
PHP 8.3 — Security Only
Released November 23, 2023. Entered security-only support November 23, 2025. EOL: December 31, 2027.
Introduced typed class constants, json_validate(), Randomizer::getBytesFromString(), and significant performance improvements. If you're on 8.3, plan your upgrade to 8.4 — it's a smooth, backward-compatible migration.
PHP 8.2 — Security Only, EOL December 2026
Released December 8, 2022. Entered security-only support December 8, 2024. EOL: December 31, 2026.
Is PHP 8.2 still supported? Yes — security patches only, until December 31, 2026. No bug fixes. Upgrade to PHP 8.4 before end of year 2026.
PHP 8.1 — End of Life (December 31, 2025)
PHP 8.1 introduced enums, fibers (coroutines), intersection types, readonly properties, and the never return type. Despite being a landmark release, it is now completely unsupported. Upgrade immediately.
PHP 8.0 — End of Life (November 26, 2023)
A landmark release that introduced JIT compilation, union types, named arguments, match expressions, and nullsafe operators. EOL since November 26, 2023.
PHP 7.4 — End of Life (November 28, 2022)
The last PHP 7.x release. EOL November 28, 2022 — nearly 4 years ago. Hundreds of CVEs have been discovered since that will never be patched. Many hosting providers have dropped PHP 7.4 entirely.
🚨 PHP 7.4 is dangerously outdated. If your application still runs on PHP 7.4, it is exposed to years of unpatched vulnerabilities. Upgrading to PHP 8.x is urgent.
PHP 7.3 — End of Life (December 6, 2021)
EOL for over 4 years. No reason to remain on PHP 7.3 — all features are available in PHP 8.x.
PHP 7.2 — End of Life (November 30, 2020)
EOL for over 5 years. Running it on any internet-connected system is critically dangerous.
PHP 8.5 — Released November 2025
Released November 20, 2025, following the annual release cadence. Active support to December 31, 2027. Security support to December 31, 2029. Migration from 8.4 to 8.5 is smooth.
How to Check Your PHP Version
php -v
# PHP 8.4.7 (cli) (built: Apr 15 2026)
<?php
echo phpversion();
// or
echo PHP_VERSION;
How to Upgrade PHP
Ubuntu/Debian
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php
sudo apt update
sudo apt install php8.4
sudo update-alternatives --set php /usr/bin/php8.4
RHEL / CentOS / AlmaLinux
sudo dnf module reset php
sudo dnf module enable php:8.4
sudo dnf install php
Managed Hosting
Look for "PHP Version Manager" or "MultiPHP Manager" in cPanel, or "PHP Settings" in Plesk.
PHP 8.4 Upgrade Notes
Watch for this deprecation in PHP 8.4: implicit nullable parameter types (e.g., function foo(Type $x = null)) are now deprecated. Fix by using explicit ?Type. Check your codebase before upgrading.
FAQ
Is PHP 8.2 still supported?
Security patches only, until December 31, 2026. No bug fixes. Upgrade to PHP 8.4.
When did PHP 7.4 reach end of life?
November 28, 2022. No patches — including security patches — since that date.
When is PHP 8.3 end of life?
Active support ended November 23, 2025. Security support until December 31, 2027.
When is PHP 8.4 end of life?
Active support ends December 31, 2026. Security support until December 31, 2028.
Does PHP have LTS versions?
No. All PHP releases (from PHP 8.1 onwards) follow the same 4-year (2 active + 2 security) lifecycle. No version gets special long-term treatment.
Live version data and version checker: endoflife.ai/php
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