Original title: How to update PHP on WordPress website
If you host a website, the speed and security of the website are closely related to the PHP version. Where is the problem? For ordinary WordPress sellers or bloggers, updating PHP sounds a bit overwhelming. After you create a website, you can sell self-made candles or publish a reality show blog. Now someone tells you to learn programming language? Yes, that's right. You may not fully understand its function, and you certainly won't think about it all day long.
But this is important, and updating it may be easier than you think.
With this in mind, let's explore why and how to update PHP so that the WordPress site is always up to date.
What is WordPress PHP (why update it)?
PHP is an acronym for Hypertext Preprocessor. In short, it is an open source scripting language and the core of WordPress's work. It encrypts data to improve security. It also forms the infrastructure for publishing dynamic blog content through WordPress CMS.
Think of it as a track that allows the train on the WordPress website to glide smoothly.
Like WordPress, PHP has different versions. Its version will be upgraded with the development of the network, and some functions will be added to ensure the security of the website.
Why update? First, the updated PHP will make the website faster and more efficient. For example, according to Kinsta, upgrading from PHP 5.6 to 7.0 doubled website performance.
But the host plan must also keep up with the upgrade changes. HostGator removed versions 5.2 and 5.3 from the virtual host and dealer host plans in August.
Although versions 7.3 and 7.4 are still popular, the PHP version has now been upgraded to version 8.0. Which version should I use? If you are reading this article, you probably already need to upgrade. At a minimum, version 7.3 will make the website meet the current requirements of HostGator.
The good news is that updating PHP is much easier than it seems. The following are the specific steps.
How to diagnose PHP version on WordPress website
There are many options for updating PHP. The details are shown below. But we will start by running WordPress directly, because it has a key advantage: the PHP version is clear at a glance.
To diagnose the PHP version, first perform the following operations:
In WordPress, go to Tools>Website Health.
single click The server You should see a line listing the current status of the PHP version of the server.
If you see that the version has not been upgraded, it is time to move on to the next step.
How HostGator Users Update WordPress PHP
If you use HostGator, you can navigate to cPanel and use MultiHP Manager to modify the PHP version. Previously, HostGator used the PHP selector as a method of change. However, as we are gradually phasing out this method, we will focus on the following MultiHP Manager method.
· Log in to cPanel.
· Enter the "Quick Function Search Bar" and enter multi. This will easily launch MultiPHP Manager. Click to enter.
· Scroll down and select Related domain name 。
· Scroll up to the PHP version, click the version you want to use, and then click Apply.
· Look for the "Successful application for PHP version..." notification.
· If you created a phpinfo file in the following steps, please refresh the page to see if the changes have taken effect.
If you think you will update PHP version frequently, you can also consider creating a phpinfo file in HostGator to check whether the conversion is successful again, or just remind yourself which version you are using.
Please note: If you already know the PHP version, please skip to the "How to update WordPress PHP" section below. Otherwise, you will only be frustrated to see many meaningless steps.
However, if you are not sure about your PHP version, please use the phpinfo.php file. You can know the current version at a glance later.
· Log in to cPanel.
· Enter "Software".
· You will see options such as WordPress Manager and Perl Module. Scroll down until you see MultiHP Manager and select it.
The specific steps are as follows:
· In the Panel, scroll down to File Manager and click Enter.
· This will enter the home directory. If you are using public_html, scroll down to the folder and double-click it.
· Click Add File, name the file phpinfo.php, and click Create New File.
Now, you can copy and paste one of the code options in the guide into the phpinfo file. The following code shows all PHP information:
#Use the following code to view the installed modules and their current values.
phpinfo(INFO_MODULES); // This would be used to display the installed modules and their current values.
?>
phpinfo(INFO_MODULES); // This will be used to display the installed modules and their current values.
?>
In the Hostgator cPanel, right-click phpinfo. Then click Edit.
Paste information. Click "Save Changes".
Now look at the phpinfo. php page in your browser. If you save the file under public_html, just enter www. your domain name. com/phpinfo. php here. Find the version of php at the top to know which version you are running.
This only takes a few minutes, but updating the PHP of the WordPress site can immediately improve the performance, speed, and security of the site. Considering the needs of today's top search engines, timely updating is always worthwhile. What's the good news? If it goes well, it only takes a few minutes to maintain this state.
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