WordPress Drops Support for PHP 5 in Upcoming Release
WordPress, the popular content management system, is set to drop support for PHP 5 in its upcoming 6.3 release. This move comes as part of WordPress’ efforts to keep up with the latest technology and improve the security and performance of its platform. The minimum supported version of PHP has been PHP 5.6.20 since 2019, but it will be updated to 7.0.0 in the next release. The recommended PHP version will remain at 7.4+.
The decision to drop support for PHP 5 was based on usage statistics. According to WordPress core developer John Blackbourn, the usage of PHP 5.6 has dropped to just 3.9% of monitored WordPress installations as of July 2023. Historically, WordPress has used a usage percentage of 5% as the baseline for dropping support for a PHP version. With PHP 5.6 usage well below that threshold and continuing to decline, the decision to increase the minimum supported PHP version can now move forward.
Blackbourn also highlighted that WordPress’ support for newer PHP versions, such as PHP 8.0, 8.1, and 8.2, is “very good.” In fact, nearly 26% of WordPress users are already running sites on PHP 8.0 or higher. This indicates that the WordPress community is embracing the latest PHP versions and benefiting from their improved features and performance.
Some hosting providers have already taken steps to encourage users to upgrade to newer versions of PHP. For example, Dreamhost charges additional fees for sites that require extended support for PHP 7.4 and older. Other hosting providers, such as IONOS and Strato, have similar policies in place.
The decision to increase the minimum supported PHP version followed a seven-month-long discussion within the WordPress community. Surprisingly, there was little resistance to this change, indicating that users and developers are ready to embrace newer PHP versions. While sites running on PHP 5.6 will not be able to upgrade beyond WordPress 6.2, they will still receive security updates, as the project backports them to versions 4.1 and above.
The move to PHP 7.0.0 as the minimum supported version will bring several benefits to the WordPress ecosystem. Themes and plugins will be able to take advantage of new features and improvements available in PHP 7 and higher. Upgraded websites will also experience reduced memory usage, leading to improved performance. Additionally, the bump in the minimum supported PHP version will enhance the security and tooling of the WordPress core.
Blackbourn clarified that there are no plans to increase the minimum supported PHP version on a set schedule. The WordPress core team will continue to monitor the usage of PHP versions and work with hosting companies to encourage users to upgrade their PHP versions promptly. The 5% usage baseline will continue to be used as a guideline for dropping support for older PHP versions.
In conclusion, WordPress is dropping support for PHP 5 in its upcoming 6.3 release. This decision is based on the declining usage of PHP 5.6 and the community’s readiness to embrace newer PHP versions. The move to a higher minimum supported PHP version will bring numerous benefits, including improved performance, enhanced security, and access to new features for themes and plugins. WordPress users are encouraged to upgrade their PHP versions to ensure they can take full advantage of the platform’s capabilities.
