Your new server is configured to use PHP 7.4 by default. You can always upgrade to the latest version, e.g., PHP 8.2, as per your requirements. Downgrading the PHP version has some limitations, so you can view which PHP versions you can upgrade or downgrade to.

Important Announcement for PHP Older Versions

Cloudways currently supports PHP 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, and 8.2 and the older versions (5.6, 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3) are deprecated as of August 15th, 2022. As a result, new and existing servers with the default PHP 7.4 or newer versions will not have the option to downgrade to older and deprecated versions; however, existing servers with deprecated versions will continue to work for the time being.

Existing servers with deprecated versions will continue to work for the time being. The deprecated versions will reach the end of life on December 31st, 2023; therefore, you are requested to upgrade to the latest version. Please refer to the Cloudways deprecation process and policy for more details.

Supported PHP Versions

To reiterate, Cloudways currently supports PHP 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, and 8.2 and the older versions (5.6, 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, and 7.3) are deprecated. If you use a PHP version older than PHP 7.4, you can only upgrade to the on-deprecated versions, e.g., PHP 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2. We have explained the same in the below table.

PHP Version	Upgradable to
PHP 5.6	PHP 7.4 and higher
PHP 7.0	PHP 7.4 and higher
PHP 7.1	PHP 7.4 and higher
PHP 7.2	PHP 7.4 and higher
PHP 7.3	PHP 7.4 and higher
PHP 7.4	PHP 8.0 and higher
PHP 8.0	Upgradable to PHP 8.1 and higher Can be downgraded to PHP 7.4
PHP 8.1	Upgradable to PHP 8.2 and higher Can be downgraded to PHP 8.0 or lower
PHP 8.2	It is the latest version. It will be upgradeable to any new PHP version once available on the Cloudways Platform. Can be downgraded to PHP 8.1 or lower

How to Upgrade to PHP 8 Version

Prerequisite

Prerequisite for upgrading to PHP 8:

The latest version is PHP 8.2, which requires Debian 10. It is not compatible with older Debian versions. You can also check your application compatibility with different available PHP versions.
Check the compatibility of your application code with the selected version of PHP.

Tip

It is recommended to take a server backup before updating the PHP version if you may need to revert to a previous PHP version and restore your application.

Step #1 — Navigate to Server Packages

From the top menu bar, open Servers.
Then, choose your desired server.

Classic Interface

New Interface
Under Server Management, select Settings & Packages.
Choose the Packages tab.

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New Interface

Step #2 — Upgrading to PHP 8.x

Click edit to view the available PHP versions.

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New Interface
Select PHP 8.0 or higher version.
Finally, click Save.

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New Interface
You will be prompted to check if your web applications are compatible with your chosen PHP version. If yes, click OK to proceed.

Classic Interface

New Interface

This may take a few minutes to upgrade the PHP version. You will be notified on the same screen once the PHP version is updated. You can also read about the available PHP 8.x modules.

That’s it! We hope this article was helpful. If you need any help, then feel free to search your query on Cloudways Support Center or contact us via chat (Need a Hand > Send us a Message). Alternatively, you can also create a support ticket.