We’re thrilled to roll out two significant updates in MyKinsta: support for PHP releases (currently 7.4 and 8.0) that have reached end of life (EOL) and the ability to opt out of automatic PHP updates.

At Kinsta, we’ve always prioritized performance, security, and stability. That’s why, until now, we’ve limited PHP support to officially supported versions like PHP 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3. This approach ensured our customers could benefit from the latest advancements while minimizing risks associated with outdated versions.

Now, we’re extending support to some older releases of PHP by providing our own long-term support (LTS) and security monitoring.

Why are we introducing EOL PHP support?

According to WordPress statistics, 33.2% of websites still rely on PHP 7.4, and another 9.8% use PHP 8.0 — a combined 43% of websites still running on EOL PHP versions. These numbers reflect the reality that many businesses face challenges when updating legacy applications or managing dependencies.

By introducing support for older versions of PHP, we’re offering a solution for customers who need more time to transition and still enjoy our premium hosting solution. This is free and available to all Kinsta customers platform-wide, giving you the flexibility to keep your sites running smoothly while planning for future upgrades.

How does it work?

There are two ways to change PHP versions in MyKinsta:

  1. Using the Tools tab:
    Navigate to the Tools tab in MyKinsta. Under PHP Settings, click the Change button. This will open a modal with a dropdown menu where you can select your preferred PHP version and confirm the change.

    Kinsta supported PHP versions
    Kinsta supported PHP versions.
  2. Using the Bulk Actions feature:
    If you’re managing multiple sites, use the Bulk Action feature. Select the sites you want to update from the Sites table, click the Actions dropdown, and choose Change PHP Settings.

    Bulk actions for changing PHP settings across multiple sites
    Bulk actions for changing PHP settings across multiple sites.

    The same modal will appear, allowing you to apply the desired PHP version across all selected sites.

Optional automatic PHP updates

With the addition of EOL PHP version support, we’ve introduced a new feature that lets you disable automatic PHP updates. Previously, Kinsta automatically upgraded sites to newer supported PHP versions once older ones reached EOL.

Now, you can choose to opt in or out of automatic updates. This flexibility is especially useful for managing sites that require specific PHP versions. When you choose a release of PHP for which we are providing LTS, automatic version updates are not available at all (under the assumption that you have a good reason for choosing a release that is beyond EOL).

Option to enable or disable automatic PHP updates
Option to enable or disable automatic PHP updates.

Take control of your PHP updates today!

With these updates, you have full control over how your PHP versions are managed. Whether you need to use an EOL version for compatibility or want to disable automatic updates, MyKinsta makes it easy to customize your hosting environment.

We recommend enabling automatic updates and upgrading to modern PHP versions whenever possible to ensure your site always runs on an officially supported PHP version and benefits from the latest security patches and performance enhancements.