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February 26, 2024

PHP 8.0 EOL Is Here: What Now?

Matthew Weier O’Phinney
Matthew Weier O’Phinney

PHP Development

With PHP 8.0 end of life (EOL) as of November, 2023, teams using this first version of PHP 8 need to upgrade to a supported PHP version or find alternative means to patch their deployments.  

In this blog, we discuss end of life for PHP 8.0, with details on the risks of deploying unsupported PHP 8.0, potential upgrade paths, and long-term support options for teams that didn't upgrade in time.

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Table of Contents

  1. PHP 8 EOL: Frequently Asked Questions
  2. The PHP 8.0 Support Lifecycle
  3. The Consequences of Using Unsupported PHP 8 EOL
  4. Preparing for PHP 8.0 EOL
  5. Final Thoughts
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PHP 8 EOL: Frequently Asked Questions

When Does PHP 8.0 Reach EOL?

PHP 8.0 reached end of life on November 26, 2023. 

How Many Teams Are Using PHP 8.0? 

The Zend 2025 PHP Landscape Report found 23.71% of PHP teams were using PHP 8.0 in production, ranking 5th behind PHP 8.3, 8.2, 8.1, and 7.4. 

How Long Will PHP 8 Be Supported?

PHP 8.0 is no longer supported by the community.

However, other PHP 8.X versions are still supported, including the most current PHP version, PHP 8.4. PHP 8.1 EOL will occur on December 31, 2025, 8.2 on December 31, 2026, and PHP 8.3 on December 31, 2027.

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The PHP 8.0 Support Lifecycle

PHP 8.0, like other PHP versions, has a defined community support lifecycle, with each minor release receiving community support for four years. That support is broken down into two phases, active support and security support. After the version reaches the end of the security support phase, the version is considered end of life.

Active Support

The active support phase for PHP versions runs from GA release date until the the security support phase. The active support phase includes both bug and security issue fixes, with regular point releases. For PHP 8.0, the active support phase lasted from November 26, 2020 to November 26, 2022.

Security Support

When the PHP version enters the security support phase, that means that it only receives updates when there are critical security issues. PHP 8.0 reached end of security support on November 26, 2023.

End of Life

When PHP 8.0 reached the end of the security support phase on November 26, 2023, that means it reached community end of life. This means that it no longer receive patches from the community. Any vulnerabilities that occur after the EOL date will remain unpatched unless someone builds or acquires fixes to that CVE then applies them as a patch.

Zend PHP LTS extends PHP 8.0 EOL by two years, with patches for security vulnerabilities available until December 2025. 

PHP 8.0 EOL Timeline With Zend PHP LTS

PHP Version  

Release Date  

Active Support End Date  

End of Life / Security Support End Date  

Zend PHP 8.0 LTS End Date  

8.0  

November 26, 2020   

November 26, 2022  

November 26, 2023  

December 2025 

 

Get an Overview of PHP 8 EOL

In this on-demand webinar, Matthew Weier O'Phinney, Senior Product Manager at Zend, dives in on how PHP 8.0 EOL will impact users, and how to start preparing for an upgrade (or finding LTS).

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The Consequences of Using Unsupported PHP 8 EOL

We’ve covered the consequences of unsupported PHP at length in other articles before, but the basic consequences hold true whether you’re using PHP 7.4 or PHP 8.0. Not upgrading to supported versions means that you’re missing out on a variety of advancements in PHP, as well as exposing yourself to vulnerabilities. 

While there is typically less of a gap for some of these categories when upgrading within a major version (e.g. PHP 8.0 to 8.2), there can still be notable differences that make upgrading a valuable investment (beyond the obvious security benefits). 

Ultimately, end of life PHP versions, including EOL PHP 8, don’t receive patches from the community. This means that any vulnerabilities discovered in end of life PHP versions will remain unpatched and vulnerable to exploit. Upgrading to a community-supported version, or partnering with an LTS provider like Zend can remove that risk.

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Preparing for PHP 8.0 EOL

As noted previously, there are generally two ways in which teams handle applications using PHP 8.0: upgrading to a supported version, or preparing an alternate means of patching your EOL PHP 8.

Upgrading PHP 8.0

The most common path for teams using PHP 8.0 is to upgrade to another PHP 8 version, such as PHP 8.1 or PHP 8.2, or PHP 8.3. While not tantamount to a migration (e.g. migrating PHP 7.4 to PHP 8.0), upgrading PHP 8.0 to other PHP 8 versions (8.1, 8.2, or 8.3) requires careful planning.

Depending on the complexity of the application(s), teams should give themselves plenty of time to scope and ultimately perform the PHP 8 upgrade.

The good news is that there are a variety of resources available for teams planning their migrations, including guides from php.net that detail the key features and incompatibilities for teams to test for and fix before they deploy the updated PHP version in production.

Here are a few good starting points for scoping your PHP 8 EOL upgrade:

And, if that doesn’t solve the complexity of upgrading, companies like Zend can help via migration services.

Long-Term Support for PHP 8.0

Unfortunately, not all teams were able to migrate PHP 8.0 to a supported version before it reached end of life. While some teams may choose to self-support, not many are staffed to build and deploy PHP in house. 

Luckily, Zend offers long-term support that extends the lifecycle of PHP – including PHP 8.0. As noted above, Zend PHP LTS gives teams an extra two years to plan and execute a migration to a community supported PHP version. 

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Final Thoughts

PHP moves fast, and it means that organizations deploying PHP need to have a well thought out strategy for upgrading and eventually migrating their PHP.

While the upgrade process for PHP 8.0 to other PHP 8 versions might not be as painful as other upgrades or migrations, don’t expect it to be easy. Be sure your team is carefully testing your applications before deploying, and, if you need help getting from 8.0 to 8.1 or beyond, or need LTS to keep your application(s) patched and secure in the meantime, Zend is here to help.

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