Instructions to upgrade PHP 8.1 for the most standard WordPress website.
A few days ago, PHP 8.1 was officially available on WP Basic’s WordPress Hosting service. This is the latest version of PHP as of now with many improvements and additional features. If you want to learn more about this version, you can refer to it here. Back to the main problem, because it is a new version, many WordPress themes and plugins still do not support PHP 8 let alone PHP 8.1. Surely, it will take a long time for developers to update the code. However, right now, if you still want to try your luck (maybe all the themes and plugins on your website are compatible with PHP 8.1), here are detailed instructions.
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Terms of Use PHP 8.1
Not only our WordPress Hosting service, any host can upgrade to PHP 8.1 according to the instructions below, as long as it fully meets the following requirements:
- Hosting uses cPanel / DirectAdmin and is equipped with the feature to allow optional PHP version (Select PHP Version).
- Built-in PHP 8.1.
- Your theme and plugins are compatible with PHP 8.1.
- Your website has been updated to the latest version of WordPress. Lower WordPress versions do not yet support PHP 8.1.
Currently, PHP 8.1 is only available on US servers (WPH01, WPH04, WPH08, WPH09 and WPH10) under the WordPress Hosting service provided by WP Basic. Singapore servers (WPH03 and WPH05) are temporarily not supported.
Upgrade PHP 8.1 for WordPress
1. First, you access cPanel / DirectAdmin, find the item Select PHP Version and click on it.
2. In the tab Extensions, you choose PHP 8.1 in the Current PHP Version then click the button Set as current. Next, set up the extensions (modules) like the image below.
The list of extensions may vary by vendor. However, please activate all the same extensions that you see above.
Note: the above module settings are optimal for WordPress source code, they have not been tested on other sources.
3. Switch to tab Options, you set the parameters as follows:
The maximum parameters of memory_limit, post_max_size and upload_max_filesize may vary by hosting provider. If you are allowed to customize any parameter, try to set it like the image above.
4. Go to your website and check if the interface and features are working properly or not. If so, it means you have successfully upgraded PHP 8.1. If there is an error, please check error_log to see which themes or plugins are not compatible. In case you can’t fix it, you just need to switch back to the old PHP version.
What PHP version are you using for your WordPress website? Did you upgrade PHP 8.1? Please share with us your views and opinions in the comment box below.
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