Video Transcript
Welcome to Bacan.com. Today we are going to look at how to change the PHP version within your hosting service. Some common questions related to PHP and its versions include: What PHP versions are available? How do you know which one to use? Our general advice is to use the latest version. Newer versions typically perform better, have more functionality, and are more secure. At the time this video was created, we had versions 5.6, 7.0, and 7.1 available.
The ideal approach is to test your application starting from the highest version down. If your application works on 7.1, use that version. If it fails on 7.1, drop down to 7.0 and verify it works correctly. Stay on that version. If 7.0 doesn't work either, you'll need to use 5.6. Our recommendation is that if you are currently running an application on 5.6, it's worth updating it to be compatible with 7.0. Version 5.6 doesn't have much life left. Over time versions evolve, and lower-numbered versions like 5.6 are ones you should plan to move away from.
In the future, it will be versions 7, 8, 9… The lower-numbered version is the one to abandon, because it will eventually stop receiving maintenance. The idea is that, as soon as possible, you move up a version. Your application will be more secure and will run faster. For example, between version 5.6 and 7.0 there is a significant performance difference — your page will always run faster on 7.0. So if your site runs well on 7.0 or higher, the higher the number the better. Stick with that version.
Now, the main question this video was made to answer: how do I change PHP versions within my hosting service? Come along to the computer and I'll show you inside your control panel what you need to do to switch versions and run the necessary tests.
We are inside the Bacan.com control panel and we're going to look at the software section. Scrolling down, we see the software section with various options. The one we need for changing the PHP version is MultiPHP Manager. We enter it and see our domain listed, along with the current version — PHP 7.1 — and an option to change it. How do you do it? Check the domain and then you'll see a dropdown where you can select the version you want.
Let's say your application needs version 5.6. Simply select it and click «Apply». Immediately you'll see PHP 5.6 is now active and your application will run correctly. If you want to test whether it works on 7.0, do the same thing — select 7.0, click «Apply», and wait a moment. That's how you test your application against different PHP versions.
And the question of the day: which version are you currently using? Have you encountered any issues when changing versions? Let us know in the comments on our channel. As always, we encourage you to subscribe to our channel — it helps us create more videos. Send us your questions and any doubts you have. We work hard to create videos that are useful for our users. If you found this video helpful, give it a like, and we'll see you in the next one. Cheers!