Is PHP Still Supported? End-of-Life Dates (2026)
Short answer
PHP is supported and new versions continue to ship; the newest version is supported until 31 Dec 2029. CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog lists 3 vulnerabilities in PHP.
PHP 8.1 and every earlier branch, including all of 5.x, 7.x and 8.0, are end of life; as of October 2026 only 8.2 to 8.5 are supported, and each branch gets two years of active support followed by two years of critical security fixes.
Legacy Technology Tracker · Status as of 16 Oct 2026. Data checked 7 Oct 2026; refreshed monthly, with quarterly snapshots kept unchanged.
Risk rating
Low: supported, with new release lines continuing; no licence change recorded in the last 24 months; 3 vulnerabilities on CISA's KEV list (supported versions receive security fixes). How ratings work
Key facts
Every value links to its source and shows when we last checked or retrieved it. Data checked 7 Oct 2026; status as of 16 Oct 2026.
| Fact | Value | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Support status | SupportedPHP releases. The HTTP Archive version-scoped count covers PHP 5.x and 7.x (unsupported lines). | ||
| End of mainstream support | |||
| Newest version supported until | |||
| Extended support offer | HeroDevs long-term support for PHP 7.2 to 8.2, delivered with ZendPHP (Zend by Perforce) (third party), no end date publishedPricing basis: Per developer who commits code to the project repository (vendor-stated; no list price published) | ||
| Known exploited vulnerabilities (CISA KEV) | 3 CVEs all time; 0 added in the last 24 monthsNewest added 12 Jun 2024Matched by vendor and product name in the KEV catalog. | ||
| Home pages using PHP, all versions (HTTP Archive, mobile) | 4,350,128 (48.9% of the crawl), Aug 2026 | ||
| Home pages using PHP, all versions (HTTP Archive, desktop) | 2,553,534 (47.5% of the crawl), Aug 2026 | ||
| Same measure 12 months earlier (mobile) | 4,962,033 (53.4% of the crawl), Aug 2025 | ||
| Home pages on the versions in scope (HTTP Archive, mobile) | 473,902 (5.3% of the crawl), Aug 2026Version-scoped count = PHP 5.x and 7.x. | ||
| Last release | php-8.5.11, 24 Sep 2026Maintainer: The PHP Group | ||
| Job postings and salaries | Not published: the job-posting source is on hold pending a data licence. | — | — |
Versions in scope
PHP releases. The HTTP Archive version-scoped count covers PHP 5.x and 7.x (unsupported lines). Dates per version, each with its source.
| Version | Status | Standard support ends | Extended support ends | Latest release | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.0 | Unsupported | — | 5.0.5 (5 Sep 2005) | |||
| 5.1 | Unsupported | — | 5.1.6 (24 Aug 2006) | |||
| 5.2 | Unsupported | — | 5.2.17 (6 Jan 2011) | |||
| 5.3 | Unsupported | — | 5.3.29 (14 Aug 2014) | |||
| 5.4 | Unsupported | — | 5.4.45 (3 Sep 2015) | |||
| 5.5 | Unsupported | — | 5.5.38 (21 Jul 2016) | |||
| 5.6 | Unsupported | — | 5.6.40 (10 Jan 2019) | |||
| 7.0 | Unsupported | — | 7.0.33 (10 Jan 2019) | |||
| 7.1 | Unsupported | — | 7.1.33 (24 Oct 2019) | |||
| 7.2 | Unsupported | — | 7.2.34 (1 Oct 2020) | |||
| 7.3 | Unsupported | — | 7.3.33 (18 Nov 2021) | |||
| 7.4 | Unsupported | — | 7.4.33 (3 Nov 2022) | |||
| 8.0 | Unsupported | — | 8.0.30 (3 Aug 2023) | |||
| 8.1 | Unsupported | — | 8.1.34 (18 Dec 2025) | |||
| 8.2 | Supported | — | 8.2.34 (24 Sep 2026) | |||
| 8.3 | Supported | — | 8.3.35 (24 Sep 2026) | |||
| 8.4 | Supported | — | 8.4.26 (24 Sep 2026) | |||
| 8.5 | Supported | — | 8.5.11 (24 Sep 2026) |
If you still run PHP
The deadline that matters is the end date of your branch. PHP 8.1 and everything older no longer receive security fixes from the PHP project. The oldest supported branch, 8.2, loses security support on 31 December 2026, so an application on 8.2 has a few months, not years.
The realistic options:
- Upgrade PHP. Move to 8.3, 8.4 or 8.5. php.net publishes a migration guide for each step. The work sits in the application and its dependencies: a framework or library that does not run on a newer PHP blocks the upgrade, so check that first.
- Buy long-term support. HeroDevs, with Zend, sells patches for PHP 7.2 to 8.2 (vendor-stated). It lets you keep a runtime while you modernize, but it keeps you on an old language version and the framework on top of it is still yours to maintain.
- Replace the framework. If the code sits on a legacy framework that cannot run on current PHP, upgrading PHP forces the rewrite. PHP to Laravel migration covers the incremental approach, scoping and cost ranges.
A failed penetration test or audit finding for an end-of-life PHP version is a common trigger for this work, so know your branch's end date before the audit does.
For suppliers, see legacy application modernization companies. Modernization costs gives budget context.
Frequently asked questions
Which PHP versions are still supported?
As of October 2026, php.net lists PHP 8.2, 8.3, 8.4 and 8.5 as supported, with security support ending on 31 December 2026, 2027, 2028 and 2029 respectively (supported versions). Each branch is fully supported for two years, then gets critical security fixes only for two more.
Which PHP versions are end of life?
PHP 8.1 reached end of life on 31 December 2025, 8.0 on 26 November 2023 and 7.4 on 28 November 2022. PHP 7.0 to 7.3 and 5.6 and earlier ended before that (unsupported branches).
When does PHP 8.2 reach end of life?
Security support for PHP 8.2 ends on 31 December 2026; active support ended on 31 December 2024 (php.net). PHP 8.1 is already end of life, so PHP 8.2 is the oldest supported branch.
Can I get extended support for PHP 7 or PHP 8.0?
Yes, from third parties. HeroDevs, working with Zend, offers long-term support for PHP 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 8.0, 8.1 and 8.2 (vendor-stated; see its PHP page). It prices by the number of developers who commit code and does not publish a price. PHP 5.x and 7.0 to 7.1 are not on that list.