Which PHP Version Do WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, PrestaShop, OpenCart and Bitrix Need? The 2026 Table

The PHP version is the foundation of a website, and owners usually only think about it when something breaks. Outdated PHP gets no security updates and runs more slowly. A version that is too new can bring an old site down, because its theme, plugins or modules were written for different rules of the language.

We have put the requirements of the CMSs popular in Ukraine — WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, PrestaShop, OpenCart and 1C-Bitrix — into a single table and added the support dates for PHP itself. Below you will find how to check your version, how to switch to a new one safely and what most often breaks after the switch.

Short answer

For a new site in 2026, choose PHP 8.3 or 8.4: both are supported by current CMSs, while PHP 8.2 stops receiving security updates as soon as 31 December 2026. For an old site, choose the newest PHP version that your CMS version supports: 8.0 for Joomla 3.10, 7.4 for PrestaShop 1.7.8 and 8.3 for Drupal 7. Then plan an upgrade of the CMS itself.

Do not switch PHP on a live site blindly: first a backup and a test on a copy of the site, then the switch.

Table: which PHP version each CMS needs in 2026

The table is based on each project’s official documentation as of October 2026. For the newer OpenCart branches we list the PHP versions recommended in the release notes; check the minimum for your exact version. More on each platform: upgrading Joomla 3 and 4 to Joomla 5 and 6, the end of support for Drupal 10 and Drupal 7, PrestaShop 1.7, 8 or 9 and migrating from 1C-Bitrix.

How long each PHP version is supported

PHP has two stages of support: active (bug fixes and security fixes) and security-only. Once the security-only stage ends, the version gets no patches at all, not even critical ones.

The practical takeaway: if your site is on PHP 8.2 now, it is worth moving to 8.3–8.4 before the end of 2026, as security updates for 8.2 end on 31 December 2026. If it is on 8.1 or older, this is no longer a routine upgrade but a security issue.

How to check the PHP and CMS versions on your site

• WordPress: Tools → Site Health → Info tab, Server section.
• Joomla: System → System Information.
• Drupal: Reports → Status report.
• PrestaShop: Advanced Parameters → Information.
• 1C-Bitrix: Settings → Tools → Site Check (System Check).
• Any site: your hosting control panel, which shows the PHP version and mode for each site.

Another option is a temporary file that calls phpinfo(). It reveals everything about PHP on the server, so delete it as soon as you have finished checking: this information is useful to attackers too.

The risks of outdated PHP

• Security. Vulnerabilities found in the version are no longer fixed, and the site becomes an easy target for automated attacks.
• Speed. Each new PHP 8 branch is faster than the ones before it, and PHP 7 and 5 lag even further behind — you can see it both in server response time (TTFB) and in how responsive the admin panel is. We explain how to measure speed in our article on TTFB and Core Web Vitals.
• Hosting. Providers are gradually switching off old versions, and the site may stop loading after a scheduled server update.
• Extensions. New versions of plugins and modules drop support for old PHP, so you can no longer update them.

How to switch to a new PHP version safely

1. Backup. A full backup of the files and database that can actually be restored.
2. CMS and extension updates. First update to versions compatible with the new PHP, and only then change PHP itself.
3. A copy of the site on the new version. Deploy a staging copy on a subdomain and switch PHP there.
4. Error log. Turn on error logging to a file (not to the screen), then go through the home page, catalogue, forms, cart and admin panel.
5. Fixes. Fix fatal errors straight away and schedule the Deprecated warnings: they will become errors in future versions.
6. Switching the live site. Once the copy runs without errors, change PHP for the live site.
7. Monitoring. Watch the log for a few days and know how to roll back to the previous version quickly if something goes wrong.

All this is much easier when the PHP version can be chosen separately for each site: the copy runs on the new version, the live site on the old one, and switching back takes a minute. Our hosting offers PHP 5.6, 7.0–7.4 and 8.0–8.5, and you switch versions in our own control panel.

What most often breaks after a PHP change

If the site shows a white screen or a 500 error after the switch, first go back to the previous PHP version — it takes a minute — and only then look for the cause in the error log. We describe the typical diagnostic steps using a 500 error in WordPress as an example.

The PHP mode matters too

Besides the version, hosting often lets you choose how PHP runs: as an Apache module or via FastCGI (Nginx + PHP-FPM). This determines whether the rules in your .htaccess file work — redirects, SEO-friendly URLs, folder protection. We cover how the modes differ and which one to choose for your CMS in a separate article: Apache vs Nginx + PHP-FPM.

Conclusion

In 2026 the default choice for a new site is PHP 8.3 or 8.4. For an old site, it is the newest version your CMS can handle, plus a plan to upgrade the CMS itself: Joomla 3 and 4, Drupal 7 and 10 and PrestaShop 1.7 are already, or will soon be, left without security patches. Only switch PHP after taking a backup and testing on a copy of the site.

If you need hosting that can run both a new site and an old one without a forced upgrade, see the page for your platform: WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, PrestaShop, OpenCart or 1C-Bitrix. Migration to our hosting is free.