At Servebolt, our mission is to empower your websites and applications with unmatched performance, security, and scalability. To set the tone for a fantastic year ahead, we’re thrilled to announce that PHP 8.4 is now available across all Servebolt Linux 8 servers! This release is yet another step forward in our commitment to ensuring your platform remains at the cutting edge of speed and efficiency.
Why Does PHP 8.4 Matter for Your Website?
PHP 8.4 was released on November 21, 2024, and shortly thereafter, it became available for testing on Servebolt’s Linux 8 servers. With our unique Servebolt PHP stack setup, we are now able to offer the latest stable PHP versions soon after their release, allowing our clients to safely test them on their websites hosted with us.
PHP 8.4 introduces groundbreaking features and performance improvements that can significantly enhance your web applications. Here are some of the highlights:
- Improved Performance: PHP 8.4 continues to push the boundaries with enhancements that make your code execute faster than ever before.
- Better Developer Experience: New features like read-only properties and the “with” expression make writing and maintaining clean, efficient code easier than ever.
- Enhanced Security: Strengthened encryption capabilities and updated functions ensure your applications are built on a secure foundation.
- Future-Proof Compatibility: Staying updated with the latest PHP versions ensures that your applications are ready to seamlessly face future challenges.
For a detailed breakdown of PHP 8.4’s features, visit the official PHP release page.
How Servebolt Makes Upgrading Effortless
At Servebolt, we don’t just offer PHP upgrades—we provide a seamless and user-friendly way to manage them. With the new Servebolt Platform, you can easily switch between PHP versions per environment directly from the Admin Panel. This flexibility ensures that developers and businesses can test, optimize, and deploy updates without missing a beat.
Using Servebolt Linux 8, you can run multiple supported PHP versions simultaneously, allowing you to:
- Test compatibility with PHP 8.4 while maintaining stability in your live environment.
- Optimize performance for different parts of your website or applications.
- Transition to newer PHP versions at your own pace.
Learn more about the benefits of Servebolt Linux and why it’s the foundation of unparalleled hosting performance.
What This Means for You
By embracing PHP 8.4 on the Servebolt platform, you unlock:
- Better Performance: Servebolt servers are already designed for extreme speed, and with PHP 8.4, your websites and applications can reach even greater heights. Discover how we enhance performance to 500% and beyond.
- Ease of Use: Say goodbye to complicated setups. With Servebolt’s Admin Panel, upgrading to PHP 8.4 is just a few clicks away.
- Future-Ready Hosting: As part of our next-gen platform, Servebolt ensures your hosting is always ahead of the curve. Check out more about the Servebolt Next-Gen platform.
Before You Switch to PHP 8.4
PHP 8.4 comes packed with new features and improvements you’ll want to leverage, but there are some essential steps to consider before making the jump:
- Compatibility with WordPress: Currently, PHP 8.4 has only beta support in WordPress 6.7 and is unsupported in earlier versions. The next major release will be version 6.8, planned for April 2025. To ensure stability for most WordPress users, we recommend sticking with PHP 8.2 for now.
- Test in a Staging Environment: Even if your themes and plugins claim to support PHP 8.4, test the update in a staging environment first. Confirm everything runs smoothly before applying changes to your live site.
- Backup? No need to worry! One of the key improvements with Servebolt is the ability to switch PHP versions with just a click in our Admin Panel. In the unlikely event of an issue, reverting to your previous version is effortless. Paired with our previous suggestion, you’ll have peace of mind and minimal risk when making the switch.
Following these steps will help you transition to PHP 8.4 with confidence and minimal risk.
Start the New Year With a Performance Boost
Switching to PHP 8.4 is not just about keeping up with the latest technology—it’s about unlocking new opportunities for growth and performance. Whether you’re a developer, a business owner, or a tech enthusiast, now is the perfect time to take advantage of everything PHP 8.4 and Servebolt have to offer.
Log in to your Admin Panel today to upgrade your environments to PHP 8.4 effortlessly. Have questions or need assistance? Our support team is always here to help.
Let’s make 2025 a year of growth, speed, and innovation—together.
