Skip to content
WPShift
Start free

A PHP version per WordPress site, on one server

With WPShift a server can have several PHP versions installed at once, and each WordPress site on it chooses the one it uses. You can move one site to a newer version while the others stay where they are.

Start free Compare plans

Free plan available. Paid plans include a 7-day trial. Server costs are separate.

In the dashboard

Changing the PHP version for a site.
Changing the PHP version for a site.

Where it sits

PHP is one layer of the server, and each site chooses its version.

How it fits together: WPShift sets up a server in your own cloud account and manages the sites on it.

Plans

Which plans include PHP versions

  1. Free €0 included
  2. Solo €5,99 included
  3. Studio €14,99 included
  4. Scale €29,99 included
PHP management, from the Free plan
€0
A staging copy to test an upgrade, from Solo
€5,99

Per month, excluding VAT. Server costs are separate.

Changing a site's version changes the PHP runtime only. The site's files and database are not modified. Managing PHP is part of every plan. To test the change on a copy of the site first you need staging, which starts on the Solo plan.

Start free See what each plan includes

Steps

How it works

  1. Step 1

    Install the versions you need

    A server can hold more than one PHP version at a time. Adding one leaves the sites already running on the others untouched.

  2. Step 2

    Set the version per site

    Each site runs in its own PHP process, so the version is a setting on the site.

  3. Step 3

    Switch back if you need to

    This works while the older version is still installed. It does not undo changes that a plugin or theme made to your content while the site ran on the newer version.

Own process

Each site runs its own PHP process

Two sites on the same server can run different versions because they do not share a PHP process. Changing one site's version restarts that site's process, which is a brief interruption for that site. The other sites keep serving requests.

The PHP version each site on a server is using.
The PHP version each site on a server is using.

Testing

Test the upgrade on a copy

Clone the site, set the copy to the newer version and go through the pages and functions your visitors use: forms, checkout, member areas. The copy has the same database, uploads, plugins, theme and settings as the original.

The PHP versions installed on a server.
The PHP versions installed on a server.

Settings

PHP settings in the dashboard

Memory limit, upload size, execution time and OPcache settings are edited from WPShift's PHP controls.

Questions

Questions about PHP versions

Which PHP versions are available?
The dashboard lists the versions available for your server. Choose one that is still maintained and that your theme and plugins support.

Related features

All 16 features

Set up your first WordPress server

Connect your cloud account, let WPShift prepare the server, and add a site.

Start free See pricing

Free plan available. Paid plans include a 7-day trial. Server costs are separate.

The setup, in three steps

  1. Connect your cloud account
  2. Choose the region and size
  3. WPShift sets up the server