In this blog post, I’ll show you how PHP is used by the CMS and why patched PHP is important for CMS users. I’ll highlight the consequences of using PHP versions that have reached the end of their life cycle (EOL) and explain how mittwald supports applications that run on EOL PHP versions.
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How PHP is used in content management systems
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The consequences of using EOL PHP in your CMS
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Security
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Performance
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stability
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That’s why a patched PHP is important
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How to continue using EOL-PHP
How PHP is used in content management systems
Content management systems use PHP to create web pages, web page components and interfaces. PHP is used to generate the frontend and the administrative backend, controls design elements, calls HTML views, embeds specified content and provides complete control and customization for web applications.
Other uses of PHP in CMS include:
- Retrieving content from the database
- Validation of user rights
- Processing of form fields, image uploads, document uploads
The consequences of using EOL PHP in your CMS
When developers use EOL (End of life) PHP, they usually know the risks. However, they often do not have the time, skills or resources to upgrade in time. Migrations to updated versions are postponed, which leads to serious consequences. Security, performance and stability of CMS web applications are no longer guaranteed.
Security
Security is the biggest concern when using EOL PHP versions in CMS applications. The PHP ecosystem is constantly evolving. Every year, new vulnerabilities are discovered in unsupported PHP versions. If these vulnerabilities are exploited, the consequences can be severe.
When PHP versions reach the end of their life cycle, the community stops providing security patches for that version. Users may then be protected from vulnerabilities that have already been patched, but they quickly become vulnerable to new risks. If these vulnerabilities are not fixed, they will eventually be exploited by attackers.
Performance
In addition to increased vulnerability to security risks, using EOL PHP versions can also impact the overall performance of the CMS. PHP versions provide new features to improve the developer experience and add improvements to the language that can reduce overall development, hosting and hardware costs.
As a result, using unsupported PHP versions can lead to higher costs and a poorer user experience, hurting your business. The higher your website traffic, the more noticeable this impact becomes as you deal with increasing maintenance costs, operational costs, and lost potential profits.