Which PHP version to choose, why it is worth migrating to PHP 7

14.11.18 IT / PHP 6130

When developing a site or already when it is hosted, the question may arise - which version of PHP to use. Usually, several versions are preinstalled on the hosting and you can switch them in one click.

It can be difficult to answer the question which version of PHP to choose . It is best of course to use the latest stable release. But this does not mean that the transition must be performed immediately, as soon as it appears. It usually takes some time from the moment a new version is released for it to be tested by other users and to fix significant bugs.

A list of the most popular PHP versions to date:

• PHP 5.3
• PHP 5.4
• PHP 5.6
• PHP 7.0
• PHP 7.1

You shouldn't use old PHP versions , although they are available on many hosting and local server builds. It is better to write code for the new version right away - this will eliminate security problems and improve project performance. PHP versions lower than 5.6 are highly undesirable to use, as they are hopelessly outdated. Many projects today are still working on PHP 5.6 - this is a kind of golden mean. But this version is also outdated (or rather, it is already outdated), so a porting to a newer version - PHP 7.

Why migrate to PHP7 ? This version has important changes and new coding capabilities, improved security, and increased performance. According to some reports, PHP7 is 2 times faster than PHP5 - this is a great way speed up your site at no extra cost.