How to change PHP version and update PHP extensions on Shared servers

Category : PHP Configuration
Posted on : Feb 21, 2021
Views : 987
By : HostSEO

In some cases, the correct functioning of your website depends on a PHP version installed on the server.
This guide describes how to change php version on Shared servers (Stellar, Stellar Plus plans and old Value, Professional, Ultimate plans). For Business SSD servers, use this guide.

Thanks to the PHP Selector function, it is possible to select the necessary PHP version as well as enable/disable certain PHP modules and functions.

To check what PHP version is currently in use, refer to this article.

Change PHP version and/or manage extensions
Update PHP options
Change PHP version for addon domain

Change PHP version and/or manage extensions

1. Log into your cPanel account.

2. Scroll down to the Exclusive for Namecheap Customers section >> Select PHP Version:

For cPanel Basic Theme:

For cPanel Retro Theme:

3. Here you will see the list of available modules and extensions.

If you do not need to change the PHP version and just want to turn on/off specific extensions, you can do this by checking/unchecking the corresponding boxes.

Use the Current PHP version drop-down box to select the required version and click on Set as current in order to apply the changes.

4. To change individual settings within the PHP version in question, click on the Options tab.

By clicking on one of the options in blue, you will be presented with a drop-down list to change specific settings:

NOTE: In order to increase the max upload size, make sure to modify both post_max_size and upload_max_filesize values.

Change PHP version for addon domain

Sometimes your website may need to use a different PHP version from the one assigned to your whole cPanel account.

To set a different PHP version for an addon domain, you need to add a special code to your .htaccess file. To do this, follow the steps below.

1. Find the .htaccess file for the addon domain in question. The steps for how to find it can be located here.

2. Add the following line to your .htaccess file:

<FilesMatch ".(?:html|php)$">
SetHandler application/x-lsphpXX

For servers with LiteSpeed the code should be the following:

<FilesMatch ".(?:html|php)$">
SetHandler application/x-httpd-alt-phpXX

where XX is the PHP version you wish to set. It can be 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 70, 71,72, 73, 74, 80 or 81.

For example:

3. Click â$œSave changesâ$.Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

NOTE: When a different PHP version is set for the addon domain, there are no PHP extensions enabled by default. To make a website work correctly, you will need to upload a php.ini file to the folder of the addon domain. You can check this article (see point 6) to help you with uploading files to the hosting account.

You need to download the php.ini file for different PHP versions from the Attachments section at the end of this guide. Do not forget to rename the file to php.ini once it is uploaded to the hosting account.

Alternatively, you can run the command below via SSH:

cp /opt/alt/default_php_ini/phpXX.ini /home/cPanel_username/path_to_the_folder/php.ini

XX is PHP version you wish to set (it can be 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 80 or 81),
cPanel_username should be replaced with your actual cPanel username, and
path_to_the_folder is a path to the folder of the addon domain.

For example:

You can find details on how to access a hosting account via SSH here.

The process is similar if you wish to set a different PHP version for a subdomain.

When php.ini is created, make sure to add lsapi_phpini directive to .htaccess to activate the file.

That's it!

Need any help? Contact our HelpDesk

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