PHP Version Checker Online

How the Online PHP Version Checker Works

This tool checks public response signals for an exact PHP/version token. It cannot inspect the private runtime configuration. Here's the process:

1. Submit the page you care about. The checker keeps that path and may try its HTTP/HTTPS and www/non-www variants, skipping any that redirect to a response it already inspected. It does not probe admin pages or other common paths, except one request to the WordPress REST API root when the page declares WordPress and hides the version.
2. Inspect bounded public evidence. It sends HEAD, then GET when needed, checks X-Powered-By and Server, and reads at most the first 512 KB of the response body.
3. Review the evidence. The result shows the exact signal, request method, HTTP status, response URL, support phase, and limitations. A body mention is explicitly not treated as runtime proof.
4. Get context when the version is hidden. If the page declares a PHP application such as WordPress or Drupal, the result names it and its official minimum PHP version where one is published. That is context, not the PHP version serving the URL.

"Not detectable" means the checked responses did not expose a supported signal. It does not mean the website is not using PHP.

Why Check Your PHP Version?

PHP powers WordPress, WooCommerce, Drupal, Laravel, and many custom applications, but well-configured production sites commonly hide runtime version headers. This check is most useful as a quick external observation or a way to spot accidental version disclosure.

PHP's official lifecycle separates active support, security-fixes-only support, and end of life. The PHP project urges users of unsupported branches to upgrade because later releases may contain security and bug fixes they do not receive. A version signal alone does not establish whether the site is patched, secure, or compatible with a newer branch. Run a security headers check for a separate set of public HTTP observations.

If you plan to change PHP, measure your own application before and after on production-like staging. Runtime performance depends on the application, extensions, cache, database, server configuration, and workload. Use our performance checker for public page measurements, not as a substitute for server-side profiling.

If you're running a WordPress site, we've written detailed guides on which PHP version to use and which PHP extensions WordPress needs. You can also inspect publicly exposed WordPress version clues, use the WordPress Theme & Plugin Detector to review visible theme and plugin evidence, or check a site's public technology signals for a broader external inventory.

Setting up or hardening a WordPress install? Our wp-config.php generator builds a secure configuration baseline, and the WP REST API exposure checker flags whether your site is leaking user data through the REST API.

Tired of chasing PHP versions altogether? A static Astro website has no PHP, no plugins, and no database to maintain, just clean HTML that loads in under a second and is easy for AI engines to cite. If you're on WordPress, our WordPress to Astro migration services include URL mapping, redirect checks and post-launch monitoring.

PHP Version Support Timeline

The lifecycle below reflects PHP's official supported-versions and end-of-life tables as of 2 October 2026. It avoids volatile point-release and CVE totals; use the linked PHP sources for current release notices and security information.

PHP 8.0 and 8.1 are unsupported, while 8.2 and 8.3 receive critical security fixes only. Do not select a target branch from this table alone. For WordPress, review our recommended PHP version guidance and test the exact site on staging.

How to Check the PHP Version in WordPress

WordPress reports the PHP version it runs on in Site Health:

1. Log in to the WordPress dashboard as an administrator.
2. Open Tools → Site Health.
3. Select the Info tab.
4. Expand the Server section and read the PHP version row.

WordPress documents Site Health as the dashboard view for server and PHP configuration information. Without dashboard access, this checker reads the page's public headers and body and, when a WordPress page hides the version, the site's REST API root. If both hide it, the result names WordPress and, where the WordPress version is visible, the minimum PHP that version needs.

How to Verify the PHP Version You Actually Control

Use this public checker as a lead, then confirm the environment that serves the application:

• cPanel or another host panel: inspect the PHP selector or domain runtime setting for the exact production domain. A server-wide default may differ from a site-specific setting.
• A one-line PHP file: upload a file containing only <?php echo PHP_VERSION;, open it once in the browser, then delete it. It shows the web runtime and discloses far less than phpinfo().
• WP-CLI: wp --info reports the PHP binary WP-CLI uses, which can differ from the one serving web requests.
• Command line: run php -v to identify the CLI SAPI. PHP documents CLI as a separate SAPI, so do not assume that its binary or configuration matches PHP-FPM, Apache, or another web SAPI.
• Production and staging: check both. Also confirm scheduled jobs and workers when they use separate commands or containers.

Need to answer "will my WordPress site work after the change?" This detector cannot answer that. Use the WordPress PHP Upgrade Readiness Checker to inventory core, theme, plugin, and custom-code evidence, then run its staging test plan.

Primary references: PHP's command-line SAPI documentation and -v option reference.