PHP upgrades · CMS upgrades · Australia
Every PHP version has an end date.
After it, PHP stops releasing security fixes for that version. PHP 8.1 reached its end date on 31 December 2025, and PHP 8.2 reaches its end date on 31 December 2026. BLACKBX developers upgrade PHP on existing sites, along with the CMS, plugins and modules that have to move with it.
Quoted after a developer has looked at your site.
Dates from php.net, checked 22 October 2026.
Why it matters
After the end date, PHP stops fixing new flaws.
The end date
Each PHP version gets security fixes for a set time. PHP publishes the dates in advance.
October 2026
PHP fixed two critical flaws on 21 October 2026, in PHP 8.2 and newer. PHP no longer releases updates for 8.1 or older. What the flaws mean.
Next
PHP 8.2 reaches end of life on 31 December 2026. After that date it gets no further security fixes from PHP. What to do before then.
The site keeps running after the end date. It just stops getting fixes.
Looking after sites is our whole job.
What we upgrade
PHP, and everything that runs on it.
A CMS only runs on certain PHP versions, and so do its plugins and modules. So a PHP upgrade usually means a CMS upgrade too. Our developers do both.
Content management systems
- WordPress core, plugins and themes
- Drupal core and modules
- Magento core and extensions
- Silverstripe CMS, framework and modules
Custom PHP applications
- Laravel
- Statamic
- Craft CMS
- APIs and third-party integrations
Either way
- A developer looks before we quote
- A price before any work starts
- Tested on a copy of your site first
- Backed up first, rolled back if needed
- Works wherever your site is hosted now
- You don’t need to be a client
Running something else? See custom applications, or ask: a developer will tell you straight.
How it works
From first call to up to date.
Pricing
The upgrade, quoted. Then one monthly price.
Every upgrade depends on the platform, the versions and the plugins or modules involved, so a developer looks first.
After the upgrade
Maintenance
Our developers keep the site updated and patched. Your host runs the server.
From$840/month + GST
Developer hours each month, sized to what you need. Monthly, no minimum term.
Get your price (opens in a new tab)Already have a developer?
Monitor, $99/month + GST. We watch the site and tell your developer what needs doing.
About MonitorWant us to host it too?
Full service, quoted. Your site on Google Cloud, AWS or our Australian servers, with the server patched and the site looked after. One party responsible for all of it.
About managed hostingThe price you start on is the price you renew on.
Who we are
Developers who look after websites for a living.
BLACKBX is a website service department. Our developers keep WordPress, Drupal, Magento and Silverstripe sites and custom applications updated, patched and working, every day, from Sydney, the Sunshine Coast and Ho Chi Minh City. The same developers have spent fifteen years building websites for organisations like these.
You’ll always deal with a person, never an unnamed inbox.
Questions
Before you ask.
When does PHP 8.2 reach end of life?
PHP 8.2 gets security fixes until 31 December 2026. After that date, PHP will release no further security fixes for it. PHP 8.3 is supported until 31 December 2027, PHP 8.4 until 31 December 2028 and PHP 8.5 until 31 December 2029. PHP 8.1 reached end of life on 31 December 2025. The dates are published on php.net.
Our site runs PHP 8.1 or older. Is it covered by the October 2026 PHP fixes?
Not by PHP itself. PHP fixed CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619 on 21 October 2026 in PHP 8.2 and newer. PHP no longer releases updates for 8.1 or older. Some hosts and Linux distributions have fixed their own builds of older versions, and many others won’t be fixed. Ask your host whether its build is fixed, and plan the upgrade either way. Read the flaws, explained for website owners.
Does upgrading PHP mean upgrading our CMS too?
Usually. Each version of WordPress, Drupal, Magento and Silverstripe runs on a set range of PHP versions, and so do the plugins, modules and extensions on top of it. A developer looks at what your site runs before we quote, and tells you what has to move with PHP.
How much does a PHP upgrade cost?
It depends on the platform, the versions involved and how many plugins or modules have to move with it. A BLACKBX developer looks at your site first, then gives you a price for the upgrade. Nothing starts until you’ve agreed to it. To keep the site up to date afterwards, Maintenance starts at $840 a month + GST, monthly with no minimum term.
How do we find out which PHP version our site runs?
Your host or developer can tell you. The free health check shows your software versions and their end-of-life dates where it can see them, but it only looks at what your site makes public, so it can’t always see the PHP version. On the first call, a developer will talk it through with you: what to check, what’s at risk and what the upgrade would involve.
Can we keep our current developer or agency?
Yes. Our developers do the work and yours can keep access. On Maintenance, the access is granted and logged, and the logbook records our work.
Do we need to be a BLACKBX client?
No. You don’t need to be a client for us to upgrade your site. If you’d like us to keep the site up to date afterwards, Maintenance starts at $840 a month + GST, monthly with no minimum term, and that’s when you get a logbook of every change we make.
Can our host just switch the PHP version?
Not on its own. Switching PHP without upgrading the code that runs on it usually breaks the site. Our developers change the PHP version as part of the upgrade, once the code is ready for it, on your current hosting.
What if something goes wrong?
We back up your site before the upgrade and test it on a copy of your site first. If something goes wrong when it goes live, we roll it back to the backup.
Do we have to move our hosting?
No. We work on your site wherever it’s hosted now. If you’d rather hand us the hosting too, we run sites on Google Cloud, AWS or our own Australian servers: see managed hosting.
Talk to us
Tell us about your site.
A developer will get back to you, not a salesperson.
Tell us what it runs on, where it’s hosted and which PHP version, if you know it. Or just that it needs upgrading. We’ll reply with a time to talk.
What happens next