ALT-PHP 8.3, a CloudLinux OS feature that allows users to select different PHP versions for their websites, was released on November 23, 2023.

CloudLinux promptly made ALT-PHP 8.3 available for installation, enabling users to upgrade their PHP environments to benefit from the latest features and improvements.

Installation of ALT-PHP 8.3:

To install ALT-PHP 8.3 on your CloudLinux server, you can use the following command:

This command installs the ALT-PHP 8.3 packages, providing you with the necessary components to utilize PHP 8.3 on your server.

Availability of PHP Extensions:

Initially, there were some issues with the alt-php83-pecl-ext package, which were later resolved, and the package was rebuilt and released in beta. Users had the option to install it from the beta repository using:

For a comprehensive list of PHP extensions available for ALT-PHP 8.3, you can refer to CloudLinux's documentation:

Managing PHP Versions and Extensions:

CloudLinux's PHP Selector allows users to manage PHP versions and extensions effectively. For instance, to enable a specific PHP extension for a particular PHP version, you can use the following command:

Replace extension_name with the name of the PHP extension you wish to enable, and php_version with the desired PHP version (e.g., 8.3).

Understanding ALT-PHP vs. EA-PHP:

ALT-PHP is a CloudLinux feature that allows users to install and manage multiple PHP versions on a server, providing flexibility for different applications requiring different PHP versions. In contrast, EA-PHP refers to the standard PHP versions provided by cPanel's EasyApache 4. Understanding the differences between ALT-PHP and EA-PHP can help in selecting the appropriate PHP management solution for your server environment.

Supported Operating Systems for ALT-PHP:

ALT-PHP is designed for various Linux operating systems, including CloudLinux (CentOS, AlmaLinux), Ubuntu, and Debian. The specific versions of these operating systems that support ALT-PHP can be found in CloudLinux's documentation:

PHP 8.3 Features and Improvements:

PHP 8.3 introduced several new features and improvements aimed at enhancing performance and developer experience. Some of the notable changes include read-only classes, new functions, additions to existing classes, and stack overflow detection. For a detailed overview of PHP 8.3's features, you can refer to the following article:

Deprecation Notices and Compatibility:

With the release of PHP 8.3, some applications may encounter deprecation notices due to changes in PHP's behavior. For example, WordPress users have reported deprecation notices when using PHP 8.3. Developers and site administrators need to review these notices and update their codebases accordingly to ensure compatibility with PHP 8.3.

End of Life (EOL) for PHP 8.3:

PHP 8.3 is expected to receive active support until November 2025, after which it will enter a phase of security support only until November 2026. It's important to plan for future PHP upgrades to maintain optimal performance and security.