Based on the schedule published almost two years ago, PeepSo will stop working on PHP older than 7.0 very soon. Please read this article carefully to avoid any unpleasant surprises.

The timeline of PHP versions

	A release that is being actively supported. Reported bugs and security issues are fixed and regular point releases are made.
	Supported for critical security issues only. Updates only made on an as-needed basis.
	A release that is no longer supported. Upgrade as soon as possible, you may be exposed to unpatched security vulnerabilities.

Why are we dropping PHP 5.x support?

PHP version 5 is a very old, slow and long dead version of the language. Active development stopped in January 2017, and critical security patches are no longer provided since January 2019. The successor – PHP 7 – is more modern, over twice as fast and more secure.

Each PHP version has its own life span, beginning with “active support”, through “security fixes only” to “no support at all”. Using a PHP version that is still “in the green” or “in the orange” is the only reasonable and safe way.

We will start dropping support for PHP 5.6 since 2.8.0

The planned timeline for 5.6 phase-out is:

• 2.8.0 As soon as March, no later than May the Extras will deactivate under PHP older than required 7.0
• 2.9.0 As soon as April, no later than June the Integrations + Monetization will deactivate under PHP older than required 7.0
• 2.10.0 As soon as May, no later than July the entire PeepSo suite will deactivate under PHP older than required 7.0

The deadlines will become more specific as we move forward.

Why you should go straight to PHP 7.3

• As soon as January 2021, no later than June 2021 we will require PHP 7.1
• As soon as June 2021, no later than December 2021 we will require PHP 7.2

Because of the aforementioned PHP versions life cycle, both PHP 7.0 and 7.1 have already reached official End Of Life. PeepSo support for these “dead” versions is expected to finish in 2021.

Since PHP 7.2 has entered security fixes only mode, starting with PeepSo 2.7.3 the recommended PHP version is 7.3. If we release any new plugins, they will require PHP 7.3+.

If you are planning to upgrade your PHP version, the reasonable choice is at least PHP 7.3

Brought to you by Matt Jaworski

I am a professional nerd with **over fifteen years of experience** in the field of Open Source web development. Before [PeepSo](https://PeepSo.com) I was a contractor and have helped build successful businesses around the world, including USA, UK, Germany, Indonesia, and Malaysia. A couple of years leading up to founding PeepSo, I was involved with JomSocial – a social networking extension for Joomla. Stepping up from the role of a contractor to a business owner, I became [PeepSo](https://PeepSo.com) founder and Chief Technology Officer. I strive to build beautiful, fast, and functional software that **empowers users to build their own digital tribes with full autonomy and freedom** often not available on mainstream social networking media. In 2022 I launched [EmeraldWP](https://EmeraldWP.com) which acts as an umbrella for my other projects such as ListoWP, Widget Shortcode Pro, and MomentsWP.