• Registered: 2014-12-26
  • Posts: 65

Topic: Bluehost PHP update

Anything we should be aware of on how this might affect a Showkase installation?
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Bluehost Support email:

In an ongoing effort to bring you the very best products and services, Bluehost is excited to announce that we will be upgrading our servers to newer versions of PHP. In addition to improved data processing, which can boost site speed and performance, you also gain increased security. Newer versions of PHP have more frequent security updates to help protect your site against unwanted hacks or malware.

When will it happen?

At some point during the upgrade window, February 22 to February 25, 2022, your account will be updated, and older versions of PHP will no longer be supported. You may experience a brief disruption in service, but we will work to upgrade your site quickly with the most updated version of PHP software your website will support.

Do I need to take any action?

To avoid a negative impact to your site, we recommend that you upgrade all of your web installations to the newest PHP software available before we move your account. Newer versions of PHP are already available on your current server, and you can set your site to use those versions with this helpful guide.

Before making any changes, please backup all your website files and databases.

We assure you that every effort is being made to minimize any impact to your site and ensure that your environment is restored to normal operation as soon as possible.

Thanks!

The Bluehost Team
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  • Registered: 2012-12-16
  • Posts: 950

Re: Bluehost PHP update

Showkase requires PHP 5.2.0 or later (check out the System Requirements here) and the current version of Showkase (v1.7.6) is compatible with PHP 8.

In fact, work was done for Showkase v1.7.6 to specifically ensure PHP 8 compatibility (check out the Version History here).

As long as you are using the latest version of Showkase (v1.7.6), there should be no problems.

If you are using an older version of Showkase (prior to v1.7.6), then I'd strongly recommend upgrading Showkase before your website moves to a more recent version of PHP.
If necessary, full Upgrading Showkase instructions can be found here.

Having said that, I do not know what features of PHP will be enabled when your web host switches PHP versions so I cannot be 100% sure that you will not run into any problems at all.
Showkase v1.7.6 is compatible with the latest versions of PHP but if your web host changes any PHP settings during the switch (for example, introducing an open_basedir restriction, decreasing the PHP memory_limit or disabling the GD graphics library), then Showkase might not run as expected.
With this in mind, I'd recommend that you make a full backup of your Showkase site before the PHP switch, just in case anything unexpected happens and you need to reinstate your files at a later date. (This involves just copying the entire Showkase directory. Showkase does not use a database so that makes backing up a little easier.) This is extremely unlikely (I switch between PHP versions in a Showkase test site frequently with no problems) but it would be better to be safe than sorry.
Also, if you do run into any problems, then you can use the Showkase Server Compatibility Test (download from here) to check basic server and PHP requirements.

I hope this helps.