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Changing the PHP version

Each SuperSpace site runs on a specific version of PHP. You can switch a site to a different available PHP version from the dashboard whenever you need to — for example, to move to a newer release for better performance and security, or to stay on an older release while you test plugin and theme compatibility.

SuperSpace applies the change in the background and tracks it as a task on the site, so it isn't instantaneous. This guide walks through making the change and what to expect.

Before you start

  • Access to the site in your SuperSpace dashboard.
  • A sense of which PHP version your WordPress theme and plugins support. Major version jumps (for example, PHP 7.x to PHP 8.x) can break older plugins, so check compatibility first.
  • Ideally, a recent backup of the site in case you need to revert after testing.

Steps

  1. Open the site. In the left sidebar, open My Sites and select the site you want to change.

  2. Go to the site's settings. In the site's left sidebar, click Settings.

  3. Pick the new PHP version. On the Settings page, find the PHP Version field. It's a dropdown listing the PHP versions available for your site. Choose the version you want.

  4. Apply the change. Click Update.

After you submit, SuperSpace confirms that the PHP version change was submitted. The change runs in the background and is tracked as a task on the site. Once it finishes, the site's PHP version updates and the new value appears in the PHP VERSION card on the site overview page.1

If you select the version the site is already on, SuperSpace reports that there's no change in PHP version rather than re-running anything.

The change is applied in the background

Switching PHP versions changes the runtime your site executes on. SuperSpace applies this in the background after you submit it, so allow a short time for the new version to take effect and re-check your site once the task completes.

Test compatibility before switching production

A newer PHP version can stop older plugins or themes from working, and a downgrade can break code that relies on newer language features. Confirm your plugins and theme support the target version before changing a live site, and keep a recent backup so you can restore if something breaks.

Tip

The change isn't permanent — if a version causes problems, repeat these steps to switch back to a version you know works.

Checking the result

The PHP version change is asynchronous. After you submit it, SuperSpace tracks it as a task that moves through these states:

  • Pending — the change is queued (PHP Version Change is pending).
  • In progress — the change is being applied (PHP Version Change is in progress).
  • Success — the change completed (PHP Version was successfully changed).
  • Failed — the change did not complete (Failed to change php version).

You can confirm the live value at any time from the PHP VERSION card on the site overview page.

Reading the PHP version over the API

There's no dashboard-free API call to change the PHP version — the change is made from the dashboard. You can, however, read a site's current PHP version from the API. The site detail endpoint returns a read-only php_version field:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $SUPERSPACE_TOKEN" -H "X-Auth-Account: $ACCOUNT_ID" \
  https://control.superspace.nl/api/sites/$SITE_ID

The response includes php_version (a string such as 8.2) alongside the rest of the site's details. See Sites for the full response shape.

Next steps

  • Re-test your site's key pages and admin after the change completes.
  • Review what else you can configure on a site — see the platform overview.
  • If a plugin breaks, restore from a backup and switch back to a known-good PHP version.

  1. The list of selectable versions reflects the PHP versions currently available for your site; the version marked active is the one the site is running. ↩