PHP is an extremely famous language and more than eighty percent of websites use this per PHP which means that most of these sites are made on PHP to some extent. With the increasing number of smartphone users who depend on very slow 3g connections, it is important for the servers to work the website to quickly load on the request of the user.
A new survey says that more than forty percent of users desert the web page if it loads for more than three seconds. The new version offers complete performance improvement which is relatively more than the PHP 5.6 version. This new version was developed to make scripting language run smoothly. Contrast to the 5.6, the 7 versions have lessened the demand of servers, which make it affordable and an environmentally friendly choice as it consumes very little power.
The PHP 7 has gone through various beta testing for several months and was launched in a stable form finally on Dec 2015, which assures with some real speed improvements and new features when compared to the previous version. The PHP community welcomes this latest new version of the scripting language as its one of the best and fasted one to perform.
Why You Need to Upgrade Your Website from PHP5 to PHP7?
Well, if you are a user of PHP5, then you might tell us that you didn’t actually face anything wrong with the older version except the performance and speed of the website. Users who take the loading speed serious and prefer to make their site load within three seconds then this new scripting language is for you.
1. Speed
The developers have struggled a lot to refactor the codebase to lessen the memory consumption and enhance the performance. And they have succeeded it. Benchmarks of the new version show greater response and work great than the previous version. But these results are not assured as the benchmarks were tested against the major ones like the WP and Drupal, so you really can’t rely on the abstract performance tests.
2. Type Declarations
Type declaration is actually explaining which variable type is being used instead of enabling the PHP to set this automatically. PHP is bagged to be the weaker typed language. Theoretically, which means that PHP does not need you to state data types. Variables are still there with the data types linked with them, but you can perform progressive things like as adding a string to an integer.
3. Great for Mobile Devices
As a customer, we all expect high customer retention, which is possible only if a business owner assures a great value proposition to regular and mobile users. With the new version of the scripting language, you get a feature of
- Reduced memory usage
- Execution engine improvement
- Native local threat
- Zend engine
- A new engine with improved error handling
All these three features are implemented in the PHP7 to support mobile access.
4. A Great Choice for Businesses
PHP7 is a great option for businesses in terms of performance and improved functionality. If you are an eCommerce website owner who looks for ways to control massive traffic on your websites, PHP7 works just perfect and guide you to maintain your daily work properly. Your biggest stress will be whether all the internal APIs are working properly and are ready to face large panels of requests without destroying much power, PHP7 has deliberately overcome this big issue by enabling the users to lessen their operational expenses.
How to Upgrade to PHP7?
The easiest way to upgrade to the new version scripting language is to host your company to update it for your account. Yes, this means you will have to ask a hosting company who takes PHP7 in the first place. Some companies perform it easier and quicker to upgrade than others.
First, you will have to make sure that your site’s code is compatible with PHP7. Then you need to send a request to the team, asking for an upgrade. Then the company will handle the rest.
How to Check for The Compatibility
Parse through it to make sure whether the site is compatible, check any deprecated functions or features that were changes don’t damage the expected output. This can be a really tough process of trial and error but is so much easier when you prefer for the automated code analysis aspect.
This clearly shows that the PHP7 is a great improvement over the older ones, enabling the language to grasp its own against tough competitors like as HHVM.
Want to upgrade from PHP5 to PHP7? Do contact us here – CONTACT
Author Bio
By Vishal Patel
Vishal Patel is the Chief Technology Officer at Loyal Web Solutions, where he has been a key leader since 2011. With a deep understanding of web technologies and a passion for innovation, Vishal has guided the company to consistently deliver top-tier digital solutions. His expertise in the industry ensures that every project is executed with precision and excellence.