PHP 8.2 security support ends on 31 December 2026: what PrestaShop and OpenCart owners should do

Marius, PHP developer · Published 2026-11-02

According to php.net, security support for PHP 8.2 ends on 31 December 2026. After that date the PHP project will no longer release PHP 8.2 updates – even when a new security vulnerability is found.

Many PrestaShop and OpenCart shops run on PHP 8.2 or an even older version. In this article I explain what end of support means, how to check your PHP version, which PrestaShop and OpenCart versions work with newer PHP, and in which order to upgrade so the shop keeps working.

What end of support means

The PHP project supports each release branch for four years: two years of bug and security fixes, then two more years of fixes for critical security issues only. After that the branch reaches end of life and gets no fixes at all. Php.net advises users of unsupported versions to upgrade as soon as possible, as they may be exposed to unpatched security vulnerabilities.

As of November 2026, php.net lists these security support end dates:

• PHP 8.2 – 31 December 2026;

• PHP 8.3 – 31 December 2027;

• PHP 8.4 – 31 December 2028;

• PHP 8.5 – 31 December 2029.

PHP 8.1 and older are no longer on php.net’s list of supported versions. Important: your website will not stop working on 1 January. It will keep running as before, but any vulnerability found in PHP 8.2 after that date will stay unfixed.

Why this matters for an online shop

The critical PHP vulnerabilities fixed in October 2026 showed how quickly security fixes become essential: PHP 8.2 received a fix then too (version 8.2.35). After 31 December there will be no such fixes for PHP 8.2. More about the October vulnerabilities in the article Critical PHP security vulnerability (October 2026).

Some Linux distributions and hosting providers backport fixes to older PHP versions themselves, so it is worth asking your hosting provider. Still, the long-term solution is to move to a supported PHP version.

How to check your PHP version

1. In your hosting control panel – in the section where the PHP version is shown and selected (for example “PHP version” or “Select PHP Version”).

2. In the PrestaShop back office – under Advanced Parameters → Information.

3. Ask your hosting provider – they can tell you the version and which PHP versions you can move to.

More ways, including a temporary phpinfo file, are described in the article Critical PHP security vulnerability (October 2026).

Which PrestaShop versions work with newer PHP

The PrestaShop documentation publishes these compatibility charts:

• PrestaShop 1.7.8 – PHP 7.1–7.4 (7.4 recommended). PHP 8 is not supported.

• PrestaShop 8.0–8.2 – PHP 7.2–8.1 (8.1 recommended). PHP 8.2 and newer are not officially supported.

• PrestaShop 9.0 – PHP 8.1–8.4 (8.4 recommended).

• PrestaShop 9.1 – PHP 8.1–8.5 (8.5 recommended).

In other words, only PrestaShop 9 officially supports PHP 8.3 or 8.4. If your shop runs PrestaShop 1.7 or 8, moving to a supported PHP version will most likely mean upgrading PrestaShop itself, together with its modules and theme. That is a bigger job than switching the PHP version, so it is worth planning ahead.

OpenCart and newer PHP

OpenCart does not publish a detailed compatibility chart like PrestaShop does. The official documentation lists the minimum requirement as PHP 8.0 or later. OpenCart 4.1.0.4 and 3.0.5.1 were released on 11 August 2026; according to their changelogs, both include fixes for PHP 8.5 compatibility, and the 4.1.0.4 installer requires at least PHP 8.1.

I found no official information on whether older OpenCart versions are compatible with PHP 8.3 or 8.4, so before changing the PHP version it is worth testing them, along with installed extensions and the theme, on a copy of the site.

What to do now

1. make a full backup of the website files and database;

2. find out your PrestaShop or OpenCart version and which modules and theme are installed;

3. check whether your shop version supports PHP 8.3 or 8.4; if not, plan the shop upgrade;

4. test the upgrade on a copy of the site, not on the live shop;

5. update or fix incompatible modules and the theme – especially payment (e.g. Paysera), shipping (e.g. Omniva, LP Express), product import and accounting (e.g. B1) modules;

6. only then switch PHP to 8.3 or 8.4 and check the key processes: product search, cart, checkout, payment, emails, imports and exports;

7. watch the PHP error log for a few days after the switch.

When choosing a version, consider how long it is supported: according to php.net, PHP 8.4 gets security fixes until the end of 2028 and PHP 8.3 until the end of 2027.

There is not much time left until 31 December, and upgrading PrestaShop with its modules and theme can take longer than just changing the PHP version. So don’t leave it to the last week.

Sources: php.net, “Supported Versions”; PrestaShop documentation – system requirements for PrestaShop 9, PrestaShop 8 and PrestaShop 1.7; OpenCart system requirements, OpenCart release history, and the OpenCart 4.1.0.4 and OpenCart 3.0.5.1 changelogs. Information checked on 2026-11-02; for the latest details see these sources.

Also read: Critical PHP security vulnerability (October 2026): what PrestaShop and OpenCart owners should do · PHP development

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