Self-hoster guides
By PHP Patch Assurance · Last updated: 2026-10-25
How to check, patch, verify and roll back PHP on servers you run yourself — Docker, apt, PHP-FPM and mod_php — written from the patch flow the service itself uses.
- Update PHP in Docker Without Downtime — Update PHP in a Docker container: pin the new image, build and verify before the swap, and roll back on a failed health check.
- Update PHP with apt on Debian and Ubuntu — Update PHP with apt: check the version and SAPI, upgrade the PHP packages, restart PHP-FPM or Apache, and verify before you call it done.
- mod_php vs PHP-FPM: Which SAPI Runs Your Site — mod_php runs PHP inside Apache; PHP-FPM runs it as a separate service. The SAPI changes your risk, your patch path, and how you restart after an update.
- Roll Back a PHP Update Safely — A rollback is a plan, not a hope: snapshot before you patch, keep the previous image or packages, test the rollback path, and verify after you revert.
- Health Checks After a PHP Patch — After a PHP patch, verify the version, the SAPI, key pages, and the error log — and know in advance what failure looks like so a bad patch rolls back.
- How to Check a Website's PHP Version — Find the PHP version a site runs: on the server with php -v, in the hosting panel, or — honestly — not at all from outside, when the version is hidden.
- Your PHP Branch Is End-of-Life: What Now — PHP below 8.2 has no security fixes and no php2shell fix. Upgrade the branch, mitigate temporarily, or take the site offline.
- Patch PHP Without Downtime — Patch PHP with seconds of downtime: build the fixed image while the old container serves, swap, health-check, and roll back automatically on failure.