PHP 8.2 security support ends December 31, 2026
php.net's supported-versions table gives PHP 8.2 security support until December 31, 2026. After that there are no releases for 8.2, not even for critical security issues. PHP 8.1 already reached end of life on December 31, 2025.
Where each branch stands
| Branch | Active support until | Security support until |
|---|---|---|
| 8.2 | Dec 31, 2024 | Dec 31, 2026 |
| 8.3 | Dec 31, 2025 | Dec 31, 2027 |
| 8.4 | Dec 31, 2026 | Dec 31, 2028 |
| 8.5 | Dec 31, 2027 | Dec 31, 2029 |
Find what still runs 8.2
Illustrative example.
# runtime on the host / in the container
php -v
# base images
grep -rnE "FROM\s+php:8\.2" --include=Dockerfile* .
# platform constraints Composer resolves against
grep -rnE "\"php\"\s*:" --include=composer.json .Example: choosing the target
Illustrative example, weights and scores are invented. A team scores three targets 1–5:
| Criterion (weight) | 8.3 | 8.4 | 8.5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years of security fixes left (5) | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Dependencies already tested on it (4) | 5 | 4 | 2 |
| Migration effort from 8.2 (3) | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Hosting / base image available (2) | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Weighted score (of 5) | 3.57 | 3.93 | 3.36 |
Here 8.4 wins: one migration buys security fixes until the end of 2028.
Important. Check
config.platform.phpincomposer.json. If it still says 8.2, Composer keeps resolving dependencies for 8.2 even after the runtime is upgraded, and the lock file will not tell you anything is wrong.
Checklist
- ☐ Inventory: apps, workers, cron jobs and images on 8.2, with an owner each
- ☐ Target version chosen and written down with the reason
- ☐ Migration guides on php.net read for each step (8.2 → 8.3 → 8.4)
- ☐
require.phpandconfig.platform.phpupdated, lock file regenerated - ☐ Test suite and a set of real requests run on the new version
- ☐ Deploy date booked before December 31
Put the choice on one sheet
The weighted decision matrix takes criteria, weights and 1–5 scores and calculates the ranking — so the version choice is a recorded decision, not a hallway opinion.
Open the weighted decision matrix →
Source: php.net, "Supported Versions" and "Unsupported Branches" (dates as listed on October 31, 2026).