Laravel and PHP Upgrade: Your Application Safely on Current Versions

The effort depends on the version gap, the code size, the number of packages and the existing test coverage. A jump across one major version with well-maintained code can fall under the Starter package from €2,500; upgrades across several versions or migrations from PHP 5 are more likely under the Professional package from €8,000. After the analysis in the free initial consultation, you will receive a concrete quote.

An upgrade across one major version is often done in a few days to weeks with well-maintained code, because Laravel documents the changes precisely in the upgrade guide. It takes longer when many third-party packages are affected or tests are missing. If your version is further behind, we plan several stages.

Yes, but not unchecked. Between PHP 5 and 8, numerous functions were removed and checks tightened, such as the old mysql_* functions or each(). We analyze the code with tools such as Rector and PHPCompatibility, adapt it and test every function in an environment with the new PHP version before switching over live.

The PHP project actively maintains each version for a fixed period and afterwards provides only security updates for some time. For PHP 8.1 and older versions, there are by now no official security updates anymore. php.net publishes the current status per version – we compare it against your application in the initial consultation.

The upgrade guide describes the changes between two major versions and is the most important basis. But it covers neither your own code nor third-party packages or the server configuration. That is exactly where most problems arise in practice – which is why we combine the guide with tests, static analysis and a staging environment.

No. The upgrade runs in parallel in a separate environment, and your application stays in operation. The switchover happens at an agreed time, ideally with low usage, and a rollback option is prepared.