{"id":560,"date":"2025-12-28T15:26:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-28T14:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/?post_type=manual_kb&#038;p=560"},"modified":"2026-06-07T17:07:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T15:07:50","slug":"how-to-check-what-php-versions-are-available-via-ssh","status":"publish","type":"manual_kb","link":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-check-what-php-versions-are-available-via-ssh\/","title":{"rendered":"How to check what PHP versions are available via SSH?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As part of your hosting account, you can use multiple PHP versions directly from the SSH console. This is particularly useful for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Running PHP scripts manually.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Executing Composer commands.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Testing application compatibility.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Running scheduled tasks (cron jobs).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Using different PHP versions for development and troubleshooting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Important<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The PHP version available in the SSH console is independent of the PHP version configured for your website. Changing the PHP version used in SSH does not affect the PHP version used by your website.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-check-what-php-versions-are-available-via-ssh\/#Enabling_SSH_Access\" >Enabling SSH Access<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-check-what-php-versions-are-available-via-ssh\/#Available_PHP_Versions\" >Available PHP Versions<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-check-what-php-versions-are-available-via-ssh\/#PHP_5x\" >PHP 5.x<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-check-what-php-versions-are-available-via-ssh\/#PHP_7x\" >PHP 7.x<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-check-what-php-versions-are-available-via-ssh\/#PHP_8x\" >PHP 8.x<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-check-what-php-versions-are-available-via-ssh\/#Checking_the_Active_PHP_Version\" >Checking the Active PHP Version<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-check-what-php-versions-are-available-via-ssh\/#Using_a_Different_PHP_Version\" >Using a Different PHP Version<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-check-what-php-versions-are-available-via-ssh\/#Examples\" >Examples<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-check-what-php-versions-are-available-via-ssh\/#Execute_a_PHP_Script\" >Execute a PHP Script<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-check-what-php-versions-are-available-via-ssh\/#Run_Composer_with_PHP_82\" >Run Composer with PHP 8.2<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-check-what-php-versions-are-available-via-ssh\/#Check_Loaded_Modules\" >Check Loaded Modules<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-check-what-php-versions-are-available-via-ssh\/#Display_PHP_Configuration\" >Display PHP Configuration<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-check-what-php-versions-are-available-via-ssh\/#Important_Notes\" >Important Notes<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-check-what-php-versions-are-available-via-ssh\/#SSH_PHP_vs_Website_PHP\" >SSH PHP vs Website PHP<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-check-what-php-versions-are-available-via-ssh\/#Always_Specify_the_Required_Version\" >Always Specify the Required Version<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-check-what-php-versions-are-available-via-ssh\/#Summary\" >Summary<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Enabling_SSH_Access\"><\/span>Enabling SSH Access<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before using PHP from the command line, make sure SSH access is enabled for your account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"mybox-2236481357\" class=\"mybox-content mybox-entity-placement\"><div class=\"early-access-banner-inpost\">\r\n  <div class=\"banner-left-inpost\">\r\n    <div class=\"icon-box-inpost\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/square-info-icon.svg\" alt=\"Info\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"text-box-inpost\">\r\n      <span class=\"label-inpost\"><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Early access<\/span><\/span>\r\n      <h4><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Still need help?<\/span><\/h4>\r\n      <p><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Contact our customer service team.<\/span><\/p>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <div class=\"banner-right-inpost\">\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/panel.mybox.com\/helpdesk2\/v\/list\/\" class=\"banner-button-inpost\"><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Message us<\/span><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\"><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the mybox Panel:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Navigate to:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>Advanced \u2192 Secure Shell (SSH)\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"2\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Enable SSH access if it is not already active.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Connect using your preferred SSH client, such as:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>PuTTY<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Termius<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>OpenSSH (Linux\/macOS)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Available_PHP_Versions\"><\/span>Available PHP Versions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"PHP_5x\"><\/span>PHP 5.x<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>PHP Version<\/th><th>Command<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>PHP 5.3<\/td><td><code>php<\/code> or <code>php53<\/code><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>PHP 5.4<\/td><td><code>php54<\/code><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>PHP 5.5<\/td><td><code>php55<\/code><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>PHP 5.6<\/td><td><code>php56<\/code><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"PHP_7x\"><\/span>PHP 7.x<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>PHP Version<\/th><th>Command<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>PHP 7.0<\/td><td><code>php70<\/code><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>PHP 7.1<\/td><td><code>php71<\/code><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>PHP 7.2<\/td><td><code>php72<\/code><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>PHP 7.3<\/td><td><code>php73<\/code><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>PHP 7.4<\/td><td><code>php74<\/code><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"PHP_8x\"><\/span>PHP 8.x<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>PHP Version<\/th><th>Command<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>PHP 8.0<\/td><td><code>php8<\/code><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>PHP 8.1<\/td><td><code>php81<\/code><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>PHP 8.2<\/td><td><code>php82<\/code><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>PHP 8.3<\/td><td><code>php83<\/code><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>PHP 8.4<\/td><td><code>php84<\/code><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>PHP 8.5<\/td><td><code>php85<\/code><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Checking_the_Active_PHP_Version\"><\/span>Checking the Active PHP Version<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To check the version associated with the default PHP command, run:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>php -v\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Example output:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>PHP 5.3.x\nZend Engine v2.3.0\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By default, the SSH environment uses:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>PHP 5.3\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Using_a_Different_PHP_Version\"><\/span>Using a Different PHP Version<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To run a specific PHP version, use the corresponding command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, to check PHP 7.3:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>php73 -v\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Example output:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>PHP 7.3.x\nZend Engine v3.3.x\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To run a PHP script using PHP 8.3:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>php83 script.php\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To run a PHP script using PHP 8.5:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>php85 script.php\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Examples\"><\/span>Examples<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Execute_a_PHP_Script\"><\/span>Execute a PHP Script<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Using PHP 8.3:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>php83 myscript.php\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Run_Composer_with_PHP_82\"><\/span>Run Composer with PHP 8.2<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>php82 composer.phar install\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Check_Loaded_Modules\"><\/span>Check Loaded Modules<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>php83 -m\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Display_PHP_Configuration\"><\/span>Display PHP Configuration<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>php83 -i\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Important_Notes\"><\/span>Important Notes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"SSH_PHP_vs_Website_PHP\"><\/span>SSH PHP vs Website PHP<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The PHP version used in SSH is completely separate from the PHP version configured for your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Environment<\/th><th>PHP Version<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Website<\/td><td>PHP 8.3<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>SSH Console<\/td><td>PHP 5.3 (default)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is normal and expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Always_Specify_the_Required_Version\"><\/span>Always Specify the Required Version<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When running scripts, cron jobs, or Composer commands, it is recommended to explicitly specify the PHP version you want to use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>php83 artisan migrate\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">instead of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>php artisan migrate\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This ensures your command runs with the correct PHP version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Summary\"><\/span>Summary<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The SSH environment supports multiple PHP versions, ranging from PHP 5.3 to PHP 8.5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Common examples include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>php73 -v\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>php83 -v\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>php85 -v\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Remember that the PHP version available through SSH is independent of the version configured for your website, and the default <code>php<\/code> command uses PHP 5.3 unless a specific version command is provided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","manualknowledgebasecat":[25,39],"manual_kb_tag":[747,2929,2930,2931,2932,2933,2934,2935,2936,2937],"class_list":["post-560","manual_kb","type-manual_kb","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","manualknowledgebasecat-hosting","manualknowledgebasecat-php-operations","manual_kb_tag-secure-shell","manual_kb_tag-flexbox-hosting","manual_kb_tag-ssh-console","manual_kb_tag-php-versions","manual_kb_tag-check-php-version","manual_kb_tag-change-php-version","manual_kb_tag-php-cli","manual_kb_tag-command-line-interface","manual_kb_tag-server-console","manual_kb_tag-hosting-console"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/manual_kb"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/560\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5987,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/560\/revisions\/5987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"manualknowledgebasecat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manualknowledgebasecat?post=560"},{"taxonomy":"manual_kb_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb_tag?post=560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}