PHP Landscape Survey Finds Almost 50% Using EOL PHP Versions

With Testing and Refactoring the Top Barriers to Upgrade

MINNEAPOLIS, FEBRUARY 9, 2021 – Perforce Software, a provider of solutions to enterprise teams requiring productivity, visibility, and scale along the development lifecycle, today announced the findings of their 2021 PHP Landscape Survey.

The survey, conducted by Zend by Perforce, measured the key trends and technologies at play in PHP development. Among the key findings of the report, 46% of respondents reported using end of life PHP versions. 

“End of life versions no longer receive feature improvements or important security updates,” said Zend Product Manager Matthew Weier O’Phinney. “The longer applications stay on EOL PHP, the more these applications become exposed to security vulnerabilities.” 

Although 73% of respondents stated that they were planning to upgrade this year, the survey found that 20% of respondents have been on EOL versions for more than two years. When asked about the most time-consuming part of their last upgrade, the top responses were testing and refactoring at 35% and 34%, respectively. 

“Our experience with customers mirrors these findings. Migrating to the latest PHP version can take considerable time and effort,” continued Matthew Weier O’Phinney. “For those who are ready to migrate, Zend Migration Services helps streamline the testing and refactoring processes. For those who need to stay on an EOL PHP version awhile longer, Zend provides long-term support to ensure their application is safe and secure until they are ready to upgrade.”

The survey was also used to raise money for Black Girls CODE, a not-for-profit organization focused on empowering young women of color to become innovators and leaders in computer science. For each survey response, Zend by Perforce donated $1 to the organization.

"We're grateful for the support of Perforce Software,” said Black Girls CODE Founder and CEO Kimberly Bryant. “This effort will be instrumental in helping us level the playing field for girls of color in STEM and will help us get closer to reaching our goal of teaching 1 million girls how to code by 2040."

You can download the full Zend by Perforce 2021 PHP Landscape Report, which features key findings, analysis and projections, at www.zend.com/resources/2021-php-landscape-report.

RSVP to a live webinar presentation of the report data and analysis on February 16, here: https://resources.zend.com/webinar-2021-php-landscape-report-key-findings-analysis.html