Big upgrade news for Blacknight customers using Blacknight Linux Shared or Cloud Hosting servers. We now have PHP 7.4! PHP 7.4 is now live on all newly created subscriptions with Blacknight, on Linux servers only. It will be the default PHP version for all new subscriptions going forward.
If you would like your server to be upgraded to PHP 7.4, please file a ticket with Blacknight Support so we can sort it out for you and make sure it’s compatible with your setup.
What does this mean for you, the end-user? As open-source software, PHP is constantly improving so you can expect your server to run smoother and faster than it did before. Most of the updates are very technical in nature but if you’re curious to get into the nitty-gritty of what’s changed – check out the release notes on PHP.NET which goes into all the nerdtastic details.
But here’s a quick list of the key updates in PHP 7.4:
- Arrow functions for cleaner one-liner functions
- Preloading to improve performance
- Typed properties in classes
- Improved type variance
- The null coalescing assignment operator as a shorthand
- FFI for better extension development in PHP
- Underscores can be used to format numeric values
- Spread operator in arrays
Don’t know what any of that is? No worries. PHP 7.4 is the best version of PHP yet and it’s important to upgrade to it as soon as possible so that your website runs as efficiently and securely as possible.
Want to get going right away with a new server? Check out our hosting plans today!