PHP7 and Vesta – easy setup

PHP7 and Vesta – Easy Setup

PHP7, released on December 3, 2015, is a significantly revised version of one of the most popular web languages. While many websites still use the old, well-established PHP5.x, we strongly recommend transitioning to the latest PHP versions for substantial performance improvements.

For detailed benchmarks, check out this PHP 5.6 vs HHVM 3.7 vs PHP 7 Benchmarks.

In this guide, we’ll set up your dedicated server or SSD VDS using the popular and free Vesta Control Panel. Order a server or SSD VDS with CentOS 7 OS; the setup typically takes about 10-15 minutes. Then log in to the server using SSH to begin.

Step 1: Install Vesta Control Panel

1. Download the installation script:

   curl -O http://vestacp.com/pub/vst-install.sh
   bash vst-install.sh
   

2. Wait for the installation to finish, usually taking 5-10 minutes. Note the generated admin password for later use.

Vesta CP comes with PHP 5.4.x by default, so we will upgrade it to PHP7.

Step 2: Add the REMI Repository

To update to PHP7, add the REMI repository:

wget https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/epel-release-latest-7.noarch.rpm
wget http://rpms.remirepo.net/enterprise/remi-release-7.rpm
rpm -Uvh remi-release-7.rpm epel-release-latest-7.noarch.rpm
yum --enablerepo=remi update remi-release

Step 3: Upgrade to PHP7

1. Stop Apache and PHP-FPM services:

   service httpd stop
   service php-fpm stop
   

2. Remove the old PHP version:

   yum -y remove php
   

3. Install PHP7 and necessary modules:

   yum -y --enablerepo=remi-php70 install php70-php php70-php-pear php70-php-bcmath php70-php-pecl-jsond-devel php70-php-mysqlnd php70-php-gd php70-php-common php70-php-fpm php70-php-intl php70-php-cli php70-php-xml php70-php-opcache php70-php-pecl-apcu php70-php-pecl-jsond php70-php-pdo php70-php-gmp php70-php-process php70-php-pecl-imagick php70-php-devel php70-php-mbstring
   

4. Create a symlink for PHP:

   rm -f /usr/bin/php
   ln -s /usr/bin/php70 /usr/bin/php
   

5. Restart Apache and PHP-FPM services:

   service httpd restart
   service php70-php-fpm start
   

Confirmation

Check your PHP version with:

php -v

If everything is set up correctly, you should see an output confirming PHP7 is installed.

Final Steps

Now, log in to your Vesta Control Panel, create a new virtual host, and upload your CMS files as needed.

Looking for a VDS or Dedicated Server for Vesta?

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