How to Install Multiple PHP Versions and PHP Extension on cPanel/WHM Server?

It's often ne­cessary to install many PHP versions and exte­nsions on a cPanel/WHM server. This ne­ed arises, espe­cially if different applications nee­d different PHP versions. He­re's a simple guide:

Log in to WHM

     Open your WHM (Web Host Manager) interface by accessing https://your-server-ip :2087.

      Log in with your root credentials.

Install EasyApache

      EasyApache 4 is the tool used to manage PHP versions and extensions.

       In WHM, search for "EasyApache 4" in the search bar.

       Click on "EasyApache 4" to open the interface.

Customize Profile

        Click on "Customize" next to the currently installed profile.

         Go to the "PHP Versions" section.

You will see a list of available PHP versions. Select the versions you want to install (e.g., PHP 7.4, PHP 8.0, PHP 8.1).

          After selecting, click on "Next" to proceed.

Install PHP Extensions

          After selecting PHP versions, you can choose extensions for each PHP version.

          Go to the "PHP Extensions" section.

Select the extensions you need for each PHP version. Popular extensions include mysqli, gd, mbstring, curl, zip, etc.

  Click "Next" to proceed.

Review and Provision

           Review the settings you've selected.

           Click on "Provision" to start the installation process. This may take a few minutes.

Set Default PHP Version for Accounts

           Once installed, you can set the default PHP version for your server or individual accounts.

            Go back to WHM and search for "MultiPHP Manager.

           In MultiPHP Manager, you can set the default PHP version for the entire server or manage it on a per-account basis.

  Manage PHP Extensions

            You can manage PHP extensions for specific versions in WHM under "PHP-FPM" or "MultiPHP INI Editor

                This allows you to enable or disable extensions per account or globally for each PHP version.

Verify Installation

                You can verify that multiple PHP versions are installed and available by creating a phpinfo() file in different directories or subdomains configured with different PHP versions.

Additional Notes

Updating PHP Versions and Extensions: To update PHP versions or extensions, repeat the process in EasyApache 4.

PHP Selector: If you have CloudLinux installed, you can use PHP Selector to manage multiple PHP versions more efficiently.

This setup should allow you to support multiple PHP versions and extensions across different websites hosted on your cPanel/WHM server.