# PHP Development UK: Custom PHP Applications, Upgrades and Rescues

Source: https://dijituldevelopments.co.uk/php-development/
Updated: 2026-10-10

> dijitul has written PHP for UK businesses since about 2011: custom web applications, billing and staff target software, OpenCart and CubeCart extensions, WordPress plugins and API integrations. Today we build in modern PHP 8 with Laravel or Symfony and upgrade legacy PHP to supported versions. Every project is a fixed-price quote after a free chat.

## Problems this solves

- Your business runs on a PHP application written years ago and the host wants it off PHP 7
- Nobody left in the company understands how the system works
- Pages are slow and the database is struggling
- The code has no tests, so every change is a gamble
- You need the old system to talk to Xero, Stripe or a new CRM

## Key facts

- We have built in PHP since about 2011, including billing software, staff target software and ecommerce extensions
- PHP 8.1 reached end of life on 31 December 2025; PHP 8.2 security support ends 31 December 2026, per php.net
- PHP 8.3 has security support to the end of 2027 and PHP 8.4 to the end of 2028
- New projects target PHP 8.4 or 8.5 with Composer, PSR standards and static analysis
- Frameworks: Laravel and Symfony, plus WordPress, WooCommerce, OpenCart, CubeCart, PrestaShop and Magento
- Fixed-price quote after a free chat; you own the code

## PHP has been our core language since the start

Most of dijitul's development history is written in PHP. Our early bespoke work included automated billing software, first built to invoice customers for electricity, water and gas usage, and staff target management software. On the ecommerce side we wrote OpenCart extensions, CubeCart mods, WP e-Commerce plugins and the KashFlow integrations that connected them to accounts. All PHP.

That gives us a useful perspective. We have written PHP the old way and the new way, and we know how to move a system from one to the other without breaking the business that relies on it.

## Modern PHP is a different language

If your picture of PHP is from 2010, modern PHP will surprise you. PHP 8 brought a JIT compiler, union types, named arguments, attributes, enums, readonly properties, match expressions and first-class callable syntax. Combined with today's tooling, it supports well-structured, testable applications:

- **Composer** for dependency management and autoloading.
- **PSR standards** for coding style, autoloading, HTTP messages and logging, so libraries fit together.
- **PHPStan or Psalm** for static analysis that catches type errors before runtime.
- **Pest or PHPUnit** for automated tests.
- **Rector** for automated refactoring and version upgrades.
- **Laravel and Symfony** for full application frameworks.

For new projects we usually choose [Laravel](https://dijituldevelopments.co.uk/laravel-development/). For projects extending an existing Symfony codebase, or where Symfony's components fit better, we use Symfony.

## PHP versions: where you need to be

The PHP project supports each release for two years of active support and two further years of security fixes. According to php.net:

| Version | Status (October 2026) | Security support ends |

| PHP 7.4 and older | End of life | Ended |
| PHP 8.0, 8.1 | End of life | Ended (8.1 on 31 December 2025) |
| PHP 8.2 | Security fixes only | 31 December 2026 |
| PHP 8.3 | Security fixes only | 31 December 2027 |
| PHP 8.4 | Active support | 31 December 2028 |
| PHP 8.5 | Active support | 31 December 2029 |

If your application is on PHP 8.2 or earlier, it is now, or will be within weeks, running without security fixes. That matters for PCI DSS, for cyber insurance questionnaires and for Cyber Essentials. See [PHP upgrade and modernisation](https://dijituldevelopments.co.uk/php-upgrade-modernisation/).

## Working with legacy PHP

Much of our PHP work is on systems someone else wrote: a bespoke order system from 2012, a members' area built on an abandoned framework, or a mix of procedural scripts that run the business. We do not recommend rewrites by default. The usual approach is:

- Get the code into Git and a copy running locally and on staging.
- Add characterisation tests around the most important behaviour so we know if we break it.
- Upgrade PHP step by step, fixing removed functions, stricter typing and deprecated dynamic properties.
- Fix security issues such as unparameterised SQL queries, unescaped output and weak password hashing.
- Refactor the worst areas into structured, tested code, one piece at a time.

Sometimes a rewrite really is cheaper. If so, we will show you why. See [legacy software modernisation](https://dijituldevelopments.co.uk/legacy-software-modernisation/).

## Speed and security in PHP applications

Slow PHP applications are rarely slow because of PHP. In our experience the time goes on database queries without indexes, the same query run hundreds of times in a loop, external API calls made while the user waits, and missing caching. We profile real requests, then fix the biggest costs first: adding indexes, eager loading related records, moving slow work into queues, and caching results in Redis. OPcache is configured properly on the server, which on its own often gives a noticeable gain.

Security reviews follow the OWASP Top 10. In older PHP code the usual findings are SQL built by joining strings, output printed without escaping, passwords stored with MD5 or SHA1 instead of `password_hash()`, missing CSRF tokens on forms and file uploads that are not checked. Each one is fixable, and fixing them is usually far cheaper than dealing with a breach.

## Starting a PHP project

Whether you need a new application, an upgrade, a rescue or an integration, we start with a free chat. For existing systems we usually review the code first and give you an honest summary. You then get a fixed-price quote for an agreed scope, with larger work split into phases. You own all the code. [Get in touch](https://dijituldevelopments.co.uk/contact/).

## What we deliver

- New PHP 8 applications in Laravel or Symfony
- Upgrades of legacy PHP code to supported versions, with tests added
- Refactoring of procedural PHP into maintainable, structured code
- Integrations with accounting, payment and CRM APIs
- Performance work: query optimisation, caching, OPcache tuning
- Security reviews and fixes for SQL injection, XSS and authentication flaws

Technologies: PHP 8, Laravel, Symfony, Composer, PHPStan, Rector, MySQL, Redis

## FAQs

### Is PHP still a good choice for a new application?

Yes. Modern PHP 8 is fast, strongly typed where you want it and supported by mature frameworks such as Laravel and Symfony. It runs on mainstream hosting and is widely known, so you are never short of developers. dijitul uses it for most business applications.

### Our system runs on PHP 7. Is that a problem?

Yes. PHP 7.4 lost security support in 2022, so your system is running without security patches, which can affect PCI DSS and insurance. dijitul upgrades legacy PHP step by step to a supported version, adding tests so the business keeps running throughout.

### Can you work on PHP code someone else wrote?

Yes, much of our work is exactly that. dijitul starts by getting the code into version control and running on staging, reviews it, then gives you an honest view and a fixed-price quote to fix, upgrade or extend it.

### Should we rewrite our old PHP system?

Not automatically. Rewrites are expensive and risky. dijitul usually upgrades and refactors in place, adding tests first. If the code is beyond saving, or the business needs have changed completely, we explain why a rewrite would be cheaper and plan it in phases.

### Which PHP version should we be on?

For new work, PHP 8.4 or 8.5, which have security support until the end of 2028 and 2029. PHP 8.3 is acceptable until the end of 2027. PHP 8.2 loses security support on 31 December 2026, according to php.net.

### How is PHP development priced?

We do not publish prices. dijitul scopes each job after a free chat, often reviewing existing code first, then quotes a fixed price for the agreed work. Anything added later is quoted separately before it starts.

## Pricing and contact

Every project gets a fixed-price quote after a free initial chat and a short scoping stage. You own the code and the data. Book a free chat: https://dijituldevelopments.co.uk/contact/ · 01623 650333 · info@dijitul.uk