Eli's PHP Compatibility Scanner

Prerequisites

1. 01Development Environment : LocalWP, XAMPP, MAMP, or self-hosted server
2. 02PHP 7.4+ : Required for plugin operation
3. 03WordPress 5.8+ : Minimum WordPress version

Setup Instructions

1. 04Download/Install the plugin to your wp-content/plugins/ directory
2. 05Activate Plugin in WordPress Admin → Plugins
3. 06Open the scanner via PHP Compatibility Scanner in the WordPress admin menu

Note : All required dependencies (PHP_CodeSniffer and PHPCompatibility) are included with the plugin, no additional setup required.

What is this plugin for?

This plugin helps WordPress developers check if their custom code (plugins and themes) will work with different PHP versions. It’s especially useful when planning to upgrade PHP on production servers or when developing for clients with specific PHP version requirements.

Why won’t it work on my hosting provider?

Most managed hosting providers (WP Engine, Kinsta, SiteGround, etc.) disable the exec() function for security reasons. This plugin needs to run PHP commands to analyze your code, which requires this function to be enabled.

Can I scan a site on managed hosting?

Not with this plugin: it needs exec() and access to a PHP binary, and managed hosts disable both. PHP Compatibility Scanner Pro sends the plugin or theme to a remote scan service instead, so the scan never runs on your server. It is a separate plugin, available from coffeewp.dev.

What PHP versions can I test against?

The plugin can test your code against PHP versions 7.4 through 8.4, helping you identify compatibility issues before upgrading.

How accurate are the results?

The scan runs PHP_CodeSniffer with the PHPCompatibility standard, a ruleset maintained specifically to track what changed in each PHP release.

PHP_CodeSniffer parses your code into PHP tokens instead of searching it for text patterns, so every match is judged in context. A function name that appears inside a comment or a string is not reported, and a call is only flagged against the PHP versions that actually changed it. Scanners built on pattern matching cannot make that distinction, which is where both false alarms and missed issues come from.

Which PHP version should I check against?

The one your host will move you to. PHP 8.2 gets security fixes until 31 December 2026, PHP 8.3 until 31 December 2027 and PHP 8.4 until 31 December 2028. Many hosts upgrade older sites automatically around those dates, so check before they do.

Can I scan multiple plugins at once?

Yes. You can select multiple plugins and themes to scan simultaneously. The plugin processes them in batches to manage memory usage efficiently.

What if the scan takes too long?

You can stop a long-running scan at any time. Lowering the batch size also helps on servers with tight memory or execution limits.

Are my files modified during scanning?

No, your files are never modified. The plugin only reads your code to analyze it. Any temporary files created during scanning are automatically cleaned up.