PHP 7.1 End of Life
Support dates, vulnerabilities published since end of life, and upgrade guidance — rebuilt from live data.
PHP 7.1 reached end of life on 1 Dec 2019. It no longer receives security fixes.
Support timeline
Official dates from the PHP release process.
| Milestone | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Initial release | 1 Dec 2016 | — |
| End of life | 1 Dec 2019 | 6.7 years ago |
| Active support ended | 1 Dec 2018 | security fixes only after this |
| Latest release | 7.1.33 · 24 Oct 2019 | final |
The cost of staying: CVEs since end of life
93 PHP vulnerabilities have been published since 1 Dec 2019. All were fixed in supported branches — 7.1 received none of them. Source: NVD.
PHP CVEs published since 7.1's EOL, by year
16 of the 93 are rated critical · data refreshed 2026-08-09
Published 19 Feb 2020 · rated critical — fixed in supported branches only, never in 7.1. Details
Published 21 Oct 2022 · rated critical — fixed in supported branches only, never in 7.1. Details
Published 10 Apr 2024 · rated critical — fixed in supported branches only, never in 7.1. Details
Where to go from 7.1
Recommended target: PHP 8.5 (supported until 31 Dec 2029).
The newest actively supported branch is PHP 8.5 (latest release 8.5.9). Review php.net before upgrading. Run composer why-not php 8.5 to check package compatibility.
Frequently asked questions
Is PHP 7.1 still safe to use?
No. PHP 7.1 stopped receiving security fixes on 1 Dec 2019. Since then, 93 PHP vulnerabilities have been published and fixed in supported branches — PHP 7.1 received none of those fixes.
Can I still download PHP 7.1?
Yes — the final release (7.1.33) generally remains available from vendor archives and OS package mirrors, but installing it means running software with known, unpatched vulnerabilities.
What should I upgrade PHP 7.1 to?
Upgrade to PHP 8.5, the newest actively supported branch (supported until 31 Dec 2029).