PHP2Shell, the biggest PHP security flaw in years, became public on 21 October 2026, and attack attempts were seen even before the fix. Many CodeIgniter 3 apps still sit on PHP 7.x or 8.0, which cannot be patched, because the fix covers only PHP 8.2 and later. Don't worry: we move your CodeIgniter app to Laravel on PHP 8.4 in 7 days. What PHP2Shell is.
CodeIgniter was a great choice when your app was first built, and our CodeIgniter to Laravel migration services in USA and UK respect that. Because CodeIgniter already splits code into models, views and controllers, the move to Laravel is a translation of a known structure rather than a blind rewrite.
The trouble is what came after. CodeIgniter 3 gets only occasional maintenance releases, and many CI3 apps are pinned to PHP versions that have no PHP2Shell fix. CodeIgniter 4 is a ground-up rewrite with new namespaces, a new request flow and a new database layer, so going from CI3 to CI4 costs about as much as going to Laravel. Since you are rewriting either way, most teams pick the framework with the bigger community, more packages and more developers for hire.
We map each piece across: $this->load->model() calls become injected Eloquent models, $this->db query builder chains become Eloquent or Laravel's query builder, application/config/routes.php becomes routes/web.php, the form_validation library becomes Laravel validation rules, and CI hooks become middleware. The new app runs on PHP 8.4.
Why CodeIgniter teams move to Laravel
Both are friendly PHP frameworks. Laravel simply comes with far more built in and a much larger crowd behind it.
More done for you
Queues, mail, notifications, file storage, task scheduling, API tokens and testing tools all ship with Laravel or as official packages, where CI3 needed custom libraries.
A busier ecosystem
Thousands of Composer packages and first-party tools such as Sanctum, Horizon and Cashier mean fewer things your team has to write and maintain.
Hiring is easier
In the USA and UK, Laravel developers are far easier to find than CodeIgniter specialists, which protects you if a key developer leaves.
What we carry over from CodeIgniter
- Controllers rewritten as Laravel controllers with the same actions
- CI models and $this->db queries moved to Eloquent models
- Views converted from PHP templates to Blade
- routes.php entries recreated in routes/web.php and routes/api.php
- form_validation rules turned into Laravel validation and form requests
- CI session and auth code replaced with Laravel authentication
- Custom libraries and helpers turned into service classes
- Same URLs kept, deployed on PHP 8.4 with SSL and backups
Our 7-day CodeIgniter to Laravel plan
Day 1: Map the app
We list every CI controller, model, library, helper and hook, match each to its Laravel counterpart and fix the price.
Days 2-4: Translate
Laravel goes on PHP 8.4, the database is wired to Eloquent, and controllers and views are converted module by module.
Days 5-6: Test side by side
Each screen, form and report is checked against the CodeIgniter version, and you review it on staging.
Day 7: Release
We point traffic to Laravel, keep your URLs, and stay on watch through the first days after launch.
CodeIgniter 3 vs Laravel
How common jobs are done in each framework.
| CodeIgniter 3 | Laravel | |
|---|---|---|
| Loading code | $this->load->model() and libraries | Composer autoloading and dependency injection |
| Database | Query builder with result arrays | Eloquent models, relationships and migrations |
| Templates | Plain PHP views | Blade templates with auto escaping |
| Validation | form_validation library | Validation rules and form request classes |
| Background work | Custom cron scripts | Queues, scheduler and Horizon |
| Future | Occasional maintenance releases, CI4 is a rewrite | Yearly major releases with published support dates |
Why trust us with your CodeIgniter app
We know both frameworks well, so we can translate your CI code faithfully instead of guessing what it was meant to do.
Feature-for-feature checklist
Every controller action in your CodeIgniter app goes on a list, and each one is checked off in Laravel before we launch.
Existing user passwords kept working.
NDA and fixed price before any work starts.
CodeIgniter migration for businesses in the USA and UK
This service is meant for US and UK companies that run a CodeIgniter admin panel, portal or SaaS product and want it on a framework with a long future. Our team in India works hours that overlap with the US Eastern day and UK office hours, and replies within the same day.
Because we are an offshore team, the cost stays well below local agencies, and you still get a named contact, daily progress notes and a firm launch date.
Official sources: PHP supported versions · Laravel documentation · CodeIgniter
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers about our CodeIgniter to Laravel Migration service.
Most small and medium CodeIgniter apps move to Laravel in 7 days. Very large apps get a phased plan, with the first modules live on Laravel inside those same 7 days and the rest following in agreed stages.
You can, but CI4 is not backward compatible with CI3, so it is a rewrite either way. For similar effort, Laravel gives you more built-in features, more packages and a bigger hiring pool.
Usually not. Laravel works with your existing MySQL or PostgreSQL tables. We add Eloquent models on top, and only change the schema where it fixes a real problem.
If they were hashed with password_hash(), Laravel verifies them as they are. Older md5 or sha1 hashes are checked once and rehashed with bcrypt at the next login.
If it runs on PHP 8.1 or older, yes, and there is no patch. The migrated Laravel app runs on PHP 8.4 with the fix included.
Yes. We take on projects from businesses across the United States and United Kingdom, with an NDA, a fixed price and updates during your working hours.
Is your PHP app still on an old version?
Send us the URL or the repository. We check it for the PHP2Shell flaw and old code for free, and tell you what a 7-day migration looks like.
Get a free migration audit