PHP2Shell, disclosed on 21 October 2026, is the most severe PHP security problem in years and affects every version back to PHP 5. Servers with PHP compiled or installed by hand years ago are often the hardest to update, and anything below 8.2 has no fix. Don't worry: we'll put your app in Docker containers on patched PHP 8.4 in 7 days. See how PHP version updates work.
Our PHP to Docker migration services in USA and UK markets package your PHP application, its extensions and its settings into Docker images. The app stays in PHP. It moves onto patched PHP 8.4 inside containers, so the next security release becomes a one-line change to a base image instead of a risky server upgrade.
Many PHP servers were set up by hand years ago. Nobody knows which extensions were compiled in, which php.ini lines matter, or what breaks if the OS is updated. A Dockerfile writes all of that down. We build on the official php:8.4-fpm image, add Nginx, your extensions and Composer packages, and describe the full stack, including MySQL and Redis, in a Docker Compose file your developers can start with one command.
We have more than a decade of web development experience. Our team in India works hours that overlap with US Eastern and UK time, gives you a fixed price and has your app running in containers within a week.
Why containerise a PHP application
Docker does not make code safer by itself. What it does is make the PHP version, the setup and every update repeatable, and that is what you need when a flaw like PHP2Shell lands.
Patch in minutes
Bump the PHP base image tag, rebuild, run tests and redeploy. Rolling back is just as quick if anything goes wrong.
Same setup everywhere
Developer laptops, staging and production run the same image, so the old line 'it works on my machine' stops applying.
Ready for any host
Containers run on a single VPS, Amazon ECS, Google Cloud Run, Azure or Kubernetes, so you are not locked to one provider.
What we containerise
- Dockerfile on the official PHP 8.4 FPM image with your extensions
- Code fixes needed for PHP 8.4, such as removed functions and deprecations
- Nginx container for static files and FastCGI to PHP-FPM
- Docker Compose file for local development with MySQL and Redis
- Configuration moved to environment variables, secrets kept out of images
- Uploads and sessions moved to volumes, S3 or Redis
- CI pipeline that builds, scans and pushes images
- Production deployment with health checks and log collection
Your PHP app in containers in 7 days
Day 1: Server inventory
We record the current PHP version, extensions, php.ini settings, cron jobs and file paths, then fix the price.
Days 2-4: Images and code fixes
We write the Dockerfile and Compose file, fix the code for PHP 8.4 and get the full stack running in containers.
Days 5-6: Staging run
The containers run on staging with a copy of your data, we test every feature, and you sign off.
Day 7: Production
We deploy the images to your chosen host, switch traffic, and keep the old server ready as a fallback for a few days.
PHP on a hand-built server vs Docker
Day-to-day operations before and after containerising.
| PHP installed on the server | PHP in Docker | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup record | In someone's memory, or nowhere | Dockerfile and Compose file in Git |
| Updating PHP | Risky in-place upgrade of the whole server | Change the image tag, rebuild, redeploy |
| Rollback | Restore a backup and hope | Redeploy the previous image |
| New developer setup | A day or more of installing things | docker compose up |
| Moving hosts | Rebuild the server by hand | Run the same image elsewhere |
| Several apps on one box | Stuck on one shared PHP version | Each app has its own PHP version |
Why have us containerise your PHP app
Plenty of people can write a Dockerfile. Fewer can also fix twelve-year-old PHP code so it runs on PHP 8.4 inside it.
Lean, secure images
Small images, non-root users, no secrets baked in and image scanning in CI, so containers do not become a new risk.
Fixed price after a free review of your current server.
NDA signed before we log in to any server.
Docker migration for American and British businesses
This service is meant for companies in the United States and the United Kingdom whose PHP app lives on a server everyone is afraid to touch. We work hours that overlap with US Eastern and UK time and reply the same day.
An offshore team keeps the cost of containerising well below local DevOps rates. You still get one contact, a written plan, an NDA and a fixed date for the production switch.
Official sources: PHP supported versions · Docker documentation
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers about our PHP to Docker Migration service.
Most small and medium PHP apps run in Docker in production within 7 days: inventory on day one, images and PHP 8.4 fixes over three days, staging on days five and six, go-live on day seven. Very large systems get a phased plan, with the first part in containers in those same 7 days.
No. A container running old PHP is just as exposed. What fixes it is the PHP version inside: we build on a patched release such as PHP 8.4.27, and Docker makes future updates fast.
Old PHP images exist, but they get no security fixes, so we do not recommend running PHP 5 or 7 in production containers. We upgrade the code to PHP 8.4 as part of the move.
Usually not. Many apps run well on a single server with Docker Compose, or on Amazon ECS. Kubernetes makes sense when you run many services, and we will tell you if you do not need it.
Only the basics. We hand over a short guide covering start, stop, logs and running tests, and the Compose file handles the rest.
Yes. Teams across the United States and United Kingdom work with us on their hours, with a fixed price, a signed NDA and one project manager who sends a short update every working day.
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