PHP2Shell is the biggest security problem PHP has had in years: two flaws in the language itself, public since 21 October 2026, scored 9.2 out of 10. Patched builds exist only for PHP 8.2 and newer, so apps on older PHP cannot be fixed. Don't worry: we rebuild your PHP app on Elixir and Phoenix and put the first phase live in 7 days. Get the PHP2Shell facts.
Our PHP to Elixir migration services in USA and UK businesses are for apps that need live updates: chat, dashboards, booking screens, auctions, tracking, multiplayer features. PHP was built around one request and one response. Elixir runs on the Erlang virtual machine, the BEAM, which was designed for millions of long-lived connections that must stay up.
We build the new app with Phoenix. Pages that change in real time use Phoenix LiveView, which pushes updates over a WebSocket while you write server code instead of a JavaScript front end. Data goes through Ecto with migrations and changesets, background work runs in Oban on PostgreSQL, and Phoenix PubSub broadcasts changes to every connected user.
We are a development company in India with more than a decade of web work. Our hours overlap with the US Eastern day and UK working hours, and we explain Elixir choices without jargon.
What Elixir does better than PHP
Elixir is not for every app. Where many users watch the same data change, or the system must not go down, it does things PHP cannot do without a pile of extra services.
Real-time screens out of the box
LiveView and Phoenix Channels keep a connection open to each browser, so a new order, message or bid appears instantly without polling.
Crashes stay contained
Every task runs in its own light process watched by a supervisor. If one fails, it restarts on its own and the rest of the app carries on.
Few servers for many users
The BEAM handles huge numbers of concurrent connections on modest hardware, which keeps hosting simple as you grow.
What the Elixir migration includes
- Audit of which PHP features gain from real-time or high concurrency
- Phoenix app with LiveView for interactive pages
- Ecto schemas, changesets and migrations over your existing data
- Login with phx.gen.auth, keeping current password hashes
- Phoenix PubSub and Presence for live updates and online status
- Oban jobs replacing cron and queue scripts
- Tests with ExUnit for every ported rule
- Release build and deploy to Fly.io, AWS or your servers
The first 7 days of a PHP to Phoenix move
Day 1: Find the live parts
We study the PHP app, pick the screens and flows that should be real-time first, and fix scope and price for phase one.
Days 2-4: Build in Phoenix
Ecto schemas on your database, then LiveView pages and contexts for each feature, with ExUnit tests as we go.
Days 5-6: Many users at once
We test with many simulated users on staging, check that live updates arrive and that data matches the PHP version.
Day 7: Launch phase one
The Phoenix part takes live users, the PHP part keeps serving the rest, and we plan the next phase together.
PHP vs Elixir and Phoenix
How the two compare for apps where users expect live data.
| PHP app | Elixir with Phoenix | |
|---|---|---|
| Live updates | Polling or a separate WebSocket server | LiveView and Channels built in |
| Failures | One fatal error can stop a request chain | Supervisors restart failed processes |
| Concurrency | One worker per request | Very many light BEAM processes |
| Background jobs | Cron plus custom queue code | Oban on PostgreSQL |
| Front end | PHP templates plus jQuery | Server-rendered LiveView with little JavaScript |
| Developer pool | Large | Smaller, but focused and experienced |
Why us for an Elixir rewrite
Elixir rewrites go wrong when teams copy PHP habits into a very different language. We design around processes and messages from the start.
Honest scoping
We tell you which parts of the app gain from Elixir and which do not, and we will suggest a PHP 8.4 upgrade instead if real-time is not what you need.
Fixed price for each phase, agreed after a free audit.
NDA signed first; you own the code and deploy keys.
Elixir and Phoenix migration for US and UK companies
This service is meant for businesses in the United States and the United Kingdom that run live dashboards, marketplaces or messaging on a PHP stack that struggles to keep up. We work hours that meet US Eastern mornings and the UK afternoon and reply on the same day.
Elixir developers are hard to find locally and expensive when you do. An offshore team gives you that skill for less, with a fixed price, an NDA and one project lead.
Official sources: PHP supported versions · Elixir
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers about our PHP to Elixir Migration service.
A small app can move to Phoenix in 7 days. Elixir is a full rewrite, so for big apps we are upfront: you get a phased plan, the first phase is live within 7 days, and later phases each get a date and price.
Not always. If real-time is one small corner of the app, a Phoenix service for that feature beside your upgraded PHP app may be enough. We will show you both options.
The pool is smaller than PHP's, which is the main trade-off. Code is clear and well tested, and we can stay on to support it after launch.
Yes. Ecto can work on your current tables, so both apps run side by side while features move to Phoenix step by step.
Anything running in Phoenix does not use PHP, so the flaw cannot reach it. PHP code still live during a phased move is upgraded to a patched PHP 8.4 release.
Yes. Calls fit US Eastern and UK hours, messages get a same-day reply, and every engagement has an NDA and a fixed price per phase.
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