I’m very new to using DOcean, I have a droplet that only hosts a wordpress site. The PHP is out of date and I’ve followed many tutorials to update it with no success. Can I just create a new droplet (assuming it installs the correct version of PHP), import the wordpress and delete the old droplet? On second thought that may just open a bigger can of worms configing the droplet…
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Hey ericyealland! 😅 Totally get where you’re coming from—updating PHP on an existing droplet can be tricky if you’re new to DigitalOcean. Creating a new droplet with the latest PHP and migrating your WordPress site can work, but you’re right that it might lead to extra config headaches (like DNS, SSL, or plugin issues).
A simpler approach might be to try updating PHP directly on your current droplet using a reliable guide for your server type (Ubuntu, Debian, etc.)—it usually saves you from extra migration work. Make sure to back up your site first, just in case!
To install the latest PHP, you will need to ensure the OS version is compatible. This may mean that you need to use a newer OS than the one you first tried.
Without more information, there’s not much more I can offer.
Hi there,
Yes, you can create a new Droplet with a newer PHP version and migrate your WordPress site over. That approach often ends up being cleaner, especially if the old server has outdated dependencies.
You’d just need to back up your WordPress files and database, move them to the new Droplet, and update the wp-config.php file with the new database details. And once everything is tested on the new server, update your DNS.
If you’d rather not deal with server setup at all, you could also use App Platform.
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