How to Enable TuxCare ELS PHP on a cPanel Server
TuxCare Extended Lifecycle Support (ELS) for PHP keeps end-of-life PHP versions, such as 7.4, 8.0 and 8.1, receiving security fixes after the PHP project has stopped patching them. Your sites keep running the PHP version they were built for, and that version keeps getting security updates.
Included free with every cPanel licence that has the tslzCP
AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux and CloudLinux only for now. ELS PHP for cPanel is not available on Ubuntu servers yet.
Running CloudLinux with ALT-PHP? ELS for ALT-PHP is covered in TuxCare ELS + KernelCare Now Included With Your CloudLinux License.
Step 1 — Enable TuxCare ELS
Run as root:
tslzCP -tuxcareStep 2 — Choose and install ELS PHP versions
tslzCP -phpA list of PHP versions opens:
- Up / Down arrows move between versions
- Space selects or deselects a version
- A selects or deselects all
- Enter confirms
- Q cancels
If your terminal can't show the interactive list, a simple selector loads instead.
Options
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
| Lists the PHP versions available |
| Installs the versions you name, without the list |
| Selects every available version (PHP 5.2 to 8.5) |
| Skips the confirmation question |
| Prints the commands instead of running them |
| Type the versions instead of using the list |
| Forces the package manager (dnf or yum) |
| Shows help |
Tip: run it once with -dry-run first to see exactly what will be installed.
Step 3 — Confirm ELS is enabled
dnf repolist 2>/dev/null | grep -i tuxcare || yum repolist 2>/dev/null | grep -i tuxcareA line mentioning TuxCare means the ELS repository is active. ELS security fixes then arrive through your normal package updates.
If the command prints nothing, open a ticket with the output of Step 1 and we'll sort it out.
Should I still upgrade PHP?
Where it is realistic, yes. ELS keeps an old PHP version secure while you plan the upgrade properly; it does not add the speed or features of a current release. Moving sites to a supported version (8.3 or 8.4) is still the cleanest long-term fix.