Issue Best Practice to Change WP-CLI PHP Version on Production Plesk Server

[iGraphics]

Server operating system version

AlmaLinux 8.10 (Cerulean Leopard)

Plesk version and microupdate number

Plesk Obsidian 18.0.76 Update #2 Web Host Edition

Hello,


I’m running Plesk on AlmaLinux 8 (production server with multiple client sites).


Websites use PHP 8.4 via PHP-FPM, but WP-CLI is using the system PHP 7.2

php -v
PHP 7.2.24 (cli) (built: Oct 22 2019 08:28:36) ( NTS )
Copyright (c) 1997-2018 The PHP Group
Zend Engine v3.2.0, Copyright (c) 1998-2018 Zend Technologies
    with the ionCube PHP Loader + ionCube24 v10.4.5, Copyright (c) 2002-2020, by ionCube Ltd.

This causes compatibility issues with modern plugins (e.g., WooCommerce).
What is the recommended and safe way to make WP-CLI use PHP 8.4 system-wide without affecting Plesk core components?

• update-alternatives?
• WP_CLI_PHP environment variable?
• symlink change?
• Plesk-specific method?

Looking for the safest production approach.
Thank you.

 

[Sebahat.hadzhi]

Hi, @iGraphics . php -v calls the system PHP version. In order to use a particular Plesk PHP version you will need to specify the full path to the binary file, e.g.:

/opt/plesk/php/8.3/bin/php <your wp-cli command>

You can check all available Plesk PHP handlers with:

plesk bin php_handler --list

 

[iGraphics]

Thank you for the clarification.
I understand that php -v reflects the system PHP version and that specifying the full Plesk PHP binary path (e.g. /opt/plesk/php/8.4/bin/php) is the correct way to run WP-CLI with a specific Plesk-managed PHP version.
Since this is a production server hosting multiple client websites, I want to avoid modifying the system PHP (/usr/bin/php) or using update-alternatives, as that could potentially impact Plesk core components or OS-level dependencies.
To keep the environment clean and safe, I am considering one of the following approaches:
Creating a wrapper script (e.g. wp84) that explicitly calls: /opt/plesk/php/8.4/bin/php /usr/local/bin/wp
Configuring a per-user shell environment so that the correct PHP binary is used when running WP-CLI via SSH.
From a best-practice and long-term maintenance perspective, would you recommend keeping explicit PHP binary paths (or a wrapper) as the standard approach on Plesk production servers?
Appreciate your guidance.