eZ Publish End-of-Life: 4 Realistic Options for Your Business
Your eZ Publish site still works. Your content is still there. Your team still depends on it. So what do you actually do?
If you're running a website on eZ Publish, you've probably noticed things getting harder. Hosting providers asking questions about your PHP version. Security scanners flagging vulnerabilities. That uneasy feeling that your platform is falling behind.
You're not imagining it. eZ Publish reached end of life in 2021. No more official updates, no more security patches, no more roadmap.
But your site still works. Your content is still there. Your team still depends on it. So what do you actually do?
This guide covers your real options — not the theoretical ones, but the practical paths forward for businesses that need their eZ Publish sites to keep running.
The situation: Why eZ Publish sites are in trouble
eZ Publish stopped receiving updates in 2021. But the real problem isn't the CMS itself — it's everything around it.
PHP compatibility
eZ Publish 4.x was designed for PHP 5.3 to 5.4. eZ Publish 5.x runs on PHP 5.4 to 5.6, with some support for PHP 7.0.
The problem: PHP 5.6 reached end of life in December 2018. PHP 7.0 followed in January 2019. PHP 7.4 — the last version that might work with some eZ Publish installations — ended security support in November 2022.
If you're running eZ Publish, you're almost certainly running an unsupported PHP version. That means no security patches when vulnerabilities are discovered.
Server operating systems
Old PHP versions require old operating systems. You can't run PHP 5.6 on a modern Ubuntu or Debian release — you need an OS version that's also past end of life.
This creates a cascade: unsupported CMS → unsupported PHP → unsupported OS → unsupported everything.
Hosting pressure
Hosting providers are increasingly unwilling to support legacy stacks. Some will refuse outright. Others will charge premium rates for "legacy infrastructure." Many are actively pushing customers to upgrade or leave.
If you've recently moved hosting providers (or tried to), you've likely encountered this directly.
Security exposure
Every month that passes, the security gap widens. Known vulnerabilities in PHP, in server components, and in eZ Publish itself accumulate without patches. Your attack surface grows.
Your options
You have four realistic paths forward. Each involves trade-offs.
Stay on eZ Publish and manage the risk
What it means: Keep running your current setup, accept the security risks, and hope nothing breaks.
When this makes sense:
- The site is low-traffic and low-value
- You're planning to decommission it soon anyway
- You have no budget for anything else
The reality: This is not a long-term strategy. It's buying time. Every passing month increases your risk and makes eventual migration harder. Hosting options will continue shrinking. At some point, something will break — a PHP update you can't avoid, a hosting migration you didn't plan, a security incident.
If you choose this path, at least ensure you have current backups and a plan for when the inevitable happens.
Migrate to Ibexa OSS
What it means: Move your site to Ibexa OSS, the open-source successor to eZ Publish.
Why this is usually the best option:
Ibexa OSS shares the same content model foundations as eZ Publish. Your content types, your content structure, your relationships — they translate naturally. You're not rebuilding from scratch; you're migrating to a modern platform that speaks the same language.
Ibexa OSS runs on current PHP versions, modern Symfony, and standard infrastructure. You get back on a supported stack with active development.
What's involved:
- Database migration: Converting eZ Publish tables to Ibexa format
- Content migration: Transforming content, especially rich text (ezxmltext → richtext)
- Template rebuild: Your frontend needs to be rebuilt for the Symfony/Twig stack
- Custom functionality: Any custom modules or extensions need to be recreated
- URL redirects: Preserving SEO with proper 301 redirects from old URLs
The catch:
Ibexa OSS is the open-source edition. It doesn't include everything the commercial Ibexa editions offer. Notably, it lacks built-in content approval workflows — if your editorial process depends on that, you'll need custom development.
This is not a simple upgrade. It's a real migration project that requires expertise in both eZ Publish and Ibexa. But for most serious eZ Publish installations, it's the lowest-risk path to a sustainable future.
Rebuild on a different platform
What it means: Abandon eZ Publish entirely and rebuild your site on WordPress, Drupal, a headless CMS, or a custom application.
When this makes sense:
- Your site's requirements have fundamentally changed
- eZ Publish's content model was never a good fit
- You want to consolidate with other properties on a different stack
- You're planning major changes to functionality anyway
The reality:
This is the most expensive and time-consuming option. You're not migrating — you're rebuilding. Every content type needs to be redesigned. Every template recreated. Every integration rebuilt.
Content migration is harder because you're moving between incompatible content models. You'll likely lose some structured data or need to flatten complex content into simpler formats.
If eZ Publish's structured content model was valuable to you — if you relied on custom content types, complex relationships, multi-language content — then moving to a simpler CMS means losing capabilities.
That said, sometimes a full rebuild is the right call. If your site has grown beyond what it was designed for, or if you're making major strategic changes anyway, migration might not make sense.
Use the community-maintained fork
What it means: Migrate to eZ Publish 6.x, maintained by 7x, which supports modern PHP versions (up to PHP 8.4).
What this offers:
A small community has continued maintaining eZ Publish after official support ended. They've updated the codebase to run on PHP 8.x, which solves the immediate PHP compatibility crisis.
The considerations:
This is a community effort with limited resources compared to Ibexa's commercial backing. You're relying on a small team for ongoing maintenance and security updates. The long-term viability depends on that community's continued commitment.
If your eZ Publish installation is relatively standard and your main problem is PHP compatibility, this could be a lower-effort path than full migration to Ibexa.
How to decide
Ask yourself these questions:
How critical is this site?
If it's a core business asset — generating revenue, serving customers, supporting operations — you need a sustainable long-term solution. That usually means Ibexa OSS or a full rebuild.
If it's a secondary property that could be decommissioned in a year or two, managing the risk temporarily might be acceptable.
How complex is your eZ Publish implementation?
If you have years of custom development, complex workflows, deep integrations — migration to Ibexa preserves more of that investment than rebuilding elsewhere.
If your site is relatively simple, you have more options.
What's your budget and timeline?
Ibexa migration requires real investment but preserves the most value. Rebuilding costs more and takes longer. Staying put costs least now but accumulates risk.
What's your team's technical capacity?
Do you have developers who know eZ Publish? Symfony? If not, you'll need outside help regardless of which path you choose.
What we recommend
For most businesses with serious eZ Publish installations, we recommend migrating to Ibexa OSS.
It's not the cheapest option in the short term. It requires real expertise. But it's the path that:
- Gets you back on supported infrastructure
- Preserves your content model and structure
- Maintains your SEO and URL structure
- Provides a platform with active development
- Offers the best balance of risk and investment
We've completed complex eZ Publish to Ibexa migrations, including sites with custom workflows, specialized editor features, and years of accumulated content. We understand both platforms deeply — we've worked with eZ Publish since 2007 and hold certification since 2013.
If you're facing this decision, we're happy to discuss your specific situation.
Get expert guidance
Tell us about your eZ Publish installation and we'll give you our honest assessment of your options.
Request Migration AssessmentRelated: Read our case study of a complex eZ Publish to Ibexa OSS migration.