Why should I upgrade?

About upgrading and why it’s part of running Zen Cart

How Do I Upgrade?

To skip the “why” part and just get started, see the Upgrading section of the docs.

Why?

Upgrading is important! When you upgrade, you get security improvements, you get to use more recent versions of PHP, you get all the bug fixes from the past, and you get new features with every release! We highly encourage all users to stay upgraded.

If upgrading is beyond your ability, please post an ad in our Commercial Help Wanted Forum and hire a developer to do your upgrade for you.

Why is upgrading important?

Two words: bad guys.

Bad guys are everywhere. Trying to steal from you. Trying to wreck your business. Trying to harass you. It’s unfortunate, but it’s part of operating online.

Upgrading PHP and your Zen Cart helps protect you from bad guys. Both PHP and Zen Cart are constantly being improved and hardened so that it’s more difficult for bad guys to cause problems. It’s an endless cycle - bad guys discover new ways of making trouble; good guys update the software to defend against the new attacks. But you don’t get the benefits of the work the good guys have done unless you upgrade!

Does this really happen?

Yes. You can review the security releases page and dig into these releases to discover the backstories.

How Do I Keep My Site Safe?

Upgrade regularly. The Zen Cart team takes security seriously, but you have to install the updates if you want to keep your cart safe.
Subscribing to release announcements is a great way to stay informed about new releases and security updates.
Perform the recommended regular maintenance of your cart.
Follow the security recommendations.
Keep track of the PHP Version Support Policy so you know when the PHP version you are running is at or near end of life.
Watch your JavaScript libraries. As vulnerabilities are discovered, you will need to update them.

Still have questions? Use the Search box in the upper right, or try the full list of FAQs. If you can't find it there, head over to the Zen Cart support forum and ask there in the appropriate subforum. In your post, please include your Zen Cart and PHP versions, and a link to your site.

Is there an error or omission on this page? Please post to General Questions on the support forum. Or, if you'd like to open a pull request, just review the guidelines and get started. You can even PR right here.

Last modified January 1, 0001