--- title: "Download WP CLI Temporarily & Using With Custom PHP Versions" date: 2020-03-03 author: "Shiv" featured_image: "https://malcure.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/use-wp-cli-missing-custom-php-scaled.jpg" categories: - name: "Code, CLI & Utilities" url: "/blog/utilities.md" --- # Download WP CLI Temporarily & Using With Custom PHP Versions ![Download WP CLI for Temporary Use](https://malcure.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/use-wp-cli-missing-custom-php-1024x682.jpg)There are times when you log into the shell only to find out that the version of PHP [WP CLI](https://wp-cli.org/) is outdated. Most common with cPanel mass hosting, they use a newer version of PHP for web and an outdated version for the CLI. Who uses CLI anyway? Well the pros do. ## Ever Felt Stuck Finding No WP CLI Installed? ### — Right When You Needed It The Most? In the process of a WordPress Malware Cleanup, after having run a full scan and with a complete list of infections, we realized that this was a matter of quickly fixing all the malicious-files with a few WP CLI commands. WordPress core files were infected as was a huge list of infected plugins as well. Not having WP CLI meant hours of work, downloading the right version of plugins, extracting, overriding or uploading over FTP. Dang! There’s got to be a way to get this thing up and running instead of running under a site outage and downtime impacting visitors and affecting sales. Wasn’t it possible to download WP CLI temporarily and use it? It was. WP CLI is just another command-line tool that can be downloaded to any location, added to the path and the commands executed against any PHP version of your choice. Once you are done, delete and poof! ## Applications of WP CLI WP CLI is a command line interface for WordPress. It is efficiently used for managing a WordPress site without a web browser. There are commands to backup a site, update plugins, themes & WordPress core, search and replace WordPress database, etc. It is an effective tool for [fixing a hacked WordPress site](https://malcure.com/blog/security/10-steps-to-remove-malware-from-your-wordpress-site/). For example, you can: **Reinstall infected WordPress Core via WP CLI** [Step-by-Step guide to efficiently reinstalling infected WordPress Core using WP CLI](https://malcure.com/blog/security/how-to-reinstall-infected-wordpress-core-using-wp-cli/) **Reinstall infected WordPress Plugins via WP CLI** [Step-by-Step guide to efficiently reinstalling infected WordPress Plugins using WP CLI](https://malcure.com/blog/security/batch-reinstalling-infected-wordpress-plugins-wp-cli/) ### Download WP CLI ``` curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wp-cli/builds/gh-pages/phar/wp-cli.phar ``` ### Test WP CLI ``` php wp-cli.phar --info ``` ### Make it easier to call ``` sudo mv wp-cli.phar wp ``` ``` chmod +x wp ``` Remember the directory where you downloaded CLI. ### Add WP-CLI to the path. ``` export PATH=:$PATH ``` ### Test WP-CLI again ``` wp --info ``` ``` Output: ``` ``` OS: Linux e43.ehosts.com 3.10.0-693.11.6.1.ELK.el6.x86_64 #1 SMP Tue Jan 23 10:30:30 MST 2018 x86_64 Shell: /usr/local/cpanel/bin/jailshell PHP binary: /opt/cpanel/ea-php56/root/usr/bin/php PHP version: 5.6.40 php.ini used: /opt/cpanel/ea-php56/root/etc/php.ini WP-CLI root dir: phar://wp-cli.phar/vendor/wp-cli/wp-cli WP-CLI vendor dir: phar://wp-cli.phar/vendor WP_CLI phar path: /home2/me/public_html/cgi-bin WP-CLI packages dir: WP-CLI global config: WP-CLI project config: /home2/me/public_html/wp-cli.yml WP-CLI version: 2.0.0 ``` ## Using Custom PHP version with WP CLI Want to use a custom version of PHP with CLI? Newer PHP versions are typically faster and way faster than PHP 5.6. With `phpinfo();` you can find the **Configure Command** options. Look for `bindir`. It will be something like: ``` bindir=/opt/cpanel/ea-php72/root/usr/bin ``` Set the WP\_CLI\_PHP environment variable to use your chosen php version. ``` export WP_CLI_PHP=/opt/php71/bin ``` If that doesn’t work, add this directory to your path and WP-CLI will use the newer PHP as long as you are in the same shell session. ``` export PATH=/opt/php71/bin:$PATH ``` ## WP CLI Change PHP Version Temporarily ``` /path/to/php//version/binary /path/to/wp-cli/binary ``` **Example:** ``` /opt/cpanel/ea-php72/root/usr/bin/php ~/public_html/wp-cli.phar ``` ### Frequently Asked Questions #### What is WP CLI? WP CLI is a command-line interface for managing WordPress sites without a web browser. It offers various commands for tasks like backing up a site, updating plugins, and more. #### How can I use a custom PHP version with WP CLI? The article provides detailed instructions on using a custom PHP version with WP CLI, including setting the WP\_CLI\_PHP environment variable and modifying the PATH. If you want you can pass the full path to the wp-cli.phar file to PHP and use it. #### What are the risks of using an outdated PHP version? Using an outdated PHP version can lead to compatibility issues, reduced performance, and potential security vulnerabilities. It’s recommended to use a supported and up-to-date PHP version. Also, using a bleeding-edge version of PHP can cause issues due to non-compatibility with WordPress. Stay with the [officially recommended version of PHP for WordPress](https://wordpress.org/about/requirements/) on the safe side. #### Can I download WP CLI temporarily? Yes, WP CLI can be downloaded temporarily to any location, added to the path, and executed against any PHP version of your choice. The article provides a step-by-step guide on how to do this. #### How can WP CLI help in fixing a hacked WordPress site? WP CLI is an effective tool for fixing a hacked WordPress site. It allows for efficient reinstallation of infected WordPress Core and plugins, as detailed in the article. ### References: 1. [PHP CLI Usage](https://www.php.net/manual/en/features.commandline.usage.php) 2. [WP CLI Installation](https://wp-cli.org/#installing) 3. [WP CLI Environment Variables](https://make.wordpress.org/cli/handbook/references/config/#environment-variables)