How to Enable ionCube Loader in WHM

What is ionCube?

PHP is the language that runs many websites, like WordPress. Some software makers scramble their PHP code so nobody can copy it. This tool is called ionCube. To run scrambled code, your server needs the ionCube Loader. It is a small add-on, called a PHP extension, that unscrambles the code when the site runs.

Without it, you may see an error that says a file "requires the ionCube PHP Loader".

WHM is the Web Host Manager, the admin panel for the whole server. EasyApache is the tool in WHM that builds the web server and PHP.

Steps

1. Log in to WHM as root.
2. In the search box at the top left, type EasyApache.
3. Click EasyApache 4 under Software.
4. Find your current profile at the top. Click Customize.
5. In the left menu, click PHP Extensions.
6. In the search box, type ioncube.
7. For each PHP version your sites use, turn on the switch next to ioncube. The names look like php74-php-ioncube10.
8. Click Next until you see the review page.
9. Click Provision.
10. Wait until the process says it is done. Do not close the page early.

Check that it works

If you use SSH, run this:

php -v

This prints the PHP version. If ionCube is on, the output mentions "with the ionCube PHP Loader".

You can also make a file named info.php with <?php phpinfo(); ?> and open it in a browser. Search the page for "ionCube". Delete the file afterward, because it shows server details.

Good to know

• Pick the same PHP versions your sites use.
• Provisioning restarts the web server for a short time. Do it when traffic is low.
• Take a backup first.

Quick recap

• ionCube Loader runs scrambled PHP files.
• Use EasyApache 4, then Customize, then PHP Extensions.
• Turn on ioncube for the right PHP versions and click Provision.
• Check with php -v.