: IonCube version 11.x introduced support for encoding PHP scripts for newer PHP versions, including PHP 7.1 through PHP 7.4 .
Even if legal, decoding hurts the PHP ecosystem. Many small developers rely on IonCube to protect their livelihoods. Using a decoder to remove "Call Home" licensing or branding is theft.
If you are an expert in PHP internals, you can attempt to view the opcodes: