If the script was encoded exclusively for PHP 7.0+, the loader will throw: "Site error: The script was encoded for PHP 7.0 and cannot run on PHP 5.6" .
Limitations & risks
A decoder would need to:
This is the core of the keyword. Can you take an encoded encoded_file.php (v10x) and turn it back into readable source code on a PHP 5.6 server? ioncube decoder v10x php 56 work
Decoding ionCube v10.x files for PHP 5.6 is technically complex because ionCube is designed to be a "one-way" encryption process. While the ionCube Loader is a free extension used to these files, If the script was encoded exclusively for PHP 7