10 Important Changes in PHP in 2025–2026 You Should Know About Now
PHP continues to evolve rapidly. In 2025–2026, versions 8.3–8.4 were released and are being prepared, which bring new features and slightly change the approach to writing code. This overview will help you understand what can already be used in projects and how to prepare for the update.
Main changes:
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Typed class constants (PHP 8.3) — now constants in classes can have types. This reduces errors when working with the configuration.
Example: public const string API_KEY = 'xyz';
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json_validate() (PHP 8.3) — a new function for quick JSON validation without decoding.
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Deep cloning readonly properties (PHP 8.3) — deep copying of readonly properties without __clone.
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Property hooks (PHP 8.4) — allows you to add logic to getter/setter without separate methods.
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Asymmetric visibility (PHP 8.4) — different visibility for getter and setter.
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HTML5 support in DOM (PHP 8.4) — updated DOM API with HTML5 support.
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JIT improvements (PHP 8.4) — faster execution in many scenarios.
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Random extension (PHP 8.3+) — safer random number generation.
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Performance boosts — general optimizations in Zend Engine.
- Deprecations — removal of old features that still work in 8.3 but will be removed in 8.5+.
Actionable tips
- Install PHP 8.3 locally and run Rector + PHPStan.
- Start by checking json_validate() instead of manual json_decode.
- Switch to property hooks for simple validations.
Want to learn how to put these changes into practice? Start with the Free Pack for free or go to the Nexus Course.