What’s New in PHP 8.5

Introduction

PHP 8.5 is set to launch on November 20, 2025, bringing a wave of practical improvements that streamline daily coding, internationalization, configuration inspection, and debugging. In this article, we’ll unpack the newest additions and show how to apply them in real-world contexts.

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1. Pipe Operator (|>)

The pipe operator enables a linear, intuitive way to feed values through a series of transforms:

$result = '   jane.doe@example.com  '
    |> trim(...)
    |> strtolower(...)
    |> ucfirst(...);
// Result: "Jane.doe@example.com"

This pattern reduces nested calls and negates the need for temporary variables, improving readability and maintainability.

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2. Final Property Promotion

You can now declare constructor-promoted properties as final, ensuring they remain immutable post-construction:

class ApiRequest
{
    public function __construct(
        final string $endpoint,
        final array $payload
    ) {}
}

This prevents subclasses, or later code, from altering these values, preserving the integrity of your models.

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3. CLI Option: php --ini=diff

To quickly identify your custom PHP settings, php --ini=diff reveals only INI directives that deviate from the default configuration:

php --ini=diff
; Only custom settings shown
memory_limit = "1G"
upload_max_filesize = "100M"

Perfect for debugging environments or comparing setups.

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4. Enforcing Return Value Usage (#[\NoDiscard])

Methods critical to program flow can now be marked so their return values must be used:

#[\NoDiscard("Must check status code")]
function createTransaction(): TransactionResult
{
    // ...
}

createTransaction(); // Warning: return value should not be ignored.

This helps avoid logic oversights where return values are unintentionally ignored.

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5. Constants: Closures & Callables

Defining a constant as an anonymous function or callable reference is now supported:

class Formatter
{
    public const TO_UPPER = fn(string $v): string => strtoupper($v);
    public const LOG = self::class . '::log';
}

This allows constants to hold reusable logic without relying on global functions or magic strings.

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6. The PHP_BUILD_DATE Constant

A new built-in constant, PHP_BUILD_DATE, records the timestamp of your PHP build:

echo 'Compiled on: ' . date('Y-m-d H:i:s', PHP_BUILD_DATE);

Easily track which version is running and address deployment or environment issues.

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7. array_first() and array_last()

Directly grab the first or last element of an array without resetting internal pointers:

$workflows = ['draft', 'review', 'publish'];
array_first($workflows); // "draft"
array_last($workflows);  // "publish"

A small but welcome helper for cleaner, intention-revealing code.

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8. IntlListFormatter

Locale-aware list formatting is now simplified with the IntlListFormatter class:

$fmt = new IntlListFormatter('en', IntlListFormatter::TYPE_AND);
echo $fmt->format(['one','two','three']); // "one, two, and three"

Makes multilingual listing seamless and culturally aware.

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9. Locale Direction Helpers

Detecting right-to-left text direction is simplified with:

if (locale_is_right_to_left('he')) {
    // Adjust UI alignment
}

Or via the isRightToLeft method:

Locale::isRightToLeft('ar_EG');

Essential for properly designing RTL-friendly interfaces.

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10. Getting Current Handlers

Fetch your active error or exception handlers to debug or extend them:

$prevHandler = get_exception_handler();
set_exception_handler(function ($e) use ($prevHandler) {
    log($e);
    $prevHandler && $prevHandler($e);
});

Provides more control over error behavior in production.

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Bonus Highlights

• curl_multi_get_handles() gives access to all cURL handles in a multi-handle session.
• Improved stack traces for fatal errors help debug deep problems.
• Support for attributes on constants and asymmetric visibility adds further refinement.

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Summary

PHP 8.5, expected on November 20, 2025, brings a suite of helpful improvements:

• Cleaner code with pipe operator and final property promotion
• Enforced return-value usage via attributes
• Enhanced configuration inspection with --ini=diff
• Better internationalization with new locale features
• Smarter debugging through handler introspection

These updates collectively help you write cleaner, safer, and more reliable PHP code. Be ready to upgrade and take advantage of these enhancements!