β The future of PHP: a look at what PHP 9 will bring
docs: English JsonRpcBundle docs, REST and MCP Bundle sections, package cards
en/articles/from-tg/php/php-9.md
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# The future of PHP: a look at what PHP 9 will bring
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PHP is more alive than ever π
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And although some people still consider it a "dinosaur", the language keeps evolving. PHP 9.0 may become the very moment when "magic" gives way to cleanliness, and unexpected tricks give way to predictability.
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:::note
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There is no official date for PHP 9 yet, but the RFC discussions are already heating up.
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After 8.5 (and maybe 8.6) we will get a stricter, more logical and, importantly, stable PHP.
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:::
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So if you don't follow the RFCs yet, I'll share this information with you.
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## 1. The ++ / -- operators will become more honest
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No more weird conversions of strings into numbers.
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```php
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$a = 'a9';
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$a++;
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// PHP < 9.0 -> 'b0'
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// PHP 9.0 -> TypeError
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```
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Less "magic".
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## 2. unserialize() will throw exceptions
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```php
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try {
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$obj = unserialize($data);
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} catch (UnserializationFailedException $e) {
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// handle
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}
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```
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An exception instead of a warning.
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## 3. Fewer type overrides
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```php
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$arr = false;
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$arr[] = 2;
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// PHP < 9.0 -> [2]
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// PHP 9.0 -> Error
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```
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Now it will be an error rather than shooting yourself in the foot.
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## 4. String interpolation β without extra magic
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```php
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$name = "Alex";
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echo "Hello $name"; // β
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echo "Hello {$name}"; // β
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echo "Hello ${name}"; // β Deprecation
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```
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Bringing everything to a single standard.
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## 5. Warning == fatal error
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Undefined variables, properties or access to null will no longer get through "somehow".
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```php
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echo $undefinedVar;
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// PHP < 9.0 -> Warning
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// PHP 9.0 -> Fatal error
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```
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PHP will be more demanding about code quality β and that's a good thing.
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## 6. Cleaning out old "stuff"
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Old-style constructors, deprecated functions, non-standard logic β all of this will go to the archive.
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Less junk, less ambiguity.
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## Summary
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> PHP 9.0 should radically change the approach to writing code and its culture.
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> Less permissiveness, more control.
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If your code is already clean, strictly typed and free of magic, you have nothing to fear πͺ
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---
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*First published in Ukrainian in the Telegram channel [βCreated to dieβ](https://t.me/php_while_true/69) on October 14, 2025.*