PHP Development Continues to Evolve After Three Decades: Introduces Pipe Operator, Explores Generics
PHP, the popular server-side scripting language, is gearing up for its next major release, PHP 8.5, scheduled for November 2025. One of the most anticipated features in this update is the introduction of the pipe operator ().
The pipe operator, borrowed from languages like F#, will enable chaining of operations by passing the value on the left as the first argument to the callable on the right. This new feature aims to improve readability and reduce nested function call complexity, facilitating a more natural left-to-right code flow.
While the pipe operator is officially added and finalized for PHP 8.5, another feature, compile-time generics, is still under consideration. Discussions suggest that generics may be partially implemented for interfaces and abstract classes, but a finalized, complete introduction is not yet confirmed for this release.
The pipe operator's introduction marks a significant improvement in how developers write PHP code in a functional style. This feature, along with the language's continued evolution towards modernity, efficiency, and expressiveness, is supported by efforts such as the PHP Foundation and other community initiatives.
PHP powers more than 70 percent of websites using server-side programming, making it a dominant player in the web development world. However, it seems that the language may be benefiting from developers disillusioned with JavaScript or TypeScript, as well as those working on small or abandoned websites that continue to use older versions of PHP.
As for the future of PHP, the pipe operator's introduction is just the beginning. The work on this feature may also enable partial function applications, further enhancing the language's functional programming capabilities.
Meanwhile, the PHP community is eagerly awaiting the final decision on compile-time generics. While a partial implementation could mean that PHP will be stuck with a half-baked feature, it also represents a step towards improving type safety and generic programming.
In the meantime, Laravel remains the most popular PHP framework, with 8.9% usage across all technologies, up from 7.9% in 2024. The latest StackOverflow survey shows that PHP has 18.9% overall usage and 19.1% for professional developers, although specific numbers for the usage of PHP among hobbyist and small business developers are not available.
As the release of PHP 8.5 approaches, developers can look forward to a more efficient and expressive PHP, ready to tackle the challenges of modern web development.
References: 1. PHP.net: Pipe Operator 2. PHP.net: Pipe Operator Examples 3. PHP.net: Status of Compile-Time Generics 4. PHP.net: Performance of Pipe Operator 5. PHP Foundation
The pipe operator, a functionality borrowed from languages like F#, is set to be introduced in the upcoming PHP 8.5, aiming to facilitate a more natural left-to-right code flow by reducing nested function call complexity and improving readability. This innovation aligns with the language's ongoing evolution towards modernity, efficiency, and expressiveness.
The PHP community is also closely following discussions on the potential inclusion of compile-time generics, as this feature may represent a step towards improving type safety and generic programming in PHP.
