{"id":17705,"date":"2025-11-25T14:14:17","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T14:14:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.20i.com\/blog\/?p=17705"},"modified":"2026-01-09T16:15:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T16:15:38","slug":"php-8-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.20i.com\/blog\/php-8-5\/","title":{"rendered":"PHP 8.5 is now available (and what’s new)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From Reseller Hosting<\/a> and Managed WordPress Hosting<\/a> to Web Hosting<\/a> and Managed Cloud Servers<\/a>, PHP\u202f8.5 is now fully deployed<\/strong> across the 20i platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That means you can take advantage of PHP 8.5’s performance improvements, cleaner syntax and developer\u2011friendly features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Easily change any of your hosting packages’ PHP version in My20i’s PHP Version Manager<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resellers can make PHP 8.5 the default version for new packages in ‘Hosting Package Types<\/a>‘. Simply edit your existing Package Type(s) or create a new one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A note on WordPress:<\/strong> WordPress currently has beta support<\/a> for PHP 8.5. Support for any given version of PHP is labelled as “beta support” until at least 10% of all WordPress sites are running that version or later.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s new in PHP 8.5?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

PHP 8.5 brings a range of developer\u2011focussed enhancements that aim to make code cleaner, safer and more expressive<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Pipe operator<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the most visible additions is the new pipe operator<\/strong> (|>). This allows you to chain callables in a left\u2011to\u2011right style, passing the return value of each into the next. It reduces nested calls, improves readability and aligns with functional\u2011style patterns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example before PHP\u202f8.5:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

$result = strtolower(\n    str_replace('.', '',\n        str_replace(' ', '-',\n            trim($title)\n        )\n    )\n);<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
With PHP\u202f8.5:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
$result = $title\n    |> trim(...)\n    |> (fn($str) => str_replace(' ', '-', $str))\n    |> (fn($str) => str_replace('.', '', $str))\n    |> strtolower(...);<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
This means fewer temp variables, clearer pipeline logic for data transformations, and easier maintenance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. URI extension (built\u2011in)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
PHP\u202f8.5 introduces a new built\u2011in URI extension<\/strong> for parsing, normalising and manipulating URLs\/URIs according to RFC\u202f3986 and WHATWG standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This means developers no longer need to rely on third\u2011party libraries for robust URL handling. You can use something like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
use Uri\\Rfc3986\\Uri;\n\n$uri = new Uri('https:\/\/example.com\/path?query=1');\necho $uri->getHost(); \/\/ example.com<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
This new feature simplifies reliable URL parsing, sanitisation and manipulation, which helps when building link\u2011builders, redirect logic, or multi\u2011tenant router systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Clone with \/ Immutable cloning enhancements<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Another significant improvement is the enhanced clone<\/code> usage. Yu can now pass a second parameter to clone()<\/code> to override properties during cloning, enabling more concise \u201cwith\u2011er\u201d patterns especially for readonly or immutable objects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
readonly class Colour {\n    public function __construct(\n        public int $red,\n        public int $green,\n        public int $blue,\n        public int $alpha = 255,\n    ) {}\n    public function withAlpha(int $alpha): self {\n        return clone($this, [\n            'alpha' => $alpha,\n        ]);\n    }\n}<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
For frameworks, plugins or large scale apps, this gives a cleaner immutable\u2011friendly API, reducing boilerplate for object state transformations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. New utility functions and helper features<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
There are several additions that enhance everyday developer ergonomics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n