The PHP team released PHP 8.5 on 20 November 2025. Rather than big shake-ups, it is a release full of changes that make everyday work easier.
Main features
Pipe operator (|>). Calling several functions in a row no longer needs intermediate variables: the result is passed from left to right from one function to the next, and the code reads better.
Built-in URI extension. Parsing and changing URLs according to RFC 3986 and the WHATWG standard no longer needs an extra library. It also reduces bugs caused by URLs being read differently.
Clone with. You can change an object's properties at the moment you clone it, which is especially handy with readonly classes.
On top of that there are array_first() and array_last(), the #[\NoDiscard] attribute that warns when a return value is ignored, and the option to keep cURL connections between requests.
Deprecated features
Some old syntax is now deprecated: the backtick operator as a shortcut for shell_exec(), non-standard casts such as (integer) and (boolean), and ending a case with a semicolon instead of a colon. Before moving an existing project to 8.5, check the official migration guide and run your tests.
Source: php.net.
