PHP 8.3 Documentation
Official documentation for PHP 8.3, including new features, performance improvements, security enhancements, and how to upgrade from previous versions.
Introduction
PHP 8.3 is a major release packed with powerful performance improvements, new language features, and bug fixes. This version is fully backward compatible with PHP 8.2 while offering significant enhancements for modern web development.
This version is recommended for all production environments. It includes the latest security patches and performance optimizations for both server-side and CLI applications.
Release Date
2025-08-15
Version Status
Stable
End of Support
2027-12
New Features in PHP 8.3
Union Types 2.0
Enhanced support for complex type declarations now includes nested unions using the | operator.
function formatInput( string|bool|float $input ) : mixed|void { ... }
Learn more →
Improved Null Coalesce
New syntax allows chaining null-safe operators with default values directly in expressions without additional parentheses.
$data = $request?->input?->value ?? "default";
JIT Enhancements
20% faster execution for CPU-intensive scripts with optimized tracing compiler.
Safe Mode
Experimental mode to block deprecated APIs with automatic migration suggestions.
Improved Error Handling
New try-catch extensions for context-aware exception logging.
Performance Optimizations
Memory Usage
Memory consumption reduced by up to 30% in long-running applications using the new garbage collection cycle.
Execution Speed
Critical microbenchmarks show 18-25% performance gains in standard application scenarios.
Security Updates
TLS 1.5 Enforcement
All built-in HTTP clients now require TLS 1.5 by default for secure communications.
// Automatic upgrade for all network functions
Changelog
Native WebAssembly Support
Add $php->webAssembly() API to convert PHP scripts to .wasm binaries for use in modern microservices architectures.
php -wasm hello.php
Optimized Regex Engine
45% faster PCRE engine using new JIT compiler optimizations for patterns using ($
The compiler can now automatically infer complex array types with nested union declarations.
Type Inference Improvements