PHP 8.1 Release Candidate 1 Is Here

The PHP team announced the release of the first PHP 8.1 release candidate! We are still about two and a half months (Nov 25) from the v8.1.0 GA, but you can start preparing for PHP 8.1 by learning about the new features, the upgrade path, and key dates to ensure you're ready.

🎉 PHP 8.1 Release Candidate 1 is ready!

🧊 A feature freeze is in operation, and the API and ABI for extensions won't change. Only bug fixes now.

➕ Do: Test your projects! NOW!

➖ Don't: Run it in production.

⏭️ RC 2 in two weeks

🔗 https://t.co/6EVPgihTOR

📸 by @derickr pic.twitter.com/mWaQidbVEN

— php.net (@official_php) September 2, 2021

What New Features are in PHP 8.1?

PHP 8.1 is a minor release with new features focusing on the language's object-oriented design, types, functions, etc. Here are some of the highlight features coming to PHP 8.1:

• Enums
• new in initializers
• read-only properties
• Final Class Constants
• PHP array_is_list()
• fsync function
• Pure Intersection Types
• Performance improvements

If you'd like more details on these features (and more), check out Brent Roose's post What's new in PHP 8.1. Also, check out the upgrading document for the complete list of new features.

Timeline

This release kicks off the feature freeze portion of the PHP 8.1 release cycle. We'll see a few more release candidates, and finally, the general availability release around November 25, 2021:

Learn More

The following list of resources has everything you need to learn more about the upcoming releases:

• The UPGRADING document includes backward-incompatible changes, new features, and everything else you'll need to familiarize yourself with changes in PHP 8.1
• The NEWS document has detailed notes about each release
• The PHP 8.1 preparation tasks page has the release timeline of the upcoming releases
• You can download the PHP 8.1 RC1 source from the downloads page