Last updated: April 6, 2026
Minimum PHP Version: PHP 7.4+
Status: Stable

PHP Version Comparison Matrix

Quick reference showing which PHP features are available in each version. Use this to understand version requirements and plan upgrades.

OOP & Language Features

Feature	PHP 7.4	PHP 8.0	PHP 8.1	PHP 8.2	PHP 8.3	First Available
Named Arguments	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅	8.0
Constructor Promotion	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅	8.0
Match Expression	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅	8.0
Nullsafe Operator	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅	8.0
Union Types	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅	8.0
Static Return Type	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅	8.0
Attributes (Annotations)	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅	8.0
Intersection Types	❌	❌	✅	✅	✅	8.1
Enums	❌	❌	✅	✅	✅	8.1
First-Class Callable Syntax	❌	❌	✅	✅	✅	8.1
Fibers (Async)	❌	❌	✅	✅	✅	8.1
Readonly Properties	❌	❌	✅	✅	✅	8.1
Readonly Classes	❌	❌	❌	✅	✅	8.2
Disjunctive Normal Form Types	❌	❌	❌	✅	✅	8.2
Constants in Traits	❌	❌	❌	✅	✅	8.2
Attributes on Parameters	❌	❌	❌	✅	✅	8.2

Type System

Feature	PHP 7.4	PHP 8.0	PHP 8.1	PHP 8.2	PHP 8.3
Scalar Type Hints	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
`int`, `string`, `bool`, `float`	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
`array` Type	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
`object` Type	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
`iterable` Type	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
`callable` Type	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
`?type` (Nullable)	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
`void` Return Type	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
`mixed` Type	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅
Union Types (`int\\|string`)	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅
Intersection Types (`A&B`)	❌	❌	✅	✅	✅
`never` Return Type	❌	❌	✅	✅	✅
Weak vs Strict Comparison	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅

Functions & Closures

Feature	PHP 7.4	PHP 8.0	PHP 8.1	PHP 8.2	PHP 8.3	Status
Arrow Functions (`fn =>`)	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	Stable
Variadic Arguments (`...`)	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	Stable
Unpacking Arguments (`...`)	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	Stable
Default Arguments	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	Stable
Named Arguments	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅	NEW in 8.0
Anonymous Classes	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	Stable
Return Type Covariance	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	Stable
Parameter Type Contravariance	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅	NEW in 8.0
`string` Argument Unpacking	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅	NEW in 8.0

Control Flow

Feature	PHP 7.4	PHP 8.0	PHP 8.1	PHP 8.2	PHP 8.3
`if/else` Statements	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
`switch` Statements	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
`match` Expressions	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅
`try/catch/finally`	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
`throw` as Expression	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅
`foreach` with Keys/Values	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Alternative Control Syntax	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅

Error Handling

Feature	PHP 7.4	PHP 8.0	PHP 8.1	PHP 8.2	PHP 8.3
Exceptions	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
`Error` Class	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
`Throwable` Interface	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
`ValueError`	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅
`DivisionByZeroError`	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
`CompileError`	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅
`ParseError`	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅

Arrays & Collections

Feature	PHP 7.4	PHP 8.0	PHP 8.1	PHP 8.2	PHP 8.3
Array Destructuring	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Short Array Syntax `[]`	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Spread Operator `...`	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
`array_key_exists()`	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
`count()` on Objects	✅	⚠️ Strict	⚠️ Strict	⚠️ Strict	⚠️ Strict
SPL Data Structures	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅

Strings

Feature	PHP 7.4	PHP 8.0	PHP 8.1	PHP 8.2	PHP 8.3
String Type Hints	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
String Interpolation	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Heredoc/Nowdoc	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
String Character Access	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
`str_*()` Functions	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Multibyte Functions	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅

Performance Features

Feature	PHP 7.4	PHP 8.0	PHP 8.1	PHP 8.2	PHP 8.3	Notes
Just-In-Time (JIT) Compilation	❌	⚠️ Opt-in	⚠️ Opt-in	⚠️ Opt-in	⚠️ Opt-in	Massive speedup if enabled
Opcache	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	Recommended always
Preloading	❌	✅	✅	✅	✅	Works with JIT
Fibers	❌	❌	✅	✅	✅	Async/concurrent code

Deprecations & Removals

Feature	PHP 7.4	PHP 8.0	PHP 8.1	PHP 8.2	PHP 8.3	Status
`create_function()`	⚠️ Dep.	❌ Removed	❌ Removed	❌ Removed	❌ Removed	Use anonymous functions
`each()`	⚠️ Dep.	❌ Removed	❌ Removed	❌ Removed	❌ Removed	Use `foreach()`
`money_format()`	⚠️ Dep.	❌ Removed	❌ Removed	❌ Removed	❌ Removed	Use `NumberFormatter`
`ldap_sort()`	⚠️ Dep.	❌ Removed	❌ Removed	❌ Removed	❌ Removed	Use custom sorting
Variadic Functions Limitation	✅ Limited	✅ Fixed	✅	✅	✅	Named args help

Legend

Symbol	Meaning
✅	Feature fully supported and recommended
⚠️	Feature supported but deprecated or limited
❌	Feature not available or removed
NEW	Significant new feature in this version
Opt-in	Feature requires configuration to enable
Dep.	Deprecated (works but avoid using)

Version Release Timeline

Version	Release Date	Security Support Ends	LTS	Current
PHP 7.4	2019-11-28	2022-11-28	❌	⏳ Legacy
PHP 8.0	2020-11-26	2023-11-26	❌	⏳ Legacy
PHP 8.1	2021-11-25	2023-11-25	❌	⏳ Legacy
PHP 8.2	2022-12-08	2025-12-08	❌	🟢 Active
PHP 8.3	2023-11-23	2026-11-23	❌	🟢 Current
PHP 9.0	TBA	TBA	TBA	⏸️ Future

Quick Decision Guide

"Should I upgrade?"

From PHP 7.4: - ✅ YES - PHP 7.4 support ended November 2022 - ✅ Go directly to PHP 8.2+ (8.0/8.1 are also EOL) - ✅ See: Upgrading from PHP 7.4 to 8.0

From PHP 8.0: - ✅ YES - PHP 8.0 support ended November 2023 - ✅ Upgrade to PHP 8.2+ for active support

From PHP 8.1: - ✅ SOON - PHP 8.1 support ends November 2023 - ✅ Plan upgrade to PHP 8.2+ or 8.3

From PHP 8.2: - ⏳ NOT URGENT - Support until December 2025 - ✅ Consider upgrading to PHP 8.3 for latest features

From PHP 8.3: - ✅ STABLE - Latest version, fully supported