6 PHP 8 Features You Should Be Using in 2026

 6 PHP 8 Features You Should Be Using in 2026

1. Constructor property promotion

php

class User {
    public function __construct(
        public string $name,
        public string $email
    ) {}
}

2. Named arguments

php

setcookie(name: 'token', value: $t, httponly: true);

3. Nullsafe operator

php

$city = $user?->address?->city;

4. match expression

php

$label = match($status) {
    1 => 'Active',
    2 => 'Pending',
    default => 'Unknown',
};

5. Enums (PHP 8.1+)

php

enum Status: int {
    case Active = 1;
    case Pending = 2;
}

6. Readonly properties (PHP 8.1+)

php

public readonly int $id;

match throws an error for unmatched values without a default, unlike switch, which quietly falls through. That catches bugs earlier.

Which feature do you use most? Drop a comment, and share this with a PHP developer still writing PHP 5 style code.