PHP 8.1
This version has reached end of life and no longer receives updates.
November 25, 2021
November 25, 2023
December 31, 2025
8.1.34 (December 18, 2025)
About PHP 8.1
PHP 8.1 introduced enums, fibers, readonly properties, and intersection types. A major modernization step that brought PHP closer to languages like TypeScript and Kotlin.
Key Changes in PHP 8.1
- ●Enums: first-class enum support with methods and interfaces
- ●Fibers for cooperative multitasking (foundation for async frameworks like ReactPHP and Amp)
- ●Readonly properties for immutable value objects
- ●Intersection types (
Countable&Iterator) - ●Never return type for functions that always throw or exit
Breaking Changes
- ▲Internal method return types added (may trigger deprecation notices)
- ▲Several string functions changed to be more strict with null arguments
PHP 8.1 recently reached end of life on December 31, 2025. This means it no longer receives security patches or bug fixes from the maintainers. If you are still on this version, now is the time to finalize your upgrade plan before the gap between your version and the current release grows wider.
The recommended upgrade path is to PHP 8.5. Since PHP 8.1 is 4 major versions behind, consider a staged upgrade through intermediate versions to catch breaking changes incrementally rather than all at once. Review the release notes for each intervening major version to identify API changes, deprecated features, and removed functionality that may affect your codebase.
Lifecycle Progress
This version reached end of life December 31, 2025.
All PHP Versions
| Version | Released | EOL | Latest | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.5 | November 20, 2025 | December 31, 2029 | 8.5.3 | Active |
| 8.4 | November 21, 2024 | December 31, 2028 | 8.4.18 | Active |
| 8.3 | November 23, 2023 | December 31, 2027 | 8.3.30 | Security Only |
| 8.2 | December 8, 2022 | December 31, 2026 | 8.2.30 | Security Only |
| 8.1 (current page) | November 25, 2021 | December 31, 2025 | 8.1.34 | End of Life |
| 8.0 | November 26, 2020 | November 26, 2023 | 8.0.30 | End of Life |
| 7.4 | November 28, 2019 | November 28, 2022 | 7.4.33 | End of Life |
| 7.3 | December 6, 2018 | December 6, 2021 | 7.3.33 | End of Life |
| 7.2 | November 30, 2017 | November 30, 2020 | 7.2.34 | End of Life |
| 7.1 | December 1, 2016 | December 1, 2019 | 7.1.33 | End of Life |
| 7.0 | December 3, 2015 | January 10, 2019 | 7.0.33 | End of Life |
| 5.6 | August 28, 2014 | December 31, 2018 | 5.6.40 | End of Life |
| 5.5 | June 20, 2013 | July 21, 2016 | 5.5.38 | End of Life |
| 5.4 | March 1, 2012 | September 14, 2015 | 5.4.45 | End of Life |
| 5.3 | June 30, 2009 | August 14, 2014 | 5.3.29 | End of Life |
| 5.2 | November 2, 2006 | January 6, 2011 | 5.2.17 | End of Life |
| 5.1 | November 24, 2005 | August 24, 2006 | 5.1.6 | End of Life |
| 5.0 | July 13, 2004 | September 5, 2005 | 5.0.5 | End of Life |
Frequently Asked Questions
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