Remi Collet has released PHP 8.5 packages specifically for Fedora-based systems and Red Hat Enterprise Linux, making them available through his php:remi-8.5 module or the remi-safe repository. The new version of PHP includes several notable features, such as a new URI extension to simplify working with URLs and the pipe operator (|>) for chaining operations together without intermediate variables. Additional improvements include Clone With for efficient object duplication and attributes like #[NoDiscard] to prevent errors by flagging ignored function return values. 

PHP 8.5 Fedora/RHEL Packages released

Remi Collet has released PHP 8.5 packages specifically for Fedora-based systems as well as Red Hat Enterprise Linux (and its derivatives). If you use either of these distributions, grab the RPMs from his php:remi-8.5 module to get the latest version.

For users who prefer a more traditional approach to managing packages or might be in slightly different situations, Remi has also included PHP 8.5 within his well-known Software Collection. This means it's available via the remi-safe repository too, offering another way into the new release depending on your setup and comfort level.

While performance boosts are always welcome, two features really stand out as potentially useful: first, there's an entirely new URI extension aimed at making working with URLs more straightforward across different parts of your code. Second, we've got the pipe operator (|>), which offers a clean way to pass data through multiple functions in sequence, basically letting you link operations together without needing intermediate variables.

Then there are other important additions: Clone With helps manage object duplication efficiently, especially useful when dealing with heavy objects or long-running processes like CLI scripts. And we're seeing an early introduction of attributes, specifically #[NoDiscard], which flags function return values that shouldn't be ignored, a neat touch to help prevent errors down the line.

Finally, PHP 8.5 introduces some subtle but important language capabilities for specific scenarios. You can now use closures (anonymous functions), casts (like type hints in (int)), and first-class callables directly within constant expressions where it makes sense.

PHP version 8.5 is released!

RC5 was GOLD, so version 8.5.0 GA was just released, at the planned date. A great thanks to Volker Dusch, Daniel Scherzer and Pierrick Charron, our Release Managers, to all developers who have contributed to this new, long-awaited version of PHP, and to all testers of the RC versions who have allowed us to deliver a good-quality version.

PHP version 8.5 is released!