PHP is the most promising scripting language used for the Development of websites, web applications, dynamic content, databases, session tracking, even build entire e-commerce sites.
PHP's languages run on a server-side scripting platform. It’s used for making powerful dynamic and interactive Websites. This is a broadly free, well-organized, and alternative to competitors such as Microsoft ASP.
It can perform on various platforms like Windows, Linux, UNIX, Mac and supports a wide range of databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, Sybase, Inform ix, and Microsoft SQL Server.
PHP 8 on the 26 Nov 2020 PHP new edition was released. It contains many new features, Like the JIT compiler, which improves performance significantly. Support for PHP older version will end in 2020. Many websites developer still using the old versions. Yet this is technically possible, it is not recommended.
So switch to a new version of PHP for the various advantages. The new functions offered more variety; performance can be massively increasing the security gaps.
The extended functionality added is Just in Time (JIT) Compiler, Attributes, New Match Expression, Union Types, Static Return, and Mixed Types, New PHP 8 Functions, Named Arguments, Breaking improvement in PHP 8.
JIT stands for just-in-time compilation means, a technique that compiles a program into machine code immediately before it is executed. JIT compiler compiles part at the run time and behaves like a cached version of the code. The JIT — just in time — compiler performance improvements, though not always context of web requests.
Attributes are also called annotations. The structured metadata forms can be utilized to review properties for various objects, elements, and files. Currently, the only way to tag attributes and declare classes or functions is through documents.
Union Types come from other languages like C and C++. The two or more types can be combined from a union and any of the above types can be used.
<?php
class F {}
class G extends F {}
// This doesn't extend F.
class H {}
function f(C $f) {
echo get_class($f)."\n";
}
f(new F);
f(new G);
f(new H);
?>
Output of the above example in PHP 8:-
G
H
Static is an important class name and return is a valid type in the new version besides self & parent.
Weak Maps are the function such as a key-value store, where keys are objects, and values can be irrational data. The key is weakly referenced in the key-value store and if the key is out of range, the weak map key-value store will not prevent the key object from being collected.PHP's splObject Storage class allows additional data for an object key.
<?php
$wm = new WeakMap();
$o = new StdClass;
public function __destruct() {
echo "Dead!\n";
}
}
$wm[$o] = new A;
var_dump(count($wm));
echo "Unsetting...\n";
unset($o);
echo "Done\n";
var_dump(count($wm));
The above example will output:
int (1)
Unsettling...
Dead!
Done
int(0)
The String-aware interface is automatically added to classes that implement the __toString() method. Previously, this step had to be done manually. The code looks like this:
Let’s say we have an example that defines to String method.
<?php
class Cat
{
public function __toString(): string
{
return 'Meow';
}
}
Here we create an object of a class and call echo to print an object directly. This will be converted to string via __toString method.
<?php
require_once 'Cat.php';
$cat = new Cat();
echo $cat;
Example will output:
1
Meow
7. The Null safe Operator (RFC)
In PHP new addition to the zero coalescing operators. Now the possibility to recognize zero return values directly from methods. They are unaware of this and allow us to get a value without having to test that if the value exists and to return a different value if the first value is null. Its shows that we can do this to get a value of $_GET superglobal or 0 if that value doesn't exist.
$country = null;
if ($session !== null) {
$user = $session->user;
if ($user !== null) {
$address = $user->getAddress();
if ($address !== null) {
$country = $address->country;
}
}
}
// do something with $country
With the nullsafe operator ?->
this code could instead be written as:
$country = $session?->user?->getAddress()?->country;
Named arguments provide a different order of arguments and call functions. Check that following normal function that has two parameters.
It fills an array to the given length.function fillArray(array $arrayToFill, int $number) : array
{
for ($i = 0 $i < $number; ++$i)
{
$arrayToFill[$i] =1;
}
return $arrayToFill;
}
Named arguments contribute to a distinct order of controversy and call activities. Check that the successive normal responsibility has two guidelines. It sufficiency an array to the given dimension.function fillArray(array $arrayToFill, int $number) : array
{
for
($i = 0 $i $number; ++$i)
{ $arrayToFill[$i] =1; }
return $arrayToFill;
A match expression can be added similarly to the switch, but with safer semantics and the ability to return values. It is an expression that can store or return the variable. Only supports single-line expressions and no break is required; statement.
It will be useful sometime in the future:
echo match (8.0)
{
'8.0' => "Oh no!”
8.0 => "This is what I expected",
};
//> This is what I expected
10. Saner string to number comparisons
In PHP When comparing numeric string, a number comparison is used. If not, it converts the number to a string and uses a string comparison.
# PHP 8
0 == 'foobar' // true
# PHP 8
0 == 'foobar' // false
PHP is an interpreted language when PHP script is executed. The interpreter analyses to compile and execute the code over and over again on every request. This process is wastes CPU resources and additional time.
This is where the OPcache extension works.
“OPcache makes the better performance by storing precompiled script”.
12. Error Handling Improvements
An important and backward-incompatible change in PHP is that internal functions now throw exceptions on type or value errors.
This correct historical behaviour issues a warning and returning null if it encounters a value that it cannot use.
This behaviour is often undesired because PHP warnings do not stop the execution of the remaining block.
PHP is the most promising server-side language for building websites. With an estimated 80% market share, programming language 20 is everywhere. PHP has evolved and the next improvement is PHP 8.0.0 and the JIT compilation.
Features, Improvements, and the JIT Compiler with example
The PHP has eight new features such as Union types, JIT Compiler, The null safe operator, named arguments, Attributes, Match expression, Constructor property promotion.
The wide range of improved language features makes PHP better for enterprise-level projects. Union allows for the defining type validation, which brings the language closer to a strong typing approach.
JIT stands for just-in-time compilation means, a technique that compiles a program into machine code immediately before it is executed. JIT executes the machine code that has been implemented to work together with OP Cache.
It is the first time script that is script cached in OP Cache, it is returned and compiled immediately.
In PHP version 8.0 performances is significantly faster than 7.3 and 7.4 and other older versions. The other major changes for Word Press websites and performance will go up and 65% of the website PHP value, so support like Face book, Word Press, etc, will be better.
Why PHP is a gig in the Information technology Industry?
PHP is a more effective tool for creating dynamic and interactive Websites. PHP is free and efficient for rich applications/website development. It can run on an Apache webserver which in turn runs seamlessly on Windows, Linux, Solaris, and various other UNIX platforms.
PHP 8 is much more than just the version number.
PHP 8 is packed with new features, potential performance, and fixes too many unintuitive behaviours and inconsistencies in previous iterations of the language.
The updated version of PHP improves our performance and improves the quality of the code-base with new changes to PHP 8.
Upgrading to newer versions of PHP 8 is usually more secure, has fewer bugs, and runs scripts faster. If a website is building with PHP and the code is compatible with the latest version of the language, it will work the same way or better. If you use WordPress or a similar CMS and update it, you will see performance improvements.
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