Weekly Ask Anything Thread

Feel free to ask any questions you think may not warrant a post. Asking for help here is also fine.

https://redd.it/1p57f32
@r_php

Weekly help thread

Hey there!

This subreddit isn't meant for help threads, though there's one exception to the rule: in this thread you can ask anything you want PHP related, someone will probably be able to help you out!

https://redd.it/1p5acmd
@r_php

Looking for a Developer With Real PHPListings Experience

Hi all,
I’m looking for a developer who has actual experience working with PHPListings (not just general PHP). This is for ongoing project-based work.

If you’ve worked with PHPListings before, please comment or DM with your experience, examples, and rates.

Thanks!

https://redd.it/1p59to9
@r_php

Black Friday 2025 offers from the Symfony Ecosystem!
https://symfony.com/blog/black-friday-2025-offers-from-the-symfony-ecosystem?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Symfony%20Blog%20Feed

https://redd.it/1p5c3t2
@r_php

When php-fpm runs out of workers: a 502 error field guide
https://devcenter.upsun.com/posts/when-php-fpm-runs-out-of-workers-a-502-error-field-guide/

https://redd.it/1p5i64h
@r_php

New in Symfony 7.4: Misc Features (Part 2)
https://symfony.com/blog/new-in-symfony-7-4-misc-features-part-2?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Symfony%20Blog%20Feed

https://redd.it/1p5kl27
@r_php

Laravel Black Friday Deals 2025

Hello Everyone,

Just like last year, I’ve curated a comprehensive list of the best Black Friday deals specifically for Laravel developers. You can explore the list here:
https://blackfridaydeals.dev/deals/laravel

Most of the discounts are already live, while I’m awaiting announcements from a few more. If you happen to spot any Laravel-related deals that I’ve missed, please feel free to drop a comment, and I’ll make sure to add them to the list.

Happy deal hunting! 🚀

https://redd.it/1p5mjwa
@r_php

Looking a remote role (PHP/Laravel)

I'm a final year weekend student from Ghana looking for remote back-end Laravel role with 2 years of experience. I ready to share my LinkedIn and resume on request.

https://redd.it/1p5m4fr
@r_php

New in Symfony 7.4: Misc Features (Part 3)
https://symfony.com/blog/new-in-symfony-7-4-misc-features-part-3?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Symfony%20Blog%20Feed

https://redd.it/1p68i36
@r_php

Unpopular opinion: php != async

I currently don't see a future for async in core PHP, as it would divide the PHP community and potentially harm the language (similar to what happened with Perl 6).

If I really needed an asynchronous language, I would simply choose one that is designed for it. Same as i choose PHP for API and ssr web.

Some people say PHP is "dead" if it doesn’t get async, but PHP is more popular than ever, and a major part of its ecosystem is built around synchronous code.

I know many here will disagree, but the major PHP developers are often the quiet ones – not the people loudly demanding specific features.

https://redd.it/1p69305
@r_php

Symfony 7.4 curated new features
https://symfony.com/blog/symfony-7-4-curated-new-features?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Symfony%20Blog%20Feed

https://redd.it/1p69h09
@r_php

Why don’t major companies invest in PHP’s evolution?

PHP powers a massive part of the internet.
And while some companies sponsor the PHP Foundation, the money can´t cover big progress.

What I’m trying to understand is this:

Why does no major company invest seriously in moving PHP forward as a language and runtime?

Given how widespread PHP is, the potential upside for a corporate sponsor seems obvious:

* massive visibility in one of the largest developer communities
* influence on a core web technology
* improvements that could directly benefit their own platforms
* better efficiency, lower infrastructure costs
* a modernized language that stays competitive long-term
* strong goodwill in open-source
* maybe more? win-win agreements?

So the question is:

If the ecosystem is this big. Why is there no significant investment into its evolution?
What are the real reasons large companies stay passive?

Is it simply because PHP has no clear long-term roadmap or vision for where the language should go to be visibile?
It could be anything. I don´t know. May you do?

And maybe the most important point:
How much would meaningful language-level progress actually cost? 15million in 5 years?

Curious to hear how the community sees this.


https://redd.it/1p6bprs
@r_php

How do you collect and handle OpenTelemetry data?

For people that aren't using nightwatch, what does your set up look? Do you have any package recommendations?

https://redd.it/1p68u7d
@r_php

Laravel Tagged Cache

https://github.com/BrekiTomasson/laravel-tagged-cache

I wrote this package to scratch my own itch, basically as a wrapper around the "tags" feature of Laravel's Cache facade. Give it a spin and let me know what you think, I feel it solves a lot of headaches when working with tags and cache in general.

https://redd.it/1p6f5oe
@r_php

SymfonyCon Amsterdam 2025: Developing the developer: Journaling with AI
https://symfony.com/blog/symfonycon-amsterdam-2025-developing-the-developer-journaling-with-ai?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Symfony%20Blog%20Feed

https://redd.it/1p6hlyn
@r_php

Laravel 12 now officially supports PHP 8.5.
https://github.com/laravel/framework/releases/tag/v12.40.0

https://redd.it/1p6ikww
@r_php

PHP Symfony Consumers on K8s

How do you run PHP Symfony consumers as a long running process reliably on Kubernetes ?

I am facing a conundrum where the symfony consume message command will eventually produce an exit code 0. In most cases this is not an issue, but on K8s deployments, any exit code will just restart the pod, I know this topic kinda veers into k8s territory, but I was curious if anyone has a similar setup on a production environment and what their workaround was.

https://redd.it/1p6lzei
@r_php

I wonder why PHP doesn't have implicit $this?

I tried to search "implicit pointer this" or "implicit $this", etc. but it appears the word "this" is just too common and I was not able to find useful information to show if this question is a duplicate or not.

I'm wondering why PHP has $this and cannot be omitted.

For example:

class User
{
string $name;

public function setName(string $newName)
{
// Equivalent to: $this->name = $newName;
$name = $newName; "$this" is implicit, thus no need to write "$this->" every time.
}

public function setName2(string $name)
{
$name = $name // This still works but the arg $name hides the class member of same name.
$this->name = $name; // "$this->" is required to assign the value to class member.
}
}

Is "$$" or lack of type declaration for local variable the reason?

https://redd.it/1p6rd0x
@r_php

After 2.5 years without a major version, we just launched Backpack v7

Hey everyone,

Tabacitu here, founder of Backpack for Laravel. I know product launch posts can feel spammy, so I'll keep this focused on what actually matters to you as Laravel developers.

The honest backstory: We intentionally delayed v7 for more than a year. Why? Because we know upgrading sucks. Many times when we wanted to add something that required breaking changes, we found a backwards-compatible way instead. But some things... just couldn't be done without a new major version.

## What we actually built (the technical stuff)

The big idea behind v7 was making our components truly reusable. Pedro has spent >8 months refactoring so you can use datatables, forms, and datagrids anywhere—not just in CRUD operations. Custom dashboards, reports, modals, drawers, wherever.

Some highlights:

Reusable Components Everywhere
- Drop a <x-backpack::datatable> in any Blade view and it picks up your CrudController config
- Same with forms, show pages, and a new "datagrid" component
- Filters now work outside the List operation (custom pages, dashboards, reports)

Better DX
- Lifecycle hooks so you don't have to override entire operation methods anymore
- SaveAction classes instead of big arrays (way cleaner)
- Custom Views in List operation can now have their own filters
- Theme skins using only CSS variables (match your brand colors without touching core files)

Under the Hood
- Bumped all JS/CSS dependencies (Bootstrap, Tabler, DataTables, etc.)
- Fixed all the Uploader quirks (especially in repeatables)
- Made Basset way more reliable
- Moved TinyMCE & CKEditor to separate open-source addons


## The AI stuff (WIP)

We've already released an add-on in beta, that helps admins automatically translate their entities from one language to another. It's working GREAT on some of our client websites, wish we had more people trying it. Only available to our EVERYTHING buyers at the moment.

We're also working on an AI Agent Kit that helps LLMs build working CRUDs and features. It's not perfect, but it does work surprisingly well for scaffolding. Will be available to everyone when we're happy with it.

We have a few more AI-powered add-ons planned, so the admin can use AI in their admin panel. More on that in 2026.


## Should you upgrade?

Yes, 100%. It's not one of those cases where you should let early adopters upgrade first to shake out the edge cases. Backpack v7 has been in beta for 2 months, it's polished.

If you're running Backpack v6, you can still use it (of course) but know you're no longer getting any new features. Only security updates, if needed.

If you're running Backpack v5... come on, man, it's 2025.


## The shameless plug part

Yes, we're running a promo campaign today (gotta pay the team somehow). But honestly, 90% of what we've launched in v7 is in our free & open-source core - so I do think this post has its place here.

And tbh... I'm just proud of what we built and wanted to share it with the community that's supported us for 9+ years.

Full details:
- Launch page
- Release notes
- Upgrade guide

Happy to answer any questions.

— Tabacitu

P.S. I know many here are using Filament or prefer Tailwind-based solutions - that's totally cool, use what works for you. But if you're one of those developers who enjoys building with the simple, mature stack we prefer (Laravel + Bootstrap + JS), wanted to let you know we're still here, building for you. This post is so we share what's up in our world too. Say hello in the comments.

https://redd.it/1p718u8
@r_php

PHP devs, what's the most time-wasting task you still do manually?

Curious to hear real developer pain points, is it debugging, auth, APIs, or something else? Might help us build better solutions.

https://redd.it/1p72jxp
@r_php

Preparing for Symfony 7.4 and Symfony 8.0
https://symfony.com/blog/preparing-for-symfony-7-4-and-symfony-8-0?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Symfony%20Blog%20Feed

https://redd.it/1p72wfd
@r_php