This article explores some exciting new features that have been added to the language in recent years, because sometimes vanilla is exactly what you need. If you’re looking to cut down on heavy dependencies or simply get up to date, this one’s for you.

Adding `fake()` methods to your custom facades in applications and packages can provide some nice DX and APIs.

This week I wrote about my experiences with technical and architectural debt. When I was a developer we used to distinguish between code debt (temporary hacks) and architectural debt (structural decisions that bite you later). But in enterprise architecture, it goes way beyond technical implementation. To me architectural debt is found on all layers. Application/Infrastructure layer: This is about integration patterns, system overlap, and vendor lock-in. Not the code itself, but how applications interact with each other. Debt here directly hits operations through increased costs and slower delivery. Business layer: This covers ownership, stewardship, and process documentation. When business processes are outdated or phantom processes exist, people work under wrong assumptions. Projects start on the back foot before they even begin. Issues here multiply operational problems. Strategy layer: The most damaging level. If your business capability maps are outdated or misaligned, you're basing 3-5 year strategies on wrong assumptions. This blocks transformation and can make bad long-term strategy look appealing.

Every month I send out a newsletter containing lots of interesting stuff for the modern PHP developer. Expect quick tips, links to interesting tutorials, opinions and packages. Because I work with La...

Laravel 12.35 introduces the deferred queue driver, allowing queued jobs to run right after the HTTP response is sent.

A few experiment by Brent. His process involves using noise generation, specifically the xxHash algorithm, to create a cohesive world map with smooth transitions between land and water using linear interpolation (LERP)

Matthew Inman's take on AI Art. Some good points, and beautifully illustrated as always.

The State of PHP 2025 survey by JetBrains examines how developers use, prefer, and rely on PHP, showing how this long-standing web language continues to modernize through new frameworks, improved tooling, and AI-assisted workflows.

Many programmers believe they are tired of programming, but they may actually be frustrated with bureaucracy, lack of product vision, and lack of ownership. Burnout can skew perspectives, and it may be more beneficial to address these issues rather than abandoning programming entirely.

A good overview of everything coming in PHP 8.5.

Shawn Hooper enjoys the new presets we recently added to our Laravel CSP package.

I'm really looking forward to PHP 8.5's pipe operator. Here are a few nice use cases.

Dynamic method calls can be useful, but they also come with some risks that you should be aware of.

After Geocodio unsuccessfully attempted to optimize with ClickHouse alone, they implemented a solution using Kafka for durable storage and Vector for efficient data ingestion.

Brent reflects on how using Tailwind CSS has led to a loss of proficiency in writing standard CSS.

Découvrez le programme du Forum PHP 2025, l'édition des anniversaires

Mattias delves into optimizing SQL queries using indexes, focusing on MySQL 8.0. He explains how indexes work, how to analyze slow queries using MySQL’s EXPLAIN keyword, and the impact of different index configurations on query performance.

Laravel 12.32 introduces Http::batch, a clean way to send concurrent HTTP requests with lifecycle hooks for progress, success, failure, and finalization.

Brent Roose has written an excellent book. This time on his programming journey and the lessons learned along the way. It's not too long, I personally read it in one sitting, and liked it very much.

A quick guide to the differences between `npm ci` and `npm install`.

Laravel Notifications are one of my favourite parts of the framework.

The simple HTTP request testing tool. Send a request and get instant JSON response with all request details. Perfect for API development, webhook testing, and learning HTTP. Free service by Oh Dear.