PHP 5.5

PHP 5.5
Name	PHP 5.5
Developer	Rasmus Lerdorf; The PHP Group
Released	2013-06-20
Latest release	5.5.38
Programming language	C (programming language)
Operating system	Unix-likeMicrosoft Windows
Genre	Scripting language
License	PHP License

PHP 5.5 PHP 5.5 was a major release of the PHP scripting language that introduced language constructs and runtime improvements intended to modernize server-side web development, and it coordinated with ecosystem efforts by organizations such as Composer (software), Symfony, Laravel (web framework), Zend Framework to adopt newer idioms. Prominent developers including Rasmus Lerdorf, contributors from Facebook, Inc., and engineers associated with Zend Technologies participated in design and implementation alongside open source communities represented by projects like PEAR, PECL, and GitHub. The release date aligned with broader industry events such as conferences hosted by SymfonyCon, PHPCon Asia, and OWASP where security and performance were central topics.

Overview

PHP 5.5 delivered additions that affected language ergonomics and runtime stability while coordinating with concurrent work at organizations like Apache Software Foundation, Nginx, and Microsoft for deployment environments. The release integrated features that had implications for frameworks such as CakePHP, CodeIgniter, Yii (framework), and applications including WordPress, Drupal, Joomla! while tooling from Xdebug, PHPSpec, Behat evolved in response. Core maintainers from The PHP Group and contributors drawn from companies like MailChimp, Wikipedia, Facebook, Inc., and Slack Technologies discussed impacts on large deployments at meetups hosted by Linux Foundation and conferences like FOSDEM.

New Features and Language Changes

The language added implementation of generators influenced by work in communities around Python (programming language), innovations in C# async patterns discussed at Microsoft events, and proposals reviewed by contributors from Google and Facebook, Inc.; the generator feature simplified iterator patterns used in projects like Symfony, Laravel (web framework), Zend Framework and in libraries maintained by Composer (software), Packagist. The release introduced empty (language construct), the finally keyword for exception handling aligning with models found in Java (programming language), C++, and Ruby (programming language), and added password hashing functions inspired by research from OpenBSD and security advisories from OWASP; major vendors such as Red Hat, Canonical (company), Debian packaged these changes for distributions like Ubuntu and Fedora. Language changes also included support for OPcache integration which influenced runtime behavior in stacks deployed by Heroku, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud Platform.

Performance and Engine Improvements

Engine enhancements focused on bytecode caching and optimizer work by contributors associated with Zend Technologies, improving throughput on servers like Nginx and Apache HTTP Server used by deployments at Wikipedia, Yahoo!, Facebook, Inc.; these changes were discussed at events including Velocity Conference and GOTO Copenhagen. Integration with OPcache (originating from initiatives by Zend Technologies and Rasmus Lerdorf) reduced per-request compilation overhead affecting hosting providers such as DigitalOcean, Linode, and Hetzner Online. Work on memory management and GC impacted projects running on Linux, FreeBSD, and Microsoft Windows Server and was evaluated by performance teams at Netflix, Spotify, and Etsy in high-concurrency scenarios.

Deprecated and Removed Features

Several extensions and functions were deprecated to encourage migration to safer alternatives favored by maintainers from The PHP Group and vendors like Zend Technologies; deprecation notices echoed guidance from organizations such as OWASP and security teams at Mozilla Foundation and Google. Deprecated items affected code paths used in legacy applications including older versions of WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla! prompting plugin authors and distributions like Debian and Red Hat Enterprise Linux to issue migration notes. Removal of some extensions paralleled decisions in other ecosystems led by groups like Apache Software Foundation and Eclipse Foundation to streamline core platforms.

Backward Compatibility and Migration

Backward compatibility considerations were documented for maintainers and companies such as Automattic, Acquia, and Pantheon (webops) that operate content management platforms based on WordPress, Drupal, and Magento. Migration guides circulated through community hubs like Stack Overflow, GitHub, and mailing lists hosted by The PHP Group and influenced upgrade policies at hosting providers including WP Engine and Kinsta. Enterprises like IBM, Oracle Corporation, and Microsoft assessed impacts on middleware and integration with application servers, while framework teams for Symfony, Laravel (web framework), and Zend Framework updated compatibility matrices and continuous integration using services like Travis CI and Jenkins.

Reception and Adoption

Adoption of the release varied across ecosystems; major projects including WordPress, Drupal, and Magento took measured approaches while cloud platforms like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure added support in managed runtimes. Analysts at firms such as Gartner, Forrester Research, and communities like GitHub and Stack Overflow tracked uptake, and maintainers from Composer (software), Packagist, Symfony reported gradual migration in libraries and bundles. Security teams at OWASP, SANS Institute, and vendors including Cisco Systems evaluated the new password hashing APIs and exception handling semantics.

Legacy Support and End of Life

Long-term maintenance and end-of-life announcements were coordinated by The PHP Group and influenced by distribution maintainers at Debian, Ubuntu, Red Hat, and community projects like CentOS; enterprise consumers such as IBM, Oracle Corporation, and SAP SE planned transitions. End-of-life communications were echoed across infrastructure providers including Cloudflare, Akamai Technologies, Fastly and community knowledge bases like Stack Overflow documented migration experiences. Historical retrospectives comparing runtime evolution often reference contributions from individuals like Rasmus Lerdorf and organizations including Zend Technologies and Facebook, Inc..

Category:PHP versions