Why should I use PHP in 2026?

PHP powers 77% of the web and is actually good now. TypeScript-level types, no build steps, immutability via readonly, enums, and a type system that rivals TypeScript. No node_modules. Just write code and deploy.

Is PHP still relevant?

Absolutely. PHP powers 77% of the web and is actually good now. TypeScript-level type safety, Jest-level testing with Pest, no build steps, and no node_modules. Major platforms like WordPress, Facebook, and Wikipedia run on PHP.

How do I install PHP?

Visit php.new for one-command installation on macOS, Windows, or Linux. Then use Laravel, the most popular PHP framework, to build your first application.

Why PHP in 2026?

It powers 77% of the web. And it's actually good now.

Stop pretending PHP is still the language from 2004. It's not. Modern PHP has JIT compilation, immutability via readonly, enums, attributes, and a type system that rivals TypeScript.

No build steps. No transpilation. No bundling. No 900MB node_modules. Just write code and deploy. That's the superpower everyone forgot about.

Ecosystem

Modern PHP isn't just better. It's unrecognizable from its past.

Laravel Rails/Next.js for PHP Composer Cargo/npm for PHP PHPStan TypeScript-like type safety Pest Jest-style testing Pint Code style fixer Rector Automated refactoring

The PHP ecosystem in 2026 rivals anything out there. TypeScript-level type safety. Jest-level testing. Rust-level tooling. This isn't your grandfather's PHP.

Still think PHP is a joke?

So did we. Then we actually looked at it. Type-safe. Expressive. Modern. It just works. Watch me explain it.

Code That Ships

This is what PHP looks like in production.

API with Laravel

Route::get('/books', function () {
    return Book::query()
        ->where('status', Status::Published)
        ->with('author')
        ->paginate();
});

Testing with Pest

it('publishes a book', function () {
    $book = Book::factory()->create();

    $book->publish();

    expect($book->status)->toBe(Status::Published);
});

Generics with PHPStan

/** @return array<int, string> */
public function names(): array
{
    return User::all()
        ->filter(fn (User $user): bool => $user->isActive())
        ->map(fn (User $user): string => $user->name)
        ->toArray();
}

Start Today

One command. Zero config. Production-ready.

Install PHP

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://php.new/install/mac)"

Create a Laravel app and run it

laravel new my-app
cd my-app
composer run dev # visit http://localhost:8000

Install PHP

Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://php.new/install/windows'))

Create a Laravel app and run it

laravel new my-app
cd my-app
composer run dev # visit http://localhost:8000

Install PHP

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://php.new/install/linux)"

Create a Laravel app and run it

laravel new my-app
cd my-app
composer run dev # visit http://localhost:8000

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