php-the-right-way

Purpose

Guide PHP code to follow modern, idiomatic best practices as defined by the PHP community. Apply these rules when writing, reviewing, or refactoring any PHP code.

Core Rules (always apply)

Version

• Use PHP 8.2+ features; never write PHP 7.x style code for new projects
• Enable strict types: declare(strict_types=1); at the top of every file

Code Style

• Follow PSR-12 for formatting + PSR-4 for autoloading
• Use Composer for all dependency management — never manual require
• Run php-cs-fixer or phpcs to enforce style automatically

Comparisons

• Always use strict comparison (===, !==) — never loose ==
• Check strpos(), array_search() etc. with !== false, not truthiness