Symfony

Symfony 8: An overview of the new features

Symfony has been one of the key technologies in web development for 20 years - including for us as a digital agency with high technical standards. Symfony 8 is now a major release that opens up new possibilities, but also raises strategic questions.

André Schade Updated on 25. Sep 2025

20 years of Symfony - from insider tool to enterprise standard

What began as an internal project at SensioLabs in 2005 is now one of the most widely used frameworks in the PHP world. With the upcoming version 8, companies are faced with a key decision: Do we stay with the stable LTS version 7.4 or do we upgrade to the new features of the major release?

Symfony 8.0 will be released in November 2025. It is a major release without LTS, regular support only runs until July 2026. The next long-term support (LTS) will follow with Symfony 8.4.

Explanation: LTS (Long-Term Support) means: 4 years of bug fixes and 5 years of security updates. Example: Symfony 7.4 LTS will be provided with bug fixes until November 2028 and security patches until November 2029.
More information: Symfony release plan

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What's new in Symfony 8?

More performance through modern PHP features

Symfony 8 is closely linked to the PHP roadmap. It utilises functions from PHP 8.3 and already stable published features from 8.4, and remains open for innovations in 8.5 and beyond. Particularly exciting: the new property hooks in PHP 8.4, which allow logic to be executed automatically when reading or writing properties. Together with typed enums and the future pipe operator (8.5), this results in noticeable simplifications in the code. This reduces external libraries, speeds up processes and ensures more robust applications.

Typed Properties & Attributes for clearer structures

Rules such as "email must not be empty" can be stored directly in the code via attributes instead of in YAML files. This makes projects clearer, reduces susceptibility to errors and speeds up onboarding and maintenance.

Improved Developer Experience (DX)

New generator commands and debugging tools increase productivity. An API interface including tests can be created in minutes - previously this often took hours. This means shorter development cycles and lower costs.

Modernised security framework

Authentications such as single sign-on (SSO) or OAuth can be implemented with less configuration. This facilitates integration into corporate landscapes and reduces security risks.

Stronger API integration

Symfony has always been strong in the implementation of APIs - whether REST or GraphQL. Version 8 does not rebuild here with new functions, but with an optimised developer experience: clearer structures, modern PHP features and simplified security configurations make it easier to implement APIs in a clean and scalable way. This makes Symfony 8 particularly suitable as a foundation for headless CMS, microservices or event-driven systems, even if the basic capability is not new.

Advantages for companies

Concrete benefits of Symfony 8 for companies - from efficiency and security to long-term future-proofing.

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Faster development cycles

Project set-ups that used to take days can now be realised in hours. This shortens the time-to-market and reduces project costs at the same time.

Future security

Companies that work with Symfony 8 at an early stage benefit from the latest PHP standards and the active community that is constantly developing the framework.

Scalability

International expansion or the development of complex platforms can be realised more easily. New interfaces and integrations can be incorporated more quickly.

More security

Standards such as OAuth2 and OpenID Connect are natively integrated and reduce the likelihood of implementation errors - a plus point for security-critical applications.

Symfony 7.4 vs. 8.0 - which way suits your project?

Symfony 7.4 is the current LTS version and therefore offers long-term security and predictability. It will be supported with bug fixes until November 2028 and security updates until November 2029. For companies that rely on stability, compliance and minimal risks - such as banks, insurance companies or public sector clients - 7.4 is the logical choice.

Symfony 8.0, on the other hand, offers the latest features and a significantly improved developer experience, but is not an LTS release. Support only runs until July 2026 before an upgrade to 8.4 LTS becomes necessary. For companies with high innovation pressure that want to benefit from shorter development cycles and modern architectures, 8.0 can be a clear competitive advantage. This includes start-ups, platform operators or innovation-orientated B2B players who consciously accept the shorter support cycle.

More information: Symfony version overview

20 years of Symfony

Symfony started out as a tool for early adopters and is now a cornerstone of modern enterprise architectures. Version 8 shows how closely the community combines technological innovation with stability - and how strongly Symfony has shaped the further development of PHP.

Fun fact: The name "Symfony" originated from the original working title SenseoFramework. As many PHP namespaces with "sf" were already taken, the decision was made to deliberately change the name from "Symphony" to "Symfony".
And: Even the very first version still lives on - with the community fork FriendsOfSymfony1, which keeps Symfony 1 compatible with current PHP to this day.

Conclusion

Symfony has long been more than just a framework - it is an ecosystem whose components are used by countless projects and platforms today. Whether Shopware, Typo3 or Drupal: many well-known systems are based on Symfony components.

Version 8 shows once again how Symfony combines innovation and stability. Companies can decide: LTS 7.4 for maximum predictability - or 8.0 for early utilisation of new features, with the upgrade to 8.4 as the foreseeable next step.

It's not about "this one Symfony" - but about a living ecosystem consisting of hundreds of packages, bundles and components. This modular system is the reason why Symfony is so universally applicable - from enterprise CMS to scalable platform architecture.

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André Schade

CTO at MASSIVE ART

At MASSIVE ART, we accompany both paths: from stable platforms in regulated industries to innovative digital products with short release cycles.

Contact us if you would like to know which setup is the right choice for your project - and how Symfony can help make technology sustainable in the long term.