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Almost Generics in PHP: A Guided Journey Through the Official Compile-Time Proposal For more than a decade, PHP developers have debated one question: Should PHP have generics?

Generics are a cornerstone feature in many languages — from Java and C# to TypeScript. They allow developers to write reusable, type-safe code without endless duplication. Yet in PHP, the road toward generics has been long, messy, and full of dead ends.

In 2025, the conversation took a major turn with the compile-time generics RFC. For the first time, the PHP community saw a realistic proposal that could bring generics into the language without compromising performance or backward compatibility.

That was so exciting — I decided to go on a journey to dive deep into the topic and its history and write about it. The result was not only a blog series here on Medium, but also my very first book. But let’s go one by one:

The Blog Series Recap

Earlier this year, I published a multi-part series exploring this journey in detail. Here’s the quick rundown:

Part 1: PHP Keeps Reaching for Generics — How “Compile-Time Generics” Might Finally Land What the PHPFoundation proposed, how it is structured and what I think about it.

Part 2: From “Associated Types” to Manual Compile-Time Generics From <T> annotations to static analysis hacks — how developers faked generics for years.

Part 3: Generics in PHP: Hands-On with Compile-Time Generics A closer look at the 2025 proposal: monomorphization, syntax choices, and how it differs from runtime solutions.

Part 4: The Tricky Parts of PHP’s Compile-Time Generics (Variance, Traits, and Other Dragons) Examples of repositories, collections, and service layers with generics — showing the practical benefits for real-world PHP.

Part 5: PHP Trying PHP’s Compile-Time Generics: From Sandbox to RFC Feedback We searched for the generics in an official branch or similar and tried to simulate what it means to have generics on board.

Part 6: PHP Generics: The Ecosystem Impact of Compile-Time The bigger picture: what happens when compile-time generics move from an experimental branch into mainstream PHP.

Part 7: PHP Generics: The Ecosystem Impact of Compile-Time What could come after compile-time generics — and what lessons apply to PHP’s future?

Each part tackled one piece of the puzzle — and the response from readers was clear: this topic mattered.

Why a Book?

After finishing the series, I realized something: the story wasn’t complete. The series worked as a guided tour, but I felt a need of a single, structured resource — a place where history, RFC analysis, smaller examples, and design patterns all come together.

That’s why I wrote Generics in PHP — A Guided Journey Through the Compile-Time RFC.

It’s not just a reprint of the series. It’s the expanded, polished, and organized version — with additional chapters, refined examples, and insights into what generics mean for PHP developers today and tomorrow.

Almost Generics in PHP: A Guided Journey Through the Official Compile-Time Proposal

Get the Full Journey

If you enjoyed the series, you’ll find the book a natural next step.

📘 Generics in PHP — A Guided Journey Through the Compile-Time RFC is now available:

• Kindle Edition — quick and affordable.
• Paperback Edition — for those who like a reference on their desk. 👉 Check it out on Amazon here

Final Thought

The debate around generics in PHP is far from over. But whether the RFC passes tomorrow or evolves into something else, understanding the journey — and preparing for the future — makes you a stronger developer.

This book is my contribution to that conversation. I hope it helps you write cleaner, safer, and more expressive PHP.