Why PHP 8.5+?

TCPDF-Next requires PHP 8.5+ by design. This is not an arbitrary constraint — every modern PHP feature used in the library directly benefits code quality, security, and developer experience.

PHP 8.5 Features We Use

Feature	How It Benefits TCPDF-Next
Readonly classes	Immutable value objects (PageSize, Margin, Color, FontInfo) — no mutation bugs
Backed enums	Type-safe configuration (Orientation::Portrait, BarcodeType::QRCode, SignatureLevel::PAdES_B_LTA)
Named arguments	Self-documenting API calls — setSignature(certInfo: $cert, level: SignatureLevel::PAdES_B_B)
Union/intersection types	Precise parameter types across the API
DNF types	Complex type constraints for internal validation
#[\SensitiveParameter]	Passwords and private keys never appear in stack traces (Aes256Encryptor, CertificateInfo, TsaClient)
#[\NoDiscard]	Compiler warnings if you ignore return values from critical methods (FontManager::registerFont(), FormFlattener::flatten())
Property hooks	Clean getter/setter patterns without boilerplate
Pipe operator	Streamlined internal data transformations
Fibers	Foundation for async PDF generation in queue workers

"But My Server Runs PHP 8.1..."

Use Docker as an isolation layer. Your application can run any PHP version — TCPDF-Next runs inside a container.

Minimal Dockerfile

FROM php:8.5-cli

# Install required extensions
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
    libicu-dev libpng-dev libjpeg-dev libwebp-dev \
    && docker-php-ext-configure gd --with-jpeg --with-webp \
    && docker-php-ext-install gd intl

# Install Composer
COPY --from=composer:latest /usr/bin/composer /usr/bin/composer

COPY . /app
WORKDIR /app
RUN composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader

Docker Compose for Teams

services:
  pdf-generator:
    build: .
    volumes:
      - ./output:/app/output
    command: php generate-pdf.php

Laravel with Docker

If your Laravel app runs PHP 8.2 but you need TCPDF-Next, run PDF generation as a microservice:

services:
  app:
    image: php:8.2-fpm
    # Your Laravel app

  pdf-service:
    build:
      context: ./pdf-service
      dockerfile: Dockerfile
    image: php:8.5-cli
    volumes:
      - shared-output:/output

volumes:
  shared-output:

Or use Laravel's queue system to dispatch PDF generation to a PHP 8.5 worker.

🐳 Docker for Legacy PHP Environments

Docker is the recommended approach for teams that cannot upgrade their production PHP version. The PDF generation process is isolated — it reads input, writes a PDF file, and exits. No shared state, no compatibility concerns.

The Trade-off

By requiring PHP 8.5+, TCPDF-Next gains:

• Smaller codebase — Modern features replace hundreds of lines of workarounds
• Stronger type safety — PHPStan level 8 with zero errors
• Better security — #[\SensitiveParameter] prevents credential leaks in logs
• Immutable objects — Readonly classes eliminate an entire category of bugs
• Self-documenting code — Enums replace magic strings, named arguments replace positional arrays

The library that serves you for the next decade should be built on the language features of the next decade.