Migrating from PHPDoc to PHP attributes: A simple Symfony example

From PHPDoc to attributes: A practical guide to upgrading Symfony applications.

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In modern PHP development, attributes (introduced in PHP 8.0) are quickly replacing traditional PHPDoc annotations. While PHPDoc is still widely used, attributes offer a native, type-safe, and IDE-friendly way to describe metadata directly in your code.

In this article, we’ll look at why and how to migrate from PHPDoc annotations to PHP attributes, using several Symfony examples: routing, validation, security, and Doctrine ORM.

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Why Migrate to Attributes?

Attributes offer several advantages over PHPDoc:

• Native Language Support: Attributes are part of the PHP syntax, parsed by the engine itself.
• Better Validation: IDEs and static analysis tools can validate attributes more reliably.
• Reduced Complexity: No need for external parsers like Doctrine Annotations.
• Performance: Native attributes are faster to parse and process.