PHP 8 Match Expression vs Switch: Complete Guide

PHP 8 match Expression

The match expression is a cleaner, stricter alternative to switch. It uses strict comparison (===), returns a value, and requires exhaustive handling — eliminating an entire class of switch-related bugs.

<?php
// switch: loose comparison, needs break, no return value
$status = '1';  // a string
switch ($status) {
    case 1: echo "Active"; break;  // matches '1' too! loose ==
    case 0: echo "Inactive"; break;
}

// match: strict comparison, no break, returns value
$label = match($status) {
    1       => 'Active',    // does NOT match '1' (strict ===)
    0       => 'Inactive',
    default => 'Unknown',
};
echo $label;  // 'Unknown' — '1' !== 1

// Throwing exceptions
$role = 'super';
$level = match($role) {
    'superadmin' => 5,
    'admin'      => 4,
    'editor'     => 3,
    'member'     => 1,
    default      => throw new InvalidArgumentException("Unknown role: $role"),
};

Multiple Conditions Per Arm

<?php
$code = 404;
$type = match(true) {
    $code >= 500 => 'Server Error',
    $code >= 400 => 'Client Error',
    $code >= 300 => 'Redirect',
    $code >= 200 => 'Success',
    default      => 'Unknown',
};
// 'Client Error'

// Multiple values per arm
$day  = 'Saturday';
$type = match($day) {
    'Monday','Tuesday','Wednesday','Thursday','Friday' => 'Weekday',
    'Saturday','Sunday' => 'Weekend',
};

// Use as statement (expression)
echo match($httpCode) {
    200 => 'OK', 201 => 'Created', 204 => 'No Content',
    400 => 'Bad Request', 401 => 'Unauthorized', 403 => 'Forbidden',
    404 => 'Not Found', 500 => 'Internal Server Error',
    default => 'Unknown Status',
};