Accepted 51 to 0, with 2 abstaining, well past the two-thirds majority it needed. Voting closed on April 4, 2026, and the change is meant to take effect in the next PHP 8.x release.
Accepted
PHP License Update
Replaces the PHP License and Zend Engine License with the Modified BSD License, as PHP License 4 and Zend Engine License 3.
Publish the PHP License, version 4, and Zend Engine License, version 3, by adopting the Modified BSD License as the new version of both, and deprecate the PHP License and Zend Engine License, as proposed in the Proposal section
51 Yes
0 No
2 abstain
100% approval
This poll has closed.
Summary
PHP's source code has always been covered by two custom licenses: the PHP License for most of the code, and the Zend Engine License for the Zend/ directory, the core engine that runs your code. This RFC from Ben Ramsey replaces both with the Modified BSD License, also known as the 3-clause BSD license, which most developers already know.
Why change it
The two custom licenses have caused confusion for years. Neither one is compatible with the GPL. The Zend Engine License was never approved by the Open Source Initiative (OSI), and the PHP License only got OSI approval because it was already in wide use.
The RFC shows that each custom license is really the BSD license with a few extra terms added. Those terms only apply to the PHP Group and to Zend, which is now owned by Perforce Software. Remove them, and what's left is the Modified BSD License.
What the RFC does
- The Modified BSD License becomes the PHP License, version 4.
- It also becomes the Zend Engine License, version 3.
- The old PHP License and Zend Engine License are deprecated, so new projects shouldn't use them.
- The
LICENSEfile and the header on every source file get updated, and theZend/LICENSEfile goes away. - The
php --versionoutput gets new copyright lines.
The change needs agreement from both the PHP Group and Perforce. The RFC says every PHP Group member approved it, and Perforce sent a letter of consent.
What it means for you
Nothing changes for your code. The RFC says the rights you have to use PHP stay the same, and so do the rights contributors granted. The PHP manual keeps its own Creative Commons license.
If you maintain an extension under PHP License 3.01, your users can already use it under version 4, and you can move it to the new license yourself. The RFC asks you to call it BSD-3-Clause rather than "PHP License, version 4." New extensions shouldn't use the PHP License at all, and the RFC suggests licenses like MIT, Apache 2.0 or BSD instead.