This article is part of the CakeDC Advent Calendar 2025 (December 6th 2025) With the 9.1.0 version of CakeDC/auth plugin, a new social service has been added to be able to authenticate into your application using a Linkedin account. This will be available with in the 13.x version of CakeDC/users for CakePHP 4.x application, and will be available for the the CakePHP 5.x versions soon.

Setting up a CakePHP 4 application

The fist step is to have a CakePHP application in any 4.x version. If you dont have one already, follow the quick start guide from the documetation: https://book.cakephp.org/4/en/quickstart.html

Installing the CakeDC/users plugin with linkedin Oauth

We start by requiring the plugin depedencies: composer require cakedc/users:^13.0 league/oauth2-linkedin:@stable firebase/php-jwt:@stable Create the file "config/users.php" and add the following content: <?php use Cake\Routing\Router; return [ 'Users.Social.login' => true, 'OAuth.providers.linkedInOpenIDConnect' => [ 'service' => \CakeDC\Auth\Social\Service\OpenIDConnectService::class, 'className' => \League\OAuth2\Client\Provider\LinkedIn::class, 'mapper' => \CakeDC\Auth\Social\Mapper\LinkedInOpenIDConnect::class, 'options' => [ 'redirectUri' => Router::fullBaseUrl() . '/auth/linkedInOpenIDConnect', 'linkSocialUri' => Router::fullBaseUrl() . '/link-social/linkedInOpenIDConnect', 'callbackLinkSocialUri' => Router::fullBaseUrl() . '/callback-link-social/linkedInOpenIDConnect', 'defaultScopes' => ['email', 'openid', 'profile'], // you can check your credentials in the "Auth" tab of your application dashboard in LinkedIn developers page 'clientId' => 'CLIENT_ID', 'clientSecret' => 'CLIENT_SECRET', ], ], ]; We can ignore the credentials for now. Ensure the Users plugin is loaded in your "src/Application.php" file and load your custom users config file. /** * {@inheritdoc} */ public function bootstrap() { parent::bootstrap(); $this->addPlugin(\CakeDC\Users\Plugin::class); Configure::write('Users.config', ['users']); } Run the plugin migrations to create the necesary tables. bin/cake migrations migrate -p CakeDC/Users In the routes file, update the root page to be the users profile from the plugin: // config/routes.php $builder->connect('/', ['plugin' => 'CakeDC/Users', 'controller' => 'Users', 'action' => 'profile']); You can create the first user, the super user by issuing the following command: bin/cake users add_superuser Now reload your application and try to login with the created user to make sure its working correctly.

Configuring the Linkedin Oauth service.

How to get a LinkedIn OAuth Client ID & Client Secret

1. Go to LinkedIn Developer Portal: https://www.linkedin.com/developers/
2. Click “Create app”
3. Log in with your LinkedIn account.
4. Fill in required details:
   • App name
   • Company / personal profile
   • Logo (required – upload anything like a placeholder)
5. Agree to the terms
6. Click "Create app"

Once your app is created:

1. Open your app dashboard
2. Click the "Auth" tab

Here you will find:

• Client ID
• Client Secret (click “Show” to reveal)

Go the the file “config/users” and replace "CLIENT_ID" and "CLIENT_SECRET" with the respective values.

Configure OAuth 2.0 / OIDC Redirect URLs

In the "Auth" tab of the linkedin application, scroll to "OAuth 2.0 settings" and add the following redirect urls:

• https://{your-local-domain}/auth/linkedInOpenIDConnect
• https://{your-local-domain}/link-social/linkedInOpenIDConnect
• https://{your-local-domain}/callback-link-social/linkedInOpenIDConnect

Enable OpenID Connect (Very Important)

LinkedIn requires that you explicitly request the “OpenID” product.

1. Navigate to: "Products" Tab → "Sign In with LinkedIn using OpenID Connect"
2. Click "Request access".

Once approved, you can now request OIDC scopes: openid, email, profile.

Login in your application.

Everything should be ready now.

1. In the login page of your applicaiton, click the link “Sign in with LinkedInOpenIDConnect”.
2. Enter your login LinkedIn credentials.
3. In the consent page, click “Allow”.

And Done! You should see your profile page and have your new user created. This article is part of the CakeDC Advent Calendar 2025 (December 6th 2025)

This article is part of the CakeDC Technical Blog Series (5th December 2025)

PHP 8.5 Pipe Operator: A New Era of Readable Code

The PHP 8.5 pipe operator brings a powerful new way to write clear, maintainable code. Drawing inspiration from functional programming languages and Unix command-line tools, this feature transforms how we chain operations and handle data flow in our applications.

Background: What is Piping and the Pipe Operator

The concept of piping originates from Unix systems in the 1960s, where Douglas McIlroy introduced the pipe symbol (|) to connect commands together. Each command processes data and passes the result to the next command, creating a smooth flow of information: cat users.txt | grep "active" | sort | uniq This simple pattern revolutionized how programmers think about data transformation. Instead of storing intermediate results in variables or nesting function calls, piping lets us read code from left to right, following the natural flow of data as it transforms step by step. Modern programming languages embraced this concept through the pipe operator. Elixir uses |>, F# has its pipe-forward operator, and R provides the %>% pipe from the magrittr package. Each implementation shares the same core idea: take the result from one expression and feed it as input to the next function.

The Journey to PHP 8.5

PHP developers have long wanted a native pipe operator. Before PHP 8.5, we worked around this limitation using various creative approaches. One common pattern involved custom pipe functions using closures and array reduction: function pipe(...$functions) { return fn($input) => array_reduce( $functions, fn($carry, $fn) => $fn($carry), $input ); } $transform = pipe( fn($text) => trim($text), fn($text) => strtoupper($text), fn($text) => str_replace('HELLO', 'GOODBYE', $text) ); echo $transform(" hello world "); This approach works, but it requires extra boilerplate and doesn't feel as natural as a language-level operator. The PHP 8.5 pipe operator (|>) changes everything by making piping a first-class language feature.

Understanding the Pipe Operator Syntax

The pipe operator in PHP 8.5 uses the |> symbol to pass values through a chain of transformations. Here's the basic pattern: $result = " hello world " |> (fn($text) => trim($text)) |> (fn($text) => strtoupper($text)) |> (fn($text) => str_replace('HELLO', 'GOODBYE', $text)); // Result: "GOODBYE WORLD" Each closure receives the result from the previous step and returns a new value. The pipe operator automatically passes this value to the next closure in the chain. Notice how we wrap each closure in parentheses - this is required by the PHP 8.5 implementation to ensure proper parsing.

The Short Syntax with Spread Operator

When a pipe step simply passes its input directly to a function without transformation, spread operator provides a cleaner syntax: // Verbose: wrapping in a closure $result = " hello " |> (fn($text) => trim($text)) |> (fn($text) => strtoupper($text)); // Clean: using spread operator $result = " hello " |> trim(...) |> strtoupper(...); The ... syntax tells PHP "pass whatever comes from the pipe as arguments to this function." This works beautifully when you're not transforming the data between steps, making your pipelines even more readable. The real power emerges when we combine pipes with pattern matching and result types, creating clear, maintainable code that handles both success and failure cases elegantly.

Adopting Elixir Phoenix Style in CakePHP Controllers

This article demonstrates a particular approach: bringing the elegant functional patterns from Elixir's Phoenix framework to CakePHP's controller layer. Phoenix developers are familiar with piping data through transformations, using pattern matching for control flow, and explicitly handling success and error cases through result types. These patterns have proven themselves in production applications, making code more maintainable and easier to reason about. By combining PHP 8.5's pipe operator with custom result types, we can write CakePHP controllers that feel similar to Phoenix controllers while staying true to PHP's object-oriented nature. Instead of nested conditionals and scattered error checks, we create clear pipelines where data flows from one transformation to the next. The Result and FormResult classes mirror Elixir's tagged tuples ({:ok, data} and {:error, reason}), giving us the same expressiveness for handling outcomes. This isn't about replacing CakePHP's conventions - it's about enhancing them. We still use CakePHP's ORM, validation, and view rendering, but we organize the control flow in a more functional style. The result is controller code that reads like a story: fetch the data, validate it, save it, send notifications, redirect the user. Each step is explicit, each error case is handled, and the overall flow is immediately clear to anyone reading the code.

Building Blocks: Result Types for Functional Flow

Before diving into practical examples, we need to establish our foundation: result types that represent success and failure outcomes. These classes work hand-in-hand with the pipe operator to create robust, type-safe data flows.

The Result Class: Success or Error

The Result class represents any operation that can succeed or fail. It's a simple but powerful abstraction that eliminates messy error handling and null checks: <?php declare(strict_types=1); namespace App\Result; use Exception; /** * Result type for functional programming pattern * * @template T */ class Result { public function __construct( public readonly string $status, public readonly mixed $data = null ) { } public static function ok(mixed $data): self { return new self('ok', $data); } public static function error(mixed $data): self { return new self('error', $data); } public function match(callable $ok, callable $error): mixed { return match ($this->status) { 'ok' => $ok($this->data), 'error' => $error($this->data), default => throw new Exception('Unknown result status') }; } public function isOk(): bool { return $this->status === 'ok'; } public function isError(): bool { return $this->status === 'error'; } } The Result class uses PHP 8.0's constructor property promotion and readonly properties to create an immutable container. We can create results using static factory methods: Result::ok($data) for success cases and Result::error($data) for failures. The match() method provides pattern matching - we give it two functions (one for success, one for error) and it automatically calls the right one based on the result's status. This eliminates conditional logic and makes our code more declarative.

The FormResult Class: Rendering Responses

While Result handles business logic outcomes, FormResult specializes in web application responses. It represents the two main actions a controller can take: redirect to another page or render a template: <?php declare(strict_types=1); namespace App\Result; use Exception; /** * Form result type for controller actions */ class FormResult { private ?string $flashMessage = null; private string $flashType = 'success'; public function __construct( public readonly string $type, public readonly mixed $data = null ) { } public static function redirect(string $url): self { return new self('redirect', $url); } public static function render(string $template, array $vars): self { return new self('render', ['template' => $template, 'vars' => $vars]); } public function withFlash(string $message, string $type = 'success'): self { $this->flashMessage = $message; $this->flashType = $type; return $this; } public function getFlashMessage(): ?string { return $this->flashMessage; } public function getFlashType(): string { return $this->flashType; } public function match(callable $onRedirect, callable $onRender): mixed { return match ($this->type) { 'redirect' => $onRedirect($this->data), 'render' => $onRender($this->data['template'], $this->data['vars']), default => throw new Exception('Unknown result type') }; } } FormResult includes a fluent interface for adding flash messages through withFlash(). This method returns $this, allowing us to chain the flash message directly onto the result creation: FormResult::redirect('/posts') ->withFlash('Post created successfully!', 'success') Both result types use the same pattern matching approach, creating a consistent programming model throughout our application.

Viewing a Post: Simple Pipe Flow

Let's start with a straightforward example: viewing a single post. This action demonstrates the basic pipe operator pattern and how FormResult handles different outcomes.

The View Action

public function view($id = null) { return $id |> $this->findPost(...) |> (fn($post) => $post ? FormResult::render('view', ['post' => $post]) : FormResult::redirect('/posts') ->withFlash('Post not found', 'error')) |> $this->handleFormResult(...); } This compact method demonstrates the elegance of pipe-based programming. Let's trace how data flows through each step.

Step 1: Starting with the ID

return $id |> $this->findPost(...) We begin with the post ID parameter. The pipe operator passes this ID directly to findPost() using the spread operator syntax. This clean notation means "take the piped value and pass it as the argument to findPost()". The method attempts to retrieve the post from the database.

The findPost Helper

private function findPost(string|int $id): mixed { try { return $this->Posts->get($id); } catch (\Exception $e) { return null; } } This helper method wraps the database query in a try-catch block. If the post exists, we return the entity. If it doesn't exist or any error occurs, we return null. This simple pattern converts exceptions into nullable returns, making them easier to handle in our pipe flow.

Step 2: Making a Decision

|> (fn($post) => $post ? FormResult::render('view', ['post' => $post]) : FormResult::redirect('/posts') ->withFlash('Post not found', 'error')) The second step receives either a Post entity or null. Using a ternary operator, we create different FormResult objects based on what we received. When the post exists, we create a render result containing the post data. When the post is null, we create a redirect result with an error message. Notice how the flash message chains directly onto the redirect using withFlash() - this fluent interface keeps the code clean and expressive.

Step 3: Converting to HTTP Response

|> $this->handleFormResult(...); The final step takes our FormResult and converts it into a CakePHP HTTP response. Let's look at this helper method: private function handleFormResult(FormResult $result): Response|null { if ($result->getFlashMessage()) { $this->Flash->{$result->getFlashType()}(__($result->getFlashMessage())); } return $result->match( onRedirect: fn($url) => $this->redirect($url), onRender: fn($template, $vars) => $this->renderResponse($template, $vars) ); } First, we check if the result contains a flash message. If it does, we set it using CakePHP's Flash component. The dynamic method call $this->Flash->{$result->getFlashType()} allows us to call success(), error(), or warning() based on the flash type. Then we use pattern matching to handle the two possible result types. For redirects, we call CakePHP's redirect() method. For renders, we delegate to another helper: private function renderResponse(string $template, array $vars): Response|null { foreach ($vars as $key => $value) { $this->set($key, $value); } return $this->render($template); } This helper extracts all variables from the FormResult and sets them as view variables, then renders the specified template.

The Complete Data Flow

Let's visualize how data flows through the view action: Input: $id (e.g., "123") ↓ findPost($id) ↓ Post entity or null ↓ Ternary decision: - If Post: FormResult::render('view', ['post' => $post]) - If null: FormResult::redirect('/posts')->withFlash('...') ↓ handleFormResult($result) ↓ - Set flash message (if present) - Pattern match on result type: * redirect: return $this->redirect($url) * render: return $this->renderResponse($template, $vars) ↓ HTTP Response to browser Each step in this flow has a single responsibility, making the code easy to understand and test. The pipe operator connects these steps without requiring intermediate variables or nested function calls.

Editing a Post: Complex Pipeline with Validation

Editing a post involves more complexity: we need to find the post, validate the submitted data, save changes, and provide appropriate feedback. This scenario showcases the real power of combining pipes with result types.

The Edit Action

public function edit($id = null) { if ($this->request->is(['patch', 'post', 'put'])) { return [$id, $this->request->getData()] |> (fn($context) => $this->findAndValidate(...$context)) |> (fn($result) => $result->match( ok: fn($data) => $this->savePost($data), error: fn($error) => Result::error($error))) |> (fn($result) => $result->match( ok: fn($post) => FormResult::redirect('/posts') ->withFlash('The post has been updated!', 'success'), error: fn($error) => FormResult::render('edit', $error) ->withFlash('The post could not be saved. Please, try again.', 'error'))) |> $this->handleFormResult(...); } return $id |> $this->findPost(...) |> (fn($post) => $post ? FormResult::render('edit', ['post' => $post]) : FormResult::redirect('/posts') ->withFlash('Post not found', 'error')) |> $this->handleFormResult(...); } This method handles two scenarios: GET requests to display the edit form, and POST/PUT requests to save changes. Let's explore the POST request flow in detail.

Step 1: Creating the Context

return [$id, $this->request->getData()] |> (fn($context) => $this->findAndValidate(...$context)) We start by creating an array containing both the post ID and the form data. The pipe operator passes this array to the next step, where we use the spread operator (...$ctx) to unpack it into individual arguments for findAndValidate(). This makes it clear that we're passing the ID and data as separate parameters rather than working with array indexes like $context[0] and $context[1].

Finding and Validating Together

private function findAndValidate(string|int $id, array $data): Result { $post = $this->findPost($id); if (!$post) { return Result::error([ 'post' => null, 'errors' => ['Post not found'], ]); } $validation = $this->validatePost($data); if ($validation->isError()) { return Result::error([ 'post' => $post, 'errors' => $validation->data, ]); } return Result::ok([ 'post' => $post, 'data' => $validation->data, ]); } This method performs two checks in sequence. First, we verify the post exists. If it doesn't, we return an error Result immediately. If the post exists, we validate the submitted data: private function validatePost(array $data): Result { $post = $this->Posts->newEmptyEntity(); $post = $this->Posts->patchEntity($post, $data); if ($post->hasErrors()) { return Result::error($post->getErrors()); } return Result::ok($data); } The validation creates a new entity and patches it with the submitted data. If CakePHP's validation rules find any problems, we return a Result::error() with the validation errors. Otherwise, we return Result::ok() with the validated data. This two-step validation ensures we have both a valid post ID and valid form data before proceeding. The Result type makes it easy to handle errors at each step without nested if-else blocks.

Step 2: Saving the Post

|> (fn($result) => $result->match( ok: fn($data) => $this->savePost($data), error: fn($error) => Result::error($error))) Now we have a Result that either contains our post and validated data, or an error. Pattern matching handles both cases elegantly. On the success path, we call savePost() with the validated data. On the error path, we simply pass the error through unchanged. This is a key pattern in pipe-based programming: errors propagate automatically through the pipeline without special handling. The match() call ensures type consistency since both branches return a Result object.

The savePost Helper

private function savePost(array $context): Result { $post = $this->Posts->patchEntity($context['post'], $context['data']); if ($this->Posts->save($post)) { return Result::ok($post); } return Result::error([ 'post' => $post, 'errors' => $post->getErrors() ?: ['Save failed'], ]); } This method patches the existing post entity with the validated data and attempts to save it. If saving succeeds, we return Result::ok() with the updated post. If saving fails, we return Result::error() with any validation errors from the database.

Step 3: Creating the Response

|> (fn($result) => $result->match( ok: fn($post) => FormResult::redirect('/posts') ->withFlash('The post has been updated!', 'success'), error: fn($error) => FormResult::render('edit', $error) ->withFlash('The post could not be saved. Please, try again.', 'error'))) The third step transforms our Result into a FormResult. Again, pattern matching handles both cases. On success, we create a redirect with a success message. On error, we re-render the edit form with the error data and an error message. Notice how errors from any previous step automatically flow to this error handler. Whether validation failed in step 1 or saving failed in step 2, we end up here with the appropriate error information to show the user.

Step 4: Converting to HTTP Response

|> $this->handleFormResult(...); The final step uses the same handleFormResult() method we saw in the view action, converting our FormResult into an HTTP response. The spread operator syntax keeps this final step clean and readable.

Visualizing the Edit Flow

The complexity of the edit action becomes clearer with a sequence diagram showing how data flows through each transformation: sequenceDiagram participant User participant Controller participant Pipeline participant Helpers participant Database User->>Controller: POST /posts/edit/123 Controller->>Pipeline: [$id, $data] Note over Pipeline: Step 1: Find & Validate Pipeline->>Helpers: findAndValidate(123, $data) Helpers->>Database: Get post by ID alt Post not found Database-->>Helpers: null Helpers-->>Pipeline: Result::error(['Post not found']) Pipeline->>Pipeline: Skip to Step 3 (error path) else Post found Database-->>Helpers: Post entity Helpers->>Helpers: Validate form data alt Validation failed Helpers-->>Pipeline: Result::error(['errors' => [...]]) Pipeline->>Pipeline: Skip to Step 3 (error path) else Validation passed Helpers-->>Pipeline: Result::ok(['post' => $post, 'data' => $validData]) Note over Pipeline: Step 2: Save Post Pipeline->>Helpers: savePost(['post' => $post, 'data' => $validData]) Helpers->>Database: Save updated post alt Save failed Database-->>Helpers: false Helpers-->>Pipeline: Result::error(['errors' => [...]]) Pipeline->>Pipeline: Continue to Step 3 (error path) else Save successful Database-->>Helpers: true Helpers-->>Pipeline: Result::ok($updatedPost) Note over Pipeline: Step 3: Create Response Pipeline->>Pipeline: FormResult::redirect('/posts') Pipeline->>Pipeline: ->withFlash('Success!', 'success') end end end Note over Pipeline: Step 4: Handle Result Pipeline->>Helpers: handleFormResult($formResult) Helpers->>Controller: HTTP Response Controller->>User: Redirect or render edit form This diagram illustrates several important aspects of our pipeline: Error Propagation: When an error occurs at any step, it flows through the remaining steps until reaching the error handler in Step 3. We don't need explicit error checking at each level. Type Transformations: Notice how data types evolve through the pipeline:

• Start: [int, array] (ID and form data)
• After Step 1: Result<array> (post and validated data, or errors)
• After Step 2: Result<Post> (saved post, or errors)
• After Step 3: FormResult (redirect or render decision)
• After Step 4: Response (HTTP response)

Decision Points: Each match() call represents a decision point where the pipeline branches based on success or failure. These branches merge back into a common FormResult type, ensuring consistent handling at the end.

The GET Request Flow

The GET request handling in the edit action is simpler, following the same pattern we saw in the view action: return $id |> $this->findPost(...) |> (fn($post) => $post ? FormResult::render('edit', ['post' => $post]) : FormResult::redirect('/posts') ->withFlash('Post not found', 'error')) |> $this->handleFormResult(...); We find the post, create a FormResult based on whether it exists, and convert it to an HTTP response. The pipe operator makes this three-step process read naturally from top to bottom.

Benefits and Patterns

Working with the pipe operator reveals several powerful patterns that improve our code quality.

Linear Reading Flow

Traditional nested function calls or method chains force us to read code inside-out or bottom-up: // Without pipes: read from inside to outside return $this->handleFormResult( $this->findPost($id) ? FormResult::render('view', ['post' => $this->findPost($id)]) : FormResult::redirect('/posts')->withFlash('Not found', 'error') ); The pipe operator lets us read top-to-bottom, following the natural flow of data: // With pipes: read from top to bottom return $id |> $this->findPost(...) |> (fn($post) => $post ? FormResult::render(...) : FormResult::redirect(...)) |> $this->handleFormResult(...);

Debugging Made Easy

When debugging a pipeline, we can easily insert a tap() function to inspect values at any point without disrupting the flow: private function tap(mixed $value, string $label = 'Debug'): mixed { debug("{$label}: " . json_encode($value, JSON_PRETTY_PRINT)); return $value; } Then add it anywhere in the pipeline: return [$id, $this->request->getData()] |> (fn($context) => $this->tap($context, 'Context')) |> (fn($context) => $this->findAndValidate(...$context)) |> (fn($result) => $this->tap($result, 'After validation')) |> (fn($result) => $result->match(...)) The tap() function logs the value and returns it unchanged, letting us peek into the pipeline without modifying its behavior.

Type Safety Through the Pipeline

Each step in our pipeline has clear input and output types. The Result and FormResult classes enforce type consistency, making it impossible to accidentally pass the wrong data type to the next step. PHP's type system, combined with these result types, catches errors at development time rather than runtime.

Separation of Concerns

Each helper method has a single, clear purpose. The findPost() method handles database retrieval, while validatePost() focuses on data validation. The savePost() method takes care of database persistence, and handleFormResult() manages HTTP response generation. The pipe operator connects these focused functions into a complete workflow. This separation makes each function easy to test in isolation while maintaining a clear picture of the overall process.

Error Handling Without Try-Catch

The Result type eliminates the need for try-catch blocks throughout our code. Instead of throwing and catching exceptions, we return Result::error() and use pattern matching to handle failures. This approach makes error handling explicit and forces us to consider both success and failure paths.

Practical Considerations

Performance

You might wonder if all these function calls and object creations impact performance. In practice, the overhead is negligible. Modern PHP's opcache optimizes these patterns effectively, and the benefits in code maintainability far outweigh any microscopic performance difference.

Learning Curve

Developers new to functional programming patterns might initially find pipes and result types unfamiliar. However, once the concepts click, most developers find this style more intuitive than traditional imperative code. The linear flow and explicit error handling reduce cognitive load compared to nested conditionals and scattered error checks.

When to Use Pipes

The pipe operator shines in scenarios with multiple sequential transformations. Form processing workflows benefit greatly from pipes as they typically involve validating data, saving it to the database, sending notifications, and finally redirecting the user. Data transformation pipelines that fetch, filter, transform, and format information also work beautifully with pipes. Multi-step business processes like checking inventory, calculating prices, creating orders, and sending confirmations become more readable when expressed as pipe chains. For simple operations with just one or two steps, traditional code often reads better. Consider a basic calculation that needs no error handling: // Overkill with pipes - harder to read $total = $items |> (fn($items) => array_sum(array_column($items, 'price'))) |> (fn($sum) => $sum * 1.2); // Clearer without pipes $subtotal = array_sum(array_column($items, 'price')); $total = $subtotal * 1.2; Similarly, simple database queries don't benefit from piping: // Unnecessary complexity with pipes $posts = [] |> (fn() => $this->Posts->find()) |> (fn($query) => $query->where(['status' => 'published'])) |> (fn($query) => $query->all()); // Much clearer as method chain $posts = $this->Posts->find() ->where(['status' => 'published']) ->all(); Use pipes when they genuinely improve readability and maintainability, particularly when handling multiple transformations with different return types or error handling needs.

Conclusion

The PHP 8.5 pipe operator brings functional programming elegance to PHP without sacrificing the language's pragmatic, object-oriented roots. By combining pipes with result types and pattern matching, we can write code that clearly expresses intent, handles errors gracefully, and remains easy to test and maintain. The examples in this article demonstrate how pipes transform complex controller actions into readable, step-by-step transformations. Each step has a clear purpose, errors flow naturally through the pipeline, and the final code reads like a description of what happens rather than a series of imperative commands. As PHP continues to evolve, features like the pipe operator show the language's commitment to adopting the best ideas from functional programming while staying true to its accessible, practical nature. Whether you're building simple CRUD applications or complex business workflows, the pipe operator gives you a powerful new tool for writing better code. This article is part of the CakeDC Technical Blog Series (5th December 2025)

This article is part of the CakeDC Advent Calendar 2025 (December 2th 2025)

Bringing smart automation to modern web development

When we talk about Artificial Intelligence today, we are not talking about the future, we are talking about tools we already use every day, such as our phones, code editors, browsers and productivity apps. For developers, AI represents a new wave of innovation that allows us to embed intelligence directly into our projects to build smarter, more adaptive, and more valuable digital products. At CakeDC, we’ve been exploring how CakePHP 5 can be seamlessly integrated with AI to deliver powerful, automated, and intelligent solutions.

Why combine CakePHP and AI?

Both technologies share a core philosophy: efficiency and structure. CakePHP offers a clean MVC framework, robust validation, and an ORM that keeps your data organized and secure. On the other hand, AI brings reasoning, summarization, and contextual understanding to your application. By combining them, we can:

• Automate repetitive processes.
• Enhance user experience.
• Add value to existing products.
• Unlock new opportunities for digital innovation.

The result? Smarter apps with a strong core.

What AI means today

AI enhances productivity not by replacing people, but by amplifying human capabilities. It helps analyze data, generate content, automate workflows, and make better decisions faster. And thanks to APIs like OpenAI’s, this power is now accessible to every PHP developer. Imagine a world where your CakePHP app can:

• Understand natural language input.
• Summarize uploaded reports.
• Classify customer feedback.
• Generate tailored content or recommendations.

That work is already here.

Real use cases with CakePHP + AI

Here are some real examples of how we’re integrating AI into CakePHP projects:

• Document upload with automatic summaries or data extraction.
• Customer support chatbots directly embedded in web portals.
• Image analysis for quality control or content tagging.
• Smart products or content recommendations.
• Automated reporting and document generation.

Each of these features leverages the same clean CakePHP architecture (controllers, services, and models) combined with a simple AI API call.

Technical integration made simple

Here’s how easy it is to call an AI model directly from your CakePHP app: use Cake\Http\Client; $http = new \http\Client(); $response = $http->post( 'https://api.openai.com/v1/chat/completions', [ 'model' => 'gpt-4o-mini', 'messages' => [ ['role' => 'system', 'content' => 'You are an assistant.'], ['role' => 'user', 'content' => 'Summarize this text...'], ], ], [ 'headers' => [ 'Authorization' => 'Bearer ' . Configure::Read('OPENAI_API_KEY'), 'Content-Type' => 'application/json', ], ], ); $result = $response->getJson(); From there, you simply parse the JSON response, store or display the data, and integrate it into your workflow. The simplicity of CakePHP’s Http Client makes this process smooth and reliable.

Challenges and best practices

As with any emerging technology, integrating AI comes with responsibilities and considerations:

• Manage API costs efficiently by batching requests or caching responses.
• Respect user privacy and comply with GDPR, especially when handling sensitive data.
• Implement robust error handling and retry logic for API calls.
• Log and monitor AI interactions for transparency and quality assurance.
• Use AI responsibly — as a tool to empower developers and users, not to replace them.

Looking ahead

The combination of CakePHP and AI opens exciting possibilities for the next generation of web applications: fast, smart, and secure. AI is not a replacement, it’s an enhancement. And with CakePHP’s solid foundation, developers can bring these intelligent capabilities to life faster than ever. This article is part of the CakeDC Advent Calendar 2025 (December 2th 2025)