PHP Match Expression vs Switch

A side-by-side comparison showing why match is preferable for most branching logic.

$status = 2;

// ── Old switch ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
switch ($status) {
    case 1:
        $label = 'Active';
        break;
    case 2:
        $label = 'Pending';
        break;
    default:
        $label = 'Unknown';
}

// ── PHP 8 match ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
$label = match($status) {
    1       => 'Active',
    2       => 'Pending',
    3, 4    => 'Suspended',   // multiple conditions on one arm
    default => 'Unknown',
};

// match uses strict (===) comparison — no type juggling
$value = "1";
echo match(true) {
    is_numeric($value) && $value > 0 => 'Positive number',
    is_string($value)                => 'String',
    default                          => 'Other',
};

// Throws UnhandledMatchError if no arm matches (unlike switch which silently continues)