Here’s a short blog post for Mailertizer.com based on the new Mautic forum topic about IMAP support and PHP 8.4:
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So, PHP 8.4 just dropped, and with it comes a headache for Mautic users relying on monitored email. The old ext-imap extension? No longer bundled with PHP out of the box. Now you have to install it via PECL. The kicker? This extension itself is kind of on shaky ground — deprecated, potentially not fully maintained.
One Mautic user popped into the forum asking the obvious questions: Is using IMAP from PECL officially supported or recommended? Has anyone actually gotten monitored email to work smoothly on PHP 8.4 in production? Or maybe we all just downgrade back to PHP 8.3 for peace of mind? And finally, is Mautic planning to ditch this IMAP dependency altogether anytime soon?
Good news: From the chatter, the community is still testing and experimenting with PHP 8.4 and PECL IMAP. No definitive official stamp yet, mostly “use with caution.” Some folks seem to have it working, but it’s early days and not exactly plug-and-play. Downgrading to PHP 8.3 remains the safer bet if you want stability right now.
On the replacement front, there’s no big movement yet inside Mautic to kill ext-imap and switch it out for something else. It’s a bit of a legacy hangover. But the whole PECL situation is pushing the issue into spotlight, so don’t be surprised if we see some changes down the road — either in Mautic core or community plugins.
My take? If monitored email is mission-critical for you, hold off on upgrading Mautic servers to PHP 8.4 immediately. Play it safe with 8.3 until things shake out. Keep an eye on the forums and GitHub. And if you’re brave enough to test PECL IMAP on 8.4, share your experience — those real-world battle reports help everyone.
If this PHP 8.4 IMAP drama has you puzzled or you have battle stories of your own, jump into the conversation here: https://forum.mautic.org/t/imap-support-with-php-8-4-for-monitored-email/
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Let me know if you’d like me to tailor it differently or add anything!
