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CakePHP Upgrade to 4 - Piece by Piece

Written by Jorge on April 12, 2021 •
9236 VIEWS

Let's imagine you have a huge application in CakePHP 2.x (or 1.x) and you're planning to upgrade to the latest CakePHP 4.x.

After doing some estimations, you realize the upgrade process is out of your scope, because you don't have the budget or developer availability to do it in 1 shot. At this point, some companies would abort the upgrade and keep working on 2.x for "some more time" until "this last release is delivered" or until "budget is available next fall", digging deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole…

There's an alternative you could follow if this is your case: proceed with the upgrade of a smaller portion of your application and let the 2 versions coexist for some time.

Warning: This is NOT for every project or company. Please carefully think about this decision as it has overhead you'll need to handle.

So, if your application has a portion that could be extracted, with a small set of dependencies from other areas of your application, or if you are creating a new feature with a limited set of dependencies with the rest of your application, this approach would be good for you.

In order to allow both applications to coexist, we are going to keep the CakePHP 1.x application as the main one, and use CakePHP 4.x as a subfolder inside of the first one. It's important to note that in order to share sessions between both applications you'll need to use a storage you can actually share, like database or cache based sessions (redis, etc). Then, you can use a configuration like this one (see below) to add a new upstream to handle your new application. Note: the upstream could be located in another server of your network, using a different PHP version etc.

We've used nginx as an example, but you can use the same approach in other web servers like Apache.

In our example we're going to use all paths starting with /api to be managed by our new CakePHP 4.x application.

upstream cake4 {

# Note this could be any server/port in your network where the cake4 application is installed

server 127.0.0.1:9090;

}

# This is our CakePHP 2.x server

server {

server_name example.com;

root /var/virtual/example.com/app/webroot;

index index.php;

# All requests /api are forwarded to our CakePHP 4.x application

location /api {

proxy_pass http://cake4;

proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;

proxy_set_header Host $host;

proxy_http_version 1.1;

proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;

proxy_set_header Connection "Upgrade";

}

location / {

try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;

}

location ~ \.php$ {

try_files $uri =404;

include fastcgi_params;

fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php7.4-fpm.sock;

fastcgi_index index.php;

fastcgi_intercept_errors on;

fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;

}

# This is our CakePHP 4.x server

server {

listen 9090;

server_name example.com;

root /var/virtual/cake4-example.com/webroot;

index index.php;

location / {

try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;

}

location ~ \.php$ {

try_files $uri =404;

include fastcgi_params;

fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php7.4-fpm.sock;

fastcgi_index index.php;

fastcgi_intercept_errors on;

fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;

}

As you can see, we have 3 blocks defined in our configuration file:

upstream cake4 {...} to forward requests to the CakePHP 4.x application
server {... 2.x ...} using a location /api to forward all these calls to the CakePHP 4.x server
server {... 4.x ...} using a specific port (9090) to handle requests in CakePHP 4.x

Using this approach, you can break your application into 2 parts, and start moving features by path to CakePHP 4. You'll need to handle the changes in 2 projects for a while, and pay this overhead, but this could be better to maintain than a CakePHP 2.x application sitting on an old PHP version.

Happy baking!

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Goodbye to 2025!

Well bakers… another advent calendar is coming to an end. I hope you enjoyed all of the topics covered each day. We are also closing the year with so much gratitude. 2025 was the 20th year of CakePHP, can you believe it? We had an amazing year with our team, the community and the CakePHP core. It was great connecting with those who attended CakeFest in Madrid, and we hope to have the opportunity to see more of you in 2026. I cannot let the year end without getting a little sentimental. There is no better way to say it… THANK YOU. Thank you to the team who worked so hard, the core team that keeps pumping out releases, and most of all … thank you to our clients that trust us with their projects. CakeDC is successful because of the strong relationships we build with our network, and we hope to continue working with all of you for many years. There are a lot of great things still to come in year 21! Could 2026 will be bringing us CakePHP 6?! Considering 2 is rhe legal drinking age in the US, maybe CakePHP 6 should be beer cake? Delicious. Stay tuned to find out. Before I go, I am leaving you with something special. A note from Larry! As we close out this year, I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Twenty years ago, CakePHP started as a simple idea shared by a few of us who wanted to make building on the web easier and more enjoyable. Seeing how far it has come, and more importantly, seeing how many lives and careers it has impacted, is something I never take for granted. I am deeply grateful for our team, the core contributors, the community, and our clients who continue to believe in what we do. You are the reason CakePHP and CakeDC are still here, still growing, and still relevant after two decades. Here is to what we have built together, and to what is still ahead. Thank you for being part of this journey. Larry

Written by Amanda on December 24, 2025

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Pagination of multiple queries in CakePHP

A less typical use case for pagination in an appication is the need to paginate multiples queries. In CakePHP you can achieve this with pagination scopes.

Users list

Lest use as an example a simple users list.

// src/Controller/UsersController.php

class UsersController extends AppController
{
    protected array $paginate = [
        'limit' => 25,
    ];

    public function index()
    {
        // Default model pagination
        $this->set('users', $this->paginate($this->Users));
    }
}

// templates/Users/index.php

<h2><?= __('Users list') ?>/h2>
<table>
    <thead>
        <tr>
            <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('name', __('Name')) ?></th>
            <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('email', __('Email')) ?></th>
            <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('active', __('Active')) ?></th>
        </tr>
    </thead>
    <tbody>
        <?php foreach ($users as $user): ?>
        <tr>
            <td><?= h($user->name) ?></td>
            <td><?= h($user->email) ?></td>
            <td><?= $user->active ? 'Yes' : 'No' ?></td>
        </tr>
        <?php endforeach; ?>
    </tbody>
</table>
<?= $this->Paginator->counter() ?>
<?= $this->Paginator->prev('« Previous') ?>
<?= $this->Paginator->numbers() ?>
<?= $this->Paginator->next('Next »') ?>

Pagination of multiple queries

Now, we want to display two paginated tables, one with the active users and the other with the inactive ones.

// src/Controller/UsersController.php

class UsersController extends AppController
{
    protected array $paginate = [
        'Users' => [
            'scope' => 'active_users',
            'limit' => 25,
        ],
        'InactiveUsers' => [
            'scope' => 'inactive_users',
            'limit' => 10,
        ],
    ];

    public function index()
    {
        $activeUsers = $this->paginate(
            $this->Users->find()->where(['active' => true]),
            [scope: 'active_users']
        );

        // Load an additional table object with the custom alias set in the paginate property
        $inactiveUsersTable = $this->fetchTable('InactiveUsers', [
            'className' => \App\Model\Table\UsersTable::class,
            'table' => 'users',
            'entityClass' => 'App\Model\Entity\User',
        ]);
        $inactiveUsers = $this->paginate(
            $inactiveUsersTable->find()->where(['active' => false]),
            [scope: 'inactive_users']
        );

        $this->set(compact('users', 'inactiveUsers'));
    }
}

// templates/Users/index.php

<?php
// call `setPaginated` first with the results to be displayed next, so the paginator use the correct scope for the links
$this->Paginator->setPaginated($users);
?>
<h2><?= __('Active Users') ?>/h2>
<table>
    <thead>
        <tr>
            <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('name', __('Name')) ?></th>
            <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('email', __('Email')) ?></th>
            <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('active', __('Active')) ?></th>
        </tr>
    </thead>
    <tbody>
        <?php foreach ($users as $user): ?>
        <tr>
            <td><?= h($user->name) ?></td>
            <td><?= h($user->email) ?></td>
            <td><?= $user->active ? 'Yes' : 'No' ?></td>
        </tr>
        <?php endforeach; ?>
    </tbody>
</table>
<?= $this->Paginator->counter() ?>
<?= $this->Paginator->prev('« Previous') ?>
<?= $this->Paginator->numbers() ?>
<?= $this->Paginator->next('Next »') ?>

<?php
// call `setPaginated` first with the results to be displayed next, so the paginator use the correct scope for the links
$this->Paginator->setPaginated($inactiveUsers);
?>
<h2><?= __('Inactive Users') ?>/h2>
<table>
    <thead>
        <tr>
            <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('name', __('Name')) ?></th>
            <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('email', __('Email')) ?></th>
            <th><?= $this->Paginator->sort('active', __('Active')) ?></th>
        </tr>
    </thead>
    <tbody>
        <?php foreach ($inactiveUsers as $inactiveUser): ?>
        <tr>
            <td><?= h($inactiveUser->name) ?></td>
            <td><?= h($inactiveUser->email) ?></td>
            <td><?= $inactiveUser->active ? 'Yes' : 'No' ?></td>
        </tr>
        <?php endforeach; ?>
    </tbody>
</table>
<?= $this->Paginator->counter() ?>
<?= $this->Paginator->prev('« Previous') ?>
<?= $this->Paginator->numbers() ?>
<?= $this->Paginator->next('Next »') ?>

And with this you have two paginated tables in the same request.

Written by Rperez on December 23, 2025

159 Views

Clean DI in CakePHP 5.3: Say Goodbye to fetchTable()

This article is part of the CakeDC Advent Calendar 2025 (December 23rd, 2025)

Introduction: The Death of the "Hidden" Dependency

For years, accessing data in CakePHP meant "grabbing" it from the global state. Whether using TableRegistry::getTableLocator()->get() or the LocatorAwareTrait’s $this->fetchTable(), your classes reached out to a locator to find what they needed. While convenient, this created hidden dependencies. A class constructor might look empty, despite the class being secretly reliant on multiple database tables. This made unit testing cumbersome, forcing you to stub the global TableLocator just to inject a mock. CakePHP 5.3 changes the game with Inversion of Control. With the framework currently in its Release Candidate (RC) stage and a stable release expected soon, now is the perfect time to explore these architectural improvements. By using the new TableContainer as a delegate for your PSR-11 container, tables can now be automatically injected directly into your constructors. This shift to explicit dependencies makes your code cleaner, fully type-hinted, and ready for modern testing standards. The Old Way (Hidden Dependency):

public function execute() {
    $users = $this->fetchTable('Users'); // Where did this come from?
}

The 5.3 Way (Explicit Dependency):

public function __construct(protected UsersTable $users) {} 

public function execute() {
    $this->users->find(); // Explicit and testable.
}

Enabling the Delegate

Open src/Application.php and update the services() method by delegating table resolution to the TableContainer.

// src/Application.php
use Cake\ORM\TableContainer;

public function services(ContainerInterface $container): void
{
    // Register the TableContainer as a delegate
    $container->delegate(new TableContainer());
}

How it works under the hood

When you type-hint a class ending in Table (e.g., UsersTable), the main PSR-11 container doesn't initially know how to instantiate it. Because you've registered a delegate, it passes the request to the TableContainer, which then:

Validates: It verifies the class name and ensures it is a subclass of \Cake\ORM\Table.
Locates: It uses the TableLocator to fetch the correct instance (handling all the usual CakePHP ORM configuration behind the scenes).
Resolves: It returns the fully configured Table object back to the main container to be injected.

Note: The naming convention is strict. The TableContainer specifically looks for the Table suffix. If you have a custom class that extends the base Table class but is named UsersRepository, the delegate will skip it, and the container will fail to resolve the dependency.

Practical Example: Cleaner Services

Now, your domain services no longer need to know about the LocatorAwareTrait. They simply ask for what they need.

namespace App\Service;

use App\Model\Table\UsersTable;

class UserManagerService
{
    // No more TableRegistry::get() or $this->fetchTable()
    public function __construct(
        protected UsersTable $users
    ) {}

    public function activateUser(int $id): void
    {
        $user = $this->users->get($id);
        // ... logic
    }
}

Next, open src/Application.php and update the services() method by delegating table resolution to the TableContainer.

// src/Application.php
use App\Model\Table\UsersTable;
use App\Service\UserManagerService;
use Cake\ORM\TableContainer;

public function services(ContainerInterface $container): void
{
    // Register the TableContainer as a delegate
    $container->delegate(new TableContainer());

    // Register your service with the table as constructor argument  
    $container  
        ->add(UserManagerService::class)  
        ->addArgument(UsersTable::class);
}

Why this is a game changer for Testing

Because the table is injected via the constructor, you can now swap it for a mock effortlessly in your test suite without touching the global state of the application.

$mockUsers = $this->createMock(UsersTable::class);
$service = new UserManagerService($mockUsers); // Pure injection!

Conclusion: Small Change, Big Impact

At first glance, adding a single line to your Application::services() method might seem like a minor update. However, TableContainer represents a significant shift in how we approach CakePHP architecture. By delegating table resolution to the container, we gain:

True Type-Safety: Your IDE and static analysis tools now recognize the exact Table class being used. This is a massive win for PHPStan users—no more "Call to an undefined method" errors or messy @var docblock workarounds just to prove to your CI that a method exists.
Zero-Effort Mocking: Testing a service no longer requires manipulating the global TableRegistry state. Simply pass a mock object into the constructor and move on.
Standardization: Your CakePHP code now aligns with modern PHP practices found in any PSR-compliant ecosystem, making your application more maintainable and easier for new developers to understand.

If you plan to upgrade to CakePHP 5.3 upon its release, this is one of the easiest wins for your codebase. It’s time to stop fetching your tables and start receiving them. This article is part of the CakeDC Advent Calendar 2025 (December 23rd, 2025)

Written by Arusinowski on December 23, 2025

CakeDC Blog

CakePHP Upgrade to 4 - Piece by Piece

Written by Jorge on April 12, 2021 • 9236 VIEWS

Latest articles

Goodbye to 2025!

Pagination of multiple queries in CakePHP

Pagination of multiple queries in CakePHP

Users list

Pagination of multiple queries

Clean DI in CakePHP 5.3: Say Goodbye to fetchTable()

Introduction: The Death of the "Hidden" Dependency

Enabling the Delegate

How it works under the hood

Practical Example: Cleaner Services

Why this is a game changer for Testing

Conclusion: Small Change, Big Impact

Written by Jorge on April 12, 2021 •
9236 VIEWS