Not on the full framework. Drupal core requires individual Symfony components, such as HttpFoundation, HttpKernel, Routing and EventDispatcher, in its composer.json. That file in core 11.4.10 does not list symfony/framework-bundle, the package that carries the full-stack framework.
' - '@type': Question name: 'Which Symfony version does Drupal 11 use?' acceptedAnswer: '@type': Answer text: 'Drupal 11.3.0, released on 17 December 2025, updated the components to Symfony 7.4.0, and core 11.4.10 requires ^7.4 for its main components. Symfony lists 7.4 as a long-term support release with bug fixes until November 2028 and security fixes until November 2029 (checked 26 October 2026).
' - '@type': Question name: 'Where do I meet Symfony code when writing a Drupal module?' acceptedAnswer: '@type': Answer text: 'In controllers, which can read the Symfony Request and return a Response object instead of a render array; in event subscribers that implement EventSubscriberInterface; and in *.services.yml files, which feed Symfony's container. Hooks and plugins are Drupal's own systems.
' - '@type': Question name: 'Can I install a newer Symfony version than core uses?' acceptedAnswer: '@type': Answer text: 'Not outside core's constraints. Core 11.4.10 asks for 7.4 on its main Symfony packages, so Composer will not install Symfony 8 for them. Patch releases inside 7.4 install with a normal Composer update.
' - '@type': TechArticle headline: Symfony description: 'Symfony is the PHP project whose components carry requests, routing, events and the service container in Drupal core; Drupal 11.4 requires Symfony 7.4.' image: '@type': ImageObject url: 'https://dxpr.com/themes/custom/dxpr_com/images/dxpr-share-card.jpg' width: '1200' height: '630' datePublished: '2026-10-26T18:01:04+0000' dateModified: '2026-10-26T18:01:04+0000' author: '@type': Organization '@id': 'https://dxpr.com/#organization' name: DXPR url: 'https://dxpr.com/' logo: '@type': ImageObject url: 'https://dxpr.com/themes/custom/dxpr_com/dxpr-logo-dark.svg' width: '1348' height: '501' publisher: '@type': Organization '@id': 'https://dxpr.com/#organization' name: DXPR url: 'https://dxpr.com/' logo: '@type': ImageObject url: 'https://dxpr.com/themes/custom/dxpr_com/dxpr-logo-dark.svg' width: '1348' height: '501' mainEntityOfPage: 'https://dxpr.com/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/symfony' articleSection: 'Drupal glossary' - '@type': WebPage '@id': 'https://dxpr.com/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/symfony' description: 'Symfony is the PHP project whose components carry requests, routing, events and the service container in Drupal core; Drupal 11.4 requires Symfony 7.4.' breadcrumb: '@type': BreadcrumbList itemListElement: - '@type': ListItem position: 1 name: Home item: 'https://dxpr.com/' publisher: '@type': Organization '@id': 'https://dxpr.com/#organization' name: DXPR inLanguage: en --- [Help Center](/hc)/[Documentation](/hc/documentation) /[Learn Drupal](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal) /[Drupal glossary](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary) # Symfony Symfony is the PHP project whose components carry requests, routing, events and the service container in Drupal core; Drupal 11.4 requires Symfony 7.4. Learn DrupalDrupal glossary Last updated October 26, 2026 ## In this guide Related terms - [Dependency injection](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/dependency-injection) - [Composer](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/composer) - [Hook system](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/hook-system) - [Core](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/core) - [Service container](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/service-container) [All Drupal terms from A to Z](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary) Symfony is a PHP project that offers decoupled libraries, called components, and a full web framework built on them. Drupal does not run on the framework. Core builds on a selection of the components, so Symfony class names appear throughout Drupal code. ## How Drupal uses Symfony in Drupal 11 The Symfony site describes its packages as decoupled libraries for PHP applications. Drupal core pulls in the ones it needs through [Composer](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/composer). The `composer.json` of core 11.4.10 requires, among others, `symfony/http-foundation`, `symfony/http-kernel`, `symfony/routing`, `symfony/event-dispatcher`, `symfony/dependency-injection`, `symfony/console`, `symfony/yaml`, `symfony/mailer` and `symfony/serializer`, each constrained to 7.4, such as `^7.4` or `^7.4.13`. The core source shows how those pieces fit: - **Request handling.** `DrupalKernel` implements an interface that extends Symfony's `HttpKernelInterface`, and the `http_kernel.basic` service is Symfony's `HttpKernel`, wrapped by Drupal's middleware stack. `Request` and `Response` objects come from HttpFoundation. - **Routing.** Drupal's route provider returns Symfony `RouteCollection` objects, and its router uses Symfony's matcher interfaces. - **Events.** The `event_dispatcher` service is Symfony's `EventDispatcher`. Core classes such as `ClientErrorResponseSubscriber` implement `EventSubscriberInterface` and listen to `KernelEvents`. - **Services.** Drupal's `ContainerBuilder` extends Symfony's. The Drupal.org documentation says the service container is built on the Symfony container, that the usual Symfony container concepts apply, and that Drupal overrides parts of it with its own logic. This is the base under the [dependency injection](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/dependency-injection) that modern Drupal code uses. Drupal's own [hook system](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/hook-system), entities and plugins are not Symfony features. ## Versions and support dates The 11.3.0 release notes (17 December 2025) state that the Symfony components were updated to 7.4.0. On 26 October 2026 symfony.com lists 7.4 as a long-term support (LTS) release from November 2025, with bug fixes until November 2028 and security fixes until November 2029. The same page lists 8.1 as the current stable release, and says Symfony 8.x requires PHP 8.4 or higher. Core 11.4.10 stays on 7.4, so these dates are worth checking again when you plan upgrades. ## Example Take a request for a page. In core 11.4.10, `web/index.php` loads the Symfony Runtime and returns a closure that builds a `DrupalKernel`. The kernel's `handle()` method passes the Symfony `Request` to the inner HTTP kernel and gets a `Response` back. Subscribers listening to `KernelEvents::RESPONSE` can change that response before it is sent. Each of these steps has a Symfony class you can look up in the Symfony docs. ## Common mistakes - **Following framework tutorials literally.** Guides for bundles or the Symfony framework configuration describe features Drupal core does not use. Use the component documentation instead. - **Reading the docs for the wrong version.** symfony.com documents several release lines; pick 7.4 to match core 11.4.10. - **Treating Symfony 7.4 and Drupal as one support cycle.** The Symfony end dates above come from symfony.com; look up Drupal core's dates on Drupal.org. ## For marketing and content teams You will rarely touch Symfony directly. It matters when a security update or a core release note mentions a Symfony version bump: that is part of [core](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/core) maintenance, and your developer applies it with Composer. ## Sources - [Symfony: What is Symfony?](https://symfony.com/what-is-symfony) - [Symfony: Packages](https://symfony.com/packages) - [Symfony: Releases](https://symfony.com/releases) - [Drupal.org: Services and dependency injection in Drupal](https://www.drupal.org/docs/drupal-apis/services-and-dependency-injection/services-and-dependency-injection-in-drupal-8) - [Drupal.org: Drupal 11.3.0 release notes](https://www.drupal.org/project/drupal/releases/11.3.0) - [Drupal core 11.4.10 source: composer.json and core.services.yml (git.drupalcode.org)](https://git.drupalcode.org/project/drupal/-/tree/11.4.10/core) ## Questions about Symfony in Drupal ### Is Drupal built on the Symfony framework? Not on the full framework. Drupal core requires individual Symfony components, such as HttpFoundation, HttpKernel, Routing and EventDispatcher, in its `composer.json`. That file in core 11.4.10 does not list `symfony/framework-bundle`, the package that carries the full-stack framework. ### Which Symfony version does Drupal 11 use? Drupal 11.3.0, released on 17 December 2025, updated the components to Symfony 7.4.0, and core 11.4.10 requires ^7.4 for its main components. Symfony lists 7.4 as a long-term support release with bug fixes until November 2028 and security fixes until November 2029 (checked 26 October 2026). ### Where do I meet Symfony code when writing a Drupal module? In controllers, which can read the Symfony `Request` and return a `Response` object instead of a render array; in event subscribers that implement `EventSubscriberInterface`; and in `*.services.yml` files, which feed Symfony's container. Hooks and plugins are Drupal's own systems. ### Can I install a newer Symfony version than core uses? Not outside core's constraints. Core 11.4.10 asks for 7.4 on its main Symfony packages, so Composer will not install Symfony 8 for them. Patch releases inside 7.4 install with a normal Composer update. ## Cite this definition "Symfony." DXPR Drupal glossary, https://dxpr.com/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/symfony. Last updated October 26, 2026. Copy ## Related terms - [Dependency injection](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/dependency-injection) - [Composer](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/composer) - [Hook system](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/hook-system) - [Core](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/core) - [Service container](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/service-container) [All Drupal terms from A to Z](/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary)