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Moodle 5.3 beta playground

Select Moodle 5.3 beta (experimental) or use ?moodle=5.3&php=8.4. PHP 8.3 also works with the declared compatibility matrix; 8.2 and 8.5 are not offered for this channel. The default remains Moodle 5.0/PHP 8.3.

MOODLE_503_BETA is our local asset/channel name, pinned to upstream v5.3.0-beta through gitRef in src/shared/version-resolver.js. It is not an upstream stable branch. main remains a separate moving development build. The bundle includes the existing SQLite and WASM compatibility patches, Composer dependencies, a native-generated SQLite install snapshot and localcache seeds. This experimental SQLite/WASM environment is not a supported production Moodle DB.

Build and test

npm ci
npm run build:version
npm run build-worker
make bundle BRANCH=MOODLE_503_BETA
make test
npx playwright test tests/e2e/moodle-53-beta.spec.mjs --workers=1

The native snapshot builder uses PHP 8.3; runtime selection in the browser can use 8.3 or 8.4 independently. Both make prepare-all (CI) and the colorized local all-branch command include the beta. For a beta-only local build, start a server on an unused port and set PLAYWRIGHT_BASE_URL / PLAYWRIGHT_EXTERNAL_SERVER=1 so Playwright does not try to build every stable branch.

Next beta, RC and final

Change gitRef, the experimental label and the E2E release assertion together; rebuild the bundle/snapshot and repeat both browser/runtime combinations. Keep the channel explicitly experimental. Explicit GIT_REF remains available for local experiments but does not change the advertised compatibility guarantee. Add a distinct MOODLE_503_STABLE channel only after upstream publishes it; changing the default is a separate decision. See ADR-0030.

Verification

Verified locally on 2026-09-16 against upstream commit e68a1418bea512dd5992c29eb9e36570a3844e94 (v5.3.0-beta):

  • Native PHP 8.3 bundle build: passed, including Composer, SQLite installation, task draining, theme/DI/RequireJS caches and archive parity checks.
  • Bundle: 61,597 files, 56,098,370 bytes; SQLite snapshot: 8,192,000 bytes.
  • make test: 838 passed, zero failed.
  • Worker/service-worker rebuild: passed.
  • Chromium and Firefox, each with PHP 8.3 and 8.4: all four browser tests passed, checking the selected runtime, visible themed Moodle page, no exception text, beta release manifest and snapshot presence.
  • Changed JavaScript files pass Biome; shell syntax and git diff --check pass. Repository-wide lint exits successfully with existing schema/deprecation and formatting warnings outside these changes.

These checks cover fresh installation and rendering, not every plugin, blueprint or an upgrade of a persisted older playground. Revalidate subsequent releases.