Steps to configure a PHP development environment on Linux

To set up a PHP development environment on Linux, install PHP and required extensions, set up a web server like Apache or Nginx, test with a PHP file, and optionally install MySQL and Composer. 1. Install PHP and extensions via package manager (e.g., sudo apt install php php-mysql php-curl php-mbstring). 2. Install Apache (sudo apt install apache2) or Nginx and PHP-FPM (sudo apt install nginx php-fpm), then configure and restart the server. 3. Test by creating an info.php file in /var/www/html/ and accessing it via browser. 4. Optionally install MySQL (sudo apt install mysql-server) and secure it, then install Composer for dependency management using the official installer.

Setting up a PHP development environment on Linux is straightforward, especially if you're using a popular distro like Ubuntu. The key is to install the right tools and configure them properly so you can start building and testing PHP applications locally.

Install PHP and Required Extensions

The first step is getting PHP installed on your system. Most Linux distributions have PHP in their package repositories, so you can use the built-in package manager.

On Ubuntu or Debian-based systems, run:

• sudo apt update
• sudo apt install php

This installs the core PHP package. However, most projects require additional extensions like php-mysql, php-curl, or php-mbstring. You can install them individually:

• sudo apt install php-mysql php-curl php-mbstring

Make sure to install the extensions that match your project’s needs — it’s better to install them early than to debug issues later.

Set Up a Web Server (Apache or Nginx)

PHP alone isn’t enough — you need a web server to run PHP scripts through a browser.

For Apache:

Install Apache with:

• sudo apt install apache2

Then restart Apache after installing PHP to ensure everything loads correctly:

• sudo systemctl restart apache2

Your PHP files should go into /var/www/html/ by default.

For Nginx:

Install Nginx and PHP-FPM:

• sudo apt install nginx php-fpm

Then configure Nginx to handle PHP requests. Open your site config file (e.g., /etc/nginx/sites-available/default) and make sure it includes:

location ~ \.php$ {
    include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
    fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php8.1-fpm.sock;
}

Restart Nginx afterward:

• sudo systemctl restart nginx

Both servers work well, but Nginx tends to be more lightweight and efficient for high-traffic setups.

Test Your Setup with a Simple PHP File

Once everything is installed, test your environment to confirm it's working.

Create a simple PHP file:

• sudo nano /var/www/html/info.php

Add the following content:

<?php
phpinfo();
?>

Save and exit, then visit http://localhost/info.php in your browser. If you see the PHP info page, everything is configured correctly.

If not, check:

• That the web server is running (systemctl status apache2 or nginx)
• That the file is placed in the correct directory
• That PHP modules are enabled if needed

You can delete this file afterward since it exposes system details.

(Optional) Install MySQL and Composer for Full Stack Development

If your project uses a database, installing MySQL or MariaDB is a good idea:

• sudo apt install mysql-server

Secure it with:

• sudo mysql_secure_installation

Then create a database and user for your project.

Also, install Composer, the PHP dependency manager:

• Download with: php -r "copy('https://getcomposer.org/installer', 'composer-setup.php');"
• Run the installer: php composer-setup.php --install-dir=/usr/local/bin --filename=composer

Now you can use composer init or install packages like Laravel or Symfony easily.

That’s basically all you need to get a basic PHP development environment up and running on Linux. It’s not complicated, but each step has small details that can trip you up if skipped.

The above is the detailed content of Steps to configure a PHP development environment on Linux. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!