Let PHP run on JVM - JPHP

JPHP is a PHP implementation for Java virtual machine, supporting many features of PHP (5.3+). JPHP is responsible for compiling PHP source code into JVM bytecode so that it can run on the JVM. This is similar to JRuby, Jython and other implementations. It supports JDK 1.6 and above. The project was launched in October last year.

JPHP is not intended to replace the Zend PHP engine or Facebook HHVM (the idea of ​​​​HHVM is to compile PHP into an intermediate bytecode, and then compile the bytecode into x64 machine code through JIT). The designers do not intend to implement Zend runtime libraries (such as Curl, PRCE, etc.) for JPHP for the following reasons:

• Ability to use Java libraries in PHP
• Improving performance through JIT and JVM
• Replace Zend PHP ugly runtime library with a better one
• Expand the use of PHP language beyond the Web
• JVM has better support for Unicode strings and threads

JPHP has the following functions:

• JIT (2-10 times faster than PHP 5.4)
• Optimizer (optimize constant expressions, inline functions, etc.)
• You can use Java libraries and classes in php code
• Unicode string (similar to UTF-16 in Java)
• Threads, sockets
• Environment architecture (similar to the sandbox object in runkit zend extension)
• Supports GUI, implemented based on Swing and improved, providing a more flexible layout
• Embedded caching system for classes and functions
• Optional Hot Reloading mechanism for classes and functions

Language features include:

• Full support for PHP 5.2+ (including OOP)
• Closures (PHP 5.3), automatically bind $this in closures (PHP 5.4)
• Full support for namespaces (PHP 5.3)
• Class spl autoloading (PHP 5.3)
• Iterators, ArrayAccess and Serializable
• Type constraints for classes, arrays and callables (PHP 5.4)
• Array Short Syntax (PHP 5.4)
• GC for circular references (PHP 5.3)

For more features, please view the README file of this project.

In addition, JPHP also provides some features that PHP does not support, such as the use of exceptions in the __toString method, type constraints on scalars, etc.

JPHP is not the first attempt to improve PHP performance. We will wait and see how effective it will be. Interested readers can download and try it out.

From: http://www.infoq.com/cn/news/2014/03/jphp