How to install multiple versions of php in linux and switch between them

It is very common to install multiple versions of PHP on a Linux server. When providing support for different PHP projects, it is important to choose the right version. On Linux systems, there are tools that can help you easily install multiple PHP versions and switch between them. In this article, we will explain how to install multiple PHP versions using Apache web server on ubuntu 18.04 system and switch between them easily.

1. Install the Apache web server.

Before you start installing PHP, you must install the Apache web server. On Ubuntu 18.04 systems, you can use the following command to install:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install apache2

The installation process may take some time, depending on your network speed. After the installation is complete, you can use the following command to view the status of the Apache service:

systemctl status apache2

2. Install PHP Version Manager.

There are several tools to install and manage multiple PHP versions on Linux systems. In this article, we will use a tool called PHP Version Manager. You can install it via the following command:

sudo apt-get install software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install php-pear php-dev php-mbstring php-zip php-curl php-gd php-mysql php-xml
sudo apt-get install php7.4-cli
sudo apt-get install php7.4-fpm

As mentioned above, we have installed php7.4 here. You can install any PHP version according to your needs. After the installation is complete, use the following command to view the PHP version:

php -v

3. Install the PHP version manager.

You can install the PHP version manager via:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install git
cd /usr/src
sudo git clone https://github.com/phpbrew/phpbrew.git
cd phpbrew
sudo ./phpbrew init

Once PHPBrew is complete, you must add the following to your bash shell configuration file. You can add the following lines to the opened file:

sudo nano ~/.bashrc

[[ -e ~/.phpbrew/bashrc ]] && source ~/.phpbrew/bashrc

4. Install the PHP version.

phpbrew helps us quickly download and install multiple PHP versions. For example, use the following command to install PHP 7.1 version:

sudo phpbrew install php-7.1.1 +default+mysql+pdo+openssl

The installation process may take some time depending on your network speed. After the installation is complete, use the following command to view the installed PHP version:

phpbrew list

5. Switch PHP version.

You can switch between multiple PHP versions using the following command:

phpbrew switch php-7.1.1

This will switch the PHP version your system is currently using.

6. Configure the Apache web server.

Once you have successfully installed multiple PHP versions, and switched to a specific version, you must configure the selected version onto the Apache web server.

First, you need to install the PHP module.

sudo apt-get install libapache2-mod-php7.1

Please note that the above command is an example of installing the Apache module using an installed PHP version. You need to make changes based on the PHP version you have installed.

Next, restart the Apache web server.

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Finally, you need to confirm that the Apache web server is using the correct PHP version. You can use the following command in the terminal:

sudo nano /var/www/html/info.php

Add the following content to the open file:

<!--?php phpinfo(); ?-->

Save and close the file. Now, use your web browser to access localhost/info.php. At this point you will see PHP configuration information about the server, including the PHP version currently in use and other related information.

7. Summary

Using the above steps, you can install multiple PHP versions on a linux system and configure them into the Apache web server. This enables you to use corresponding PHP versions in different projects. Plus, you can quickly and easily switch to another PHP version if needed.

The above is the detailed content of How to install multiple versions of php in linux and switch between them. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!