Prerequisites for PHP 8.3 Installation
Supported Operating Systems
PHP 8.3 can be installed on these Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux versions:
Operating System | Supported Versions |
---|---|
Rocky Linux | 8, 9 |
AlmaLinux | 8, 9 |
To check your system’s version, run this command in your terminal:
cat /etc/redhat-release
Rocky Linux release 9.1 (Blue Onyx)
Administrative Access
You need root or sudo access to install PHP 8.3. This lets you:
- Install software packages
- Change system settings
- Manage services
To check if you have sudo access, run:
sudo -v
If you don’t get an error message, you have sudo privileges.
System Update
Before installing PHP 8.3, update your system packages:
sudo dnf update -y
This command:
- Updates the package list
- Upgrades installed packages to their latest versions
- Answers «yes» to prompts (-y flag)
Other Considerations
PHP Extensions
Decide which PHP extensions you need for your projects. Common extensions include:
mysqli
: for MySQL database connectionspdo_mysql
: for PDO-style MySQL connectionsgd
: for image processingcurl
: for making HTTP requestsmbstring
: for multibyte string handling
Web Server Compatibility
Make sure your web server works with PHP 8.3. Common web servers include:
Backup Existing PHP Installation
If you’re upgrading from an older PHP version, back up your current PHP configuration:
sudo cp -R /etc/php /etc/php_backup
This creates a backup of your PHP configuration in case you need to undo changes.
Enable Required Repositories
Setting up EPEL Repository
The EPEL (Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux) repository helps install PHP 8.3 on Rocky Linux or AlmaLinux. It provides extra packages and dependencies not in standard repositories.
To set up the EPEL repository:
Install EPEL:
```
sudo dnf install epel-release
```
Update your system:
```
sudo dnf update
```
Configuring Remi Repository
The Remi repository provides the latest PHP versions and is needed for installing PHP 8.3.
To configure the Remi repository:
Install Remi:
```
sudo dnf install <https://rpms.remirepo.net/enterprise/remi-release-$>(rpm -E %rhel).rpm
```
Enable PHP 8.3 module:
```
sudo dnf module reset php
sudo dnf module enable php:remi-8.3
```
Installing PHP 8.3
Using DNF Package Manager
To install PHP 8.3 and its core components, use this command:
sudo dnf install php
This installs the main PHP package and its core components.
To install common PHP extensions, add them to the installation command:
sudo dnf install php php-cli php-fpm php-mysqlnd php-zip php-devel php-gd php-mcrypt php-mbstring php-curl php-xml php-pear php-bcmath php-json
Common PHP Extensions
Extension | Purpose |
---|---|
php-cli | Command-line interface for PHP |
php-fpm | FastCGI Process Manager |
php-mysqlnd | MySQL Native Driver |
php-zip | ZIP archive support |
php-devel | Files for PHP module development |
php-gd | Image processing library |
php-mcrypt | Encryption library |
php-mbstring | Multibyte string handling |
php-curl | cURL support |
php-xml | XML parsing and generation |
php-pear | PHP Extension and Application Repository |
php-bcmath | Arbitrary precision mathematics |
php-json | JSON support |
You can add or remove extensions based on your project needs.
Verifying PHP 8.3 Installation
After installation, check the PHP version:
php -v
Expected output:
PHP 8.3.0 (cli) (built: Nov 21 2023 10:24:25) (NTS)
Copyright (c) The PHP Group
Zend Engine v4.3.0, Copyright (c) Zend Technologies
To confirm the installation of PHP extensions:
php -m
To check the PHP configuration:
php -i
If you installed PHP-FPM, check its status:
sudo systemctl status php-fpm
Configuring PHP 8.3
Editing php.ini File
The php.ini
file is the main configuration file for PHP. On Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux, it’s usually at /etc/php.ini
. To edit this file, use this command:
sudo nano /etc/php.ini
Some important settings to consider:
Setting | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
Memory Limit | Sets the maximum memory a PHP script can use | memory_limit = 256M |
Max Execution Time | Limits how long a PHP script can run | max_execution_time = 30 |
File Upload Size | Controls the maximum size of uploaded files | upload_max_filesize = 20M post_max_size = 20M |
Error Reporting | Manages how PHP handles and displays errors | error_reporting = E_ALL & ~E_NOTICE & ~E_STRICT & ~E_DEPRECATED display_errors = Off |
Date and Time Zone | Sets the local time zone | date.timezone = «America/New_York» |
After making changes, save the file and restart your web server.
Managing PHP-FPM Service
PHP-FPM (FastCGI Process Manager) handles PHP requests.
Starting and Enabling PHP-FPM
sudo systemctl start php-fpm
sudo systemctl enable php-fpm
Checking PHP-FPM Status
sudo systemctl status php-fpm
Configuring PHP-FPM for Web Servers
For Apache
Edit /etc/httpd/conf.d/php.conf
:
<FilesMatch \\.php$>
SetHandler "proxy:unix:/var/run/php-fpm/www.sock|fcgi://localhost"
</FilesMatch>
For Nginx
Edit your Nginx server block, usually in /etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf
:
location ~ \\.php$ {
fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php-fpm/www.sock;
fastcgi_index index.php;
include fastcgi_params;
}
Restarting Web Servers
After configuring, restart your web server:
For Apache:
```
sudo systemctl restart httpd
```
For Nginx:
```
sudo systemctl restart nginx
```
Additional PHP 8.3 Optimizations
OpCache Settings
OpCache improves PHP performance by storing precompiled script bytecode in shared memory.
Edit php.ini
to include:
opcache.enable=1
opcache.memory_consumption=128
opcache.interned_strings_buffer=8
opcache.max_accelerated_files=4000
opcache.revalidate_freq=60
opcache.fast_shutdown=1
Realpath Cache
Optimize file path resolution:
realpath_cache_size = 4096k
realpath_cache_ttl = 600
Session Handling
For better session management:
session.gc_maxlifetime = 1440
session.gc_probability = 1
session.gc_divisor = 100
Testing PHP 8.3 Setup
Creating a PHP Info Page
To test your PHP 8.3 installation, follow these steps to create and access a PHP info page:
- Create a new PHP file:
sudo nano /var/www/html/phpinfo.php
- Add this code to the file:
<?php
phpinfo();
?>
Save and close the file.
Set the correct permissions:
sudo chown apache:apache /var/www/html/phpinfo.php
sudo chmod 644 /var/www/html/phpinfo.php
- Access the page in your web browser:
http://your_server_ip/phpinfo.php
This page shows details about your PHP installation, including:
- PHP version
- Loaded extensions
- Server environment
- PHP settings
After testing, remove the file for security:
sudo rm /var/www/html/phpinfo.php
Useful Information from PHP Info Page
The PHP info page provides information for developers and system administrators. Here are some key sections and their uses:
PHP Core
Section | Use |
---|---|
PHP Version | Check the installed PHP version |
Loaded Configuration File | Find the main PHP configuration file |
memory_limit | Check available memory for PHP scripts |
max_execution_time | View the maximum time a script can run |
upload_max_filesize | See the maximum allowed file upload size |
Loaded Extensions
The PHP info page lists all loaded extensions. This information is useful for:
- Confirming required extensions are installed
- Identifying potential conflicts between extensions
- Verifying extension versions
Server Information
Information | Use |
---|---|
Server API | Identify how PHP is running (e.g., FPM, CGI) |
Server Software | Check the web server software and version |
Document Root | Confirm the main directory for web files |
Environment Variables
This section shows environment variables available to PHP, which can be useful for:
- Debugging configuration issues
- Verifying custom environment settings
- Understanding the server environment
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Addressing Permission Problems
File Ownership: Make sure PHP files are owned by the web server user:
```
sudo chown -R apache:apache /var/www/html
```
Directory Permissions: Set correct permissions for web directories:
```
sudo find /var/www/html -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \\;
sudo find /var/www/html -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \\;
```
SELinux Context: If using SELinux, set the correct context:
```
sudo restorecon -Rv /var/www/html
```
Resolving Extension Conflicts
Follow these steps to identify and resolve extension conflicts:
Check Loaded Extensions: View loaded extensions:
```
php -m
```
Identify Conflicts: Look for error messages in PHP logs:
```
sudo tail -f /var/log/php-fpm/error.log
```
Disable Conflicting Extensions: Comment out conflicting extensions in PHP configuration:
```
sudo nano /etc/php.ini
```
Comment out the extension line:
```
;extension=conflicting_extension.so
```
Update Extension Order: Change the loading order in PHP configuration if needed.
Restart PHP-FPM: After making changes, restart PHP-FPM:
```
sudo systemctl restart php-fpm
```