Installing PHP

This guide explains how to install PHP on different operating systems.

Requirements

• Basic command-line knowledge
• Administrator / sudo access
• Internet connection

Installation on Windows

1. Download PHP

1. Go to the official PHP downloads page: https://www.php.net/downloads
2. Click Windows downloads
3. Download the latest Thread Safe ZIP package (x64)

2. Extract PHP

1. Extract the ZIP file to:

   C:\php

2. Rename php.ini-development to php.ini

3. Add PHP to PATH

1. Open System Properties → Environment Variables

2. Edit Path under System variables

3. Add:

   C:\php

4. Click OK and restart your terminal

4. Verify Installation

php -v

You should see the PHP version output.

Installation on macOS

Option A: Using Homebrew (Recommended)

brew install php

Verify:

php -v

Option B: Manual Installation

1. Download PHP from https://www.php.net/downloads
2. Extract and follow the provided instructions

Installation on Linux

Ubuntu / Debian

sudo apt update
sudo apt install php php-cli php-common

Fedora

sudo dnf install php php-cli

Arch Linux

sudo pacman -S php

Verify:

php -v

Configure PHP

Edit php.ini

Find your active configuration file:

php --ini

Common settings:

memory_limit = 256M
upload_max_filesize = 20M
post_max_size = 20M
date.timezone = Asia/Manila

Enable Common Extensions

Edit php.ini and uncomment:

extension=pdo_mysql
extension=mbstring
extension=openssl
extension=curl

Restart your web server after changes.

Using PHP Built-in Server

php -S localhost:8000

Open:

http://localhost:8000

Project Structure Example

my-project/
├── index.php
├── composer.json
└── vendor/

Verify with a Test File

Create index.php:

<?php
phpinfo();

Visit it in your browser to confirm PHP is working.