Introduction

PHP stands for Hypertext Preprocessor, and it's a script-based server-side programming language.

PHP helps automate various server tasks. It handles tasks such as dynamic content, database requests, and data preprocessing/display.

Read our tutorial on how to install PHP on Ubuntu 20.04 or 22.04 including integration with Apache and Nginx.

Installing PHP on Ubuntu

Like many developer tools, PHP has several different release versions. At the time of writing, PHP 7.4. and 8.1 are the currently supported and most used versions of the software.

The following command installs PHP using the apt package manager:

sudo?apt?install?php

On Ubuntu 20.04, the command installs PHP 7.4 while Ubuntu 22.04 installs PHP version 8.1.

If you're looking to choose the specific version of PHP on either system, follow one of the installation steps below.

1. Install PHP with Apache on Ubuntu

If you are running an Apache web server, install PHP with the Apache module. Below you will find installations for both PHP 7.4 and PHP 8.1.

1. Ensure you are using the latest repository updates by entering the following command into a terminal window:

sudo?apt?update?&&?sudo?apt?upgrade

2. Install software-properties-common to help you manage distributions and independent software sources:

sudo?apt?install?software-properties-common

If the package is already available, continue to the next step.

3. Next, add the ondrej/php PPA which provides different PHP versions for Ubuntu:

sudo?add-apt-repository?ppa:ondrej/php

After the PPA loads, press Enter to confirm adding the repository. The available PHP versions in the PPA are from 5.6 up to 8.2.

4. Update apt to include the new packages:

sudo?apt?update

5. Now you can install specific PHP versions. For example:

• To install PHP 7.4, run the command:

sudo?apt?-y?install?php7.4

• To install PHP 8.1, run the following command:

sudo?apt?-y?install?php8.1

6. Verify the installation with:

php?-v

The output displays the PHP version you installed.

If you installed version 7.4, the output appears as in the image below.

If you installed PHP 8.1, the output shows:

2. Install PHP with Nginx on Ubuntu

The Nginx server does not have native PHP processing. If you are using an Nginx server instead of Apache, follow the steps below to install PHP 7.4 or 8.1 to work with Nginx.

1. Enter the following command into a terminal window to ensure you are using the latest software:

sudo?apt?install?php

2. Add the ondrej/php PPA to include various PHP versions:

sudo?apt?update?&&?sudo?apt?upgrade

When the PPA information loads, press Enter to continue.

2. To install PHP for Nginx, use one of the following commands:

• For PHP 7.4:

sudo?apt?install?software-properties-common

• For PHP 8.1:

sudo?add-apt-repository?ppa:ondrej/php

The system will reach out to download and install the package and its dependencies.

2. Once the installation finishes, restart the Nginx service to apply the changes by entering:

sudo?apt?update

3. Next, enable PHP support by editing the server block. Open the server block with the command:

sudo?apt?-y?install?php7.4

4. Add the following code to your server block file for Nginx to make use of PHP:

sudo?apt?-y?install?php8.1

Exchange thefor your PHP version.

4. Save the file and exit.

5. Finally, restart Nginx on Ubuntu and reload PHP:

php?-v

sudo?apt?update?&&?sudo?apt?upgrade

Installing PHP Modules on Ubuntu

To install additional PHP modules, use the following syntax:

sudo?add-apt-repository?ppa:ondrej/php

For example:

sudo?apt?install?php7.4-fpm?-y

Alternatively, install multiple modules at once. For example, to install modules mysql, zip and bcmath on PHP 7.4, you would run:

sudo?apt?install?php8.1-fpm?-y

To list all loaded PHP modules run the command:

sudo?systemctl?restart?nginx

The output lists all compiled PHP modules, as in the example below.

How to Uninstall PHP on Ubuntu

To uninstall PHP from Ubuntu, follow the instructions below:

1. Run the following command in the terminal:

sudo?nano?/etc/nginx/sites-available/default

For example, if you installed the PHP 7.4 FPM version, run:

server{
??#?.?.?.?existing?configuration
??location?~?.php$?{
????include?snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
????fastcgi_pass?unix:/run/php/php<version>-fpm.sock;
??}
}</version>

2. Remove the orphaned packages with:

sudo?systemctl?restart?nginx

3. Lastly, check the PHP version to confirm the uninstall worked:

sudo?systemctl?reload?php<version_number>-fpm</version_number>

If the output does not show the version, the uninstall removed everything correctly.

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