phpup — Bare-metal PHP for local development

Install, update and manage complete PHP development environments from a single command.

Originally inspired by getPHP, phpup has evolved into an independent project focused on giving developers complete control over their local PHP environment.

Why phpup?

• Always installs the latest stable component versions
• One-command installation
• Automatic configuration
• Built-in update manager
• Cross-platform — Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Version switching
• Safe delete with database preservation
• Designed for developers and power users

Quick Start

Windows

Right-click PowerShell → Run as Administrator, then:

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DaFa66/phpup/HEAD/phpup.ps1 | iex

macOS

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DaFa66/phpup/HEAD/phpup.sh)"

Linux

if ! command -v curl &> /dev/null; then sudo apt install -y curl; fi && source <(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DaFa66/phpup/HEAD/phpup.sh)

After launching, press I to install. On subsequent runs the script remembers your setup and goes straight to the dashboard.

Platform Support

Platform	Architecture	Package Manager	Status	Docs
Windows	x64 (+ ARM64 via emulation)	Direct binary downloads	✅ Stable	docs/WINDOWS.md
macOS	x86_64 + arm64	Homebrew / MacPorts	✅ Stable	docs/MACOS.md
Linux	x86_64 + arm64	apt (Debian/Ubuntu/WSL2)	✅ Stable	docs/LINUX.md

Special mention on macOS backends for Apple silicon and Intel Macs

phpup picks the right package manager for your Mac automatically:

Your Mac	Backend
Apple Silicon (all M-series)	Homebrew — always
Intel (any macOS version)	MacPorts — automatic

You can override the automatic selection with an environment variable:

Force Homebrew (even on an Intel Mac, where phpup now picks MacPorts)

PHPPUP_BACKEND=brew /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DaFa66/phpup/HEAD/phpup.sh)"

Force MacPorts (even on Apple Silicon)

PHPPUP_BACKEND=port /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DaFa66/phpup/HEAD/phpup.sh)"

If you already have a working Homebrew stack, phpup keeps it — it never silently migrates you to MacPorts, and it never nags. On an Intel Mac the dashboard header carries the caveat (Homebrew: /usr/local (Intel — PHP builds from source)), a one-time [ NOTE ] explains it and names the way out (PHPPUP_BACKEND=port), and any install, update or fu that is about to compile PHP from source says so before it starts, with the expected time.

On an Intel Mac? Homebrew no longer supports the platform at all, so follow the step-by-step, screenshot-led guide: docs/INSTALL-OLDER-MAC.md

The Dashboard

┌─────────────────────────────┐
│    ____  _   _ ____         │
│   |  _ \| | | |  _ \  /\    │
│   | |_) | |_| | |_) | || |  │
│   |  __/|  _  |  __/| || |  │
│   |_|   |_| |_|_|    ||_|   │
│         ▲ ▲ ▲               │
│         phpup               │
└─────────────────────────────┘

The dashboard shows installed versions, running services, useful paths, and available commands — all in one place. The Process Status section groups the web server with its PHP engine (Apache → PHP → MariaDB):

• Windows/macOS — PHP reports active when the module is wired and running, stopped when Apache is down, not wired when the module line is missing or stale, and not installed when no PHP is present. On macOS the row is labelled mod_php (PHP runs inside Apache) and the Web Stack version is read from the module Apache actually loads — so it matches phpinfo
• Linux — PHP runs as PHP-FPM, reported as Running (8.5) / Stopped (8.5) with the active FPM version shown; the Web Stack section shows the CLI version separately

Commands

Key	Action
I	Install the web stack
U	Update outdated components
fu	(hidden) PHP version switch (package manager on Mac/Linux, offline zips on Windows — fills missing series, flags newer patches, handles pre-release labels; on Linux switches Apache's PHP-FPM runtime + CLI together)
R	Restart Apache + MariaDB
S	Toggle services — stops if running, starts if stopped. On Windows, offers service registration.
D	Delete the stack (preserves www/ and databases)
Q	Quit

Control panel (Windows)

A desktop control surface for phpup — Rust + egui, one static binary, no webview and no Node toolchain. It reads the CLI contract below and drives the same verbs, so the scripts stay the single source of truth for installation, updates and version switching.

Download: Windows x64 zip with install.ps1: phpup panel 0.1.0 beta. It is a pre-release, so GitHub keeps it out of the Latest slot; that link, or Releases -> show more, is the way in.

• Live component cards: versions, running state, PIDs, ports, SAPI, service names
• Start / Restart / Stop with exit-code handling instead of parsed text
• Terminal-style output pane fed by phpup's stderr, with copy and follow/pause
• Tray icon, close-to-tray, quick links, System/Light/Dark theme, zoom, hover states
• Service startup type per registered service (Auto / Disabled): boot behaviour only, since Start / Restart / Stop already control the running processes
• Optional start in the tray at launch (no window, no taskbar button) and a Start with Windows toggle, both off by default
• Optional administrator mode: per action, or an always-elevated panel (no repeated UAC prompts) with phpup - as administrator in the title bar

Download the beta from Releases (phpup-panel-0.1.0-beta-win-x64.zip), extract it and run \.install.ps1. That copies the exe into <install_path>\bin and needs no elevation. Or build it yourself:

cd panel
cargo build --release
copy target\release\phpup-panel.exe C:\phpup\bin

Settings → Startup → Start with Windows registers it at logon through a per-user Run entry, no elevation needed. Pair it with Settings → Window → Start hidden in the tray so login produces no taskbar entry, only the tray icon. For an elevated start, use a scheduled task with /RL HIGHEST instead, and use one or the other rather than both:

schtasks /Create /TN "phpup panel" /TR "\"C:\phpup\bin\phpup-panel.exe\"" /SC ONLOGON /RL HIGHEST /F

The panel is at 0.1.0 and not yet released as a download. Full build notes, settings and troubleshooting: panel/README.md.

Scripted use (CLI)

Every verb accepts flags, so a GUI, tray app or CI job can drive phpup without the dashboard:

phpup status [--json] [--fast] [--watch N] [--quiet]
phpup start|stop|restart [--json] [--quiet]
phpup version
phpup help

• Stream discipline — stdout carries only the machine payload; all human-readable output goes to stderr. --json is therefore safe to pipe.
• --fast skips the expensive probes (service manager, ownership checks) for a status that is cheap enough to poll: ~250ms against ~2s for the full one.
• --watch N stays resident and emits one JSON object per line every N seconds, instead of paying PowerShell start-up on each tick.
• Exit codes are part of the contract: 0 ok · 1 failed · 2 usage · 3 not installed · 4 elevation required · 5 port conflict.
• The status schema is versioned (schema: 1), always fully populated — unknown values are null, never omitted — and additive only.

install, update, delete, switch and doctor are reserved for v2, once they have non-interactive modes. The full contract — schema, stream rules, semantics — is in docs/CLI.md.

How Version Resolution Works

phpup doesn't hardcode version numbers. Every install and update dynamically resolves the latest stable release of each component:

Component	Source	Method
Apache	Apache Lounge / apt / brew / port	Windows: scrapes download page. Mac/Linux: package manager
PHP	windows.php.net / ondrej / brew / port	Windows: queries releases.json. Mac/Linux: package manager
MariaDB	mariadb.org	REST API, sorts by support policy (Rolling > LTS), then version
phpMyAdmin	phpmyadmin.net	Latest stable release

PHP is always the latest stable major version (8.2+, currently 8.5). Use the hidden fu command to switch versions — on Windows it manages cached zips and can fill missing series (including EOL ones like 7.4 if the php_min_series floor is lowered), flags newer patches, shows pre-release labels (8.6.0 beta1), and re-points Apache's PHP module automatically when you cross major versions. On Linux it switches the Apache PHP-FPM runtime and the CLI default together, with automatic rollback if the new version fails to start. On macOS it relinks the formula and re-points Apache's php_module at that same formula, so the version serving requests always matches the version phpup reports.

After Installation

Question	Answer
Where to put website files?	www/ under your install directory
Test your PHP setup?	http://localhost/phpinfo.php
Access phpMyAdmin?	http://localhost/phpmyadmin
Login to phpMyAdmin?	Username: root / Password: (blank)

Safe Delete

Pressing D removes the stack while preserving your website files and databases. On reinstall, backups are automatically detected and offered for restoration. Config files are preserved according to each platform's conventions — see the OS-specific docs for details.

Platform-Specific Details

For prerequisites, directory layouts, component configuration, offline mode, service registration, persistent config, troubleshooting, and platform-specific behaviour:

Platform	Documentation
Windows	docs/WINDOWS.md
macOS (Homebrew)	docs/MACOS.md
macOS (older Intel)	docs/INSTALL-OLDER-MAC.md
Linux	docs/LINUX.md

Support

Open an issue or submit a pull request.

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Disclaimer: phpup is an independent, open-source tool and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the PHP Group, the PHP Foundation, Apache Lounge, MariaDB Foundation, or phpMyAdmin.