Installing and upgrading PHP on Linux Ubuntu/Debian

PHP is the heart of your web server. In a Linux environment (Ubuntu or Debian), installing and maintaining PHP via the terminal is fast and efficient. Below are the steps for a new installation and switching to the latest stable version.

Installing PHP

1. Open the terminal and update system packages:

   sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

2. Install PHP:

   sudo apt install php

3. Verify the installation:

   php -v

   The current version of PHP should be displayed.

4. Install common extensions (for database work, XML, ZIP, etc.):

   sudo apt install php-cli php-mbstring php-curl php-xml php-zip php-mysql

Upgrading to the Latest PHP Version

1. Add Ondřej Surý PPA (repository for the latest PHP):

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

2. Update package lists and install the latest available version:

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install php php-cli php-common php-curl php-mbstring php-xml php-zip

3. Set PHP as the default version in the system:

   sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/php php /usr/bin/php8.3 83
   sudo update-alternatives --set php /usr/bin/php8.3

   Note: If you want to use a specific version, replace php8.3 with the name of the installed version (e.g., php8.5). For automatic identification, you can use the command ls /usr/bin/php*.

4. Check the active version:

   php -v

   The output should show the installed PHP version.