Is PIE compatible with PHP versions older than 8.1?

[ArchMaster2024]

I read the docs and saw the part where it explains that PIE can install extensions for any PHP version on the system. However, I'm a little confused about how this works.

• Do I need to install a PIE-compatible PHP version first?
• After that, can I just install an older PHP version and it will work?
• How do I instruct PIE to install an extension for a PHP version older than 8.1?

[asgrim]

There are a couple of ways, firstly;

• you can install a newer PHP (e.g. 8.5) side by side with an older PHP (lets say 7.4 for example)
• assuming a setup like deb.sury.org, you can invoke PIE like /usr/bin/php8.5 /path/to/pie.phar --with-php-config=/usr/bin/php-config7.4 ...
• docs for this approach: https://github.com/php/pie/blob/1.5.x/docs/usage.md#using-pie-to-install-an-extension-for-a-different-php-version

However, there is a new static executable version of PIE; it is provided experimentally;

• download the appropriate executable from the docs link below
• verify authenticity, e.g. gh attestation verify --repo php/pie pie-Linux-X64 to ensure the executable you have came from php/pie repo
• then you can use ./pie-Linux-X64 ... directly and it will work on any PHP;
  • if PHP is found on the system, it will use it automatically
  • you may still need to provide --with-php-config=... (Linux/OSX) or --with-php-path=... (Windows) if PIE cannot find your PHP
• docs for this approach: https://github.com/php/pie/blob/1.5.x/docs/usage.md#executable-pie-experimental
• note; there is some limitations with this, but the key functionality should work

Hope this helps! If you try the static executable version I'd be very interested to hear how you get on - positive or negative. I'm trying to gather feedback if it's worth pursuing further 😄