PHPox

An all-in-one PHP distribution for modern development

A single binary that includes PHP runtime, web server, package manager, and all common extensions.
No more juggling multiple tools or fighting with PHP installations.

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Features

• Single Binary — One download, everything included. No dependencies, no setup.
• Integrated Web Server — Development server with worker mode (like FrankenPHP) and file watching.
• Composer-Compatible Package Manager — Fast, native package management that works with existing composer.json files.
• All Extensions Included — Common extensions pre-compiled and ready to use.
• Project Configuration — Simple pox.toml file for PHP settings and server config.

Quick Start

# Run a PHP script
pox script.php

# Start development server
pox server

# Install dependencies (reads composer.json)
pox install

# Add a package
pox add vendor/package

Installation

Download Binary

Each pipeline run includes as artifact a prebuilt binary for your platform.

Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/shyim/pox
cd pox
cargo build --release

Requires a PHP installation compiled with embed SAPI (--enable-embed). Set PHP_CONFIG environment variable to point to your PHP installation.

CLI Reference

pox 0.1.0 - PHP embedded in Rust

Usage: pox [options] <file> [args...]
       pox [options] -r <code> [args...]
       pox <command> [options]

Options:
  -d key[=value]  Define INI entry
  -i              Show PHP info
  -l              Syntax check (lint)
  -m              Show compiled modules
  -r <code>       Run PHP code
  -v              Version info
  -h, --help      Show help

Commands:
  server          Start development server
  init            Create new composer.json
  install, i      Install dependencies
  update          Update dependencies
  add, require    Add a package
  remove, rm      Remove a package
  run             Run composer script
  pm              Package manager commands

Package Manager Commands

pox pm show              # Show package info
pox pm search <query>    # Search Packagist
pox pm outdated          # List outdated packages
pox pm audit             # Security vulnerability check
pox pm why <package>     # Show why package is installed
pox pm dump-autoload     # Regenerate autoloader
pox pm exec <binary>     # Run vendored binary
pox pm clear-cache       # Clear package cache

Configuration

Create a pox.toml in your project root:

# PHP runtime settings
[php.ini]
memory_limit = "256M"
display_errors = "On"
error_reporting = "E_ALL"

# Development server
[server]
host = "0.0.0.0"
port = 8080
document_root = "public"
router = "index.php"

# Worker mode (optional)
# worker = "worker.php"
# workers = 4
# watch = ["**/*.php"]

Configuration Priority

1. CLI arguments (-d memory_limit=512M)
2. pox.toml settings
3. Built-in defaults

Web Server

Standard Mode

pox server
pox server --port 8080 --document-root public
pox server public/index.php  # With router script

Worker Mode

Long-running PHP processes for better performance (similar to FrankenPHP):

pox server --worker worker.php --workers 4

File Watching

Auto-restart workers when files change:

pox server --worker worker.php --watch "**/*.php"

Package Manager

PHPox includes a Composer-compatible package manager written in Rust. It reads and writes standard composer.json and composer.lock files.

# Initialize new project
pox init

# Install from lock file
pox install

# Update dependencies
pox update

# Add packages
pox add laravel/framework
pox add --dev phpunit/phpunit

# Remove packages
pox remove vendor/package

Supported Features

• Full dependency resolution (SAT solver)
• PSR-0, PSR-4, classmap, and files autoloading
• Private repositories and authentication
• Platform requirements checking
• Lock file compatibility with Composer

Architecture

PHPox is built as a Rust workspace with these crates:

Crate	Description
pox-cli	Main CLI binary, web server, command handling
pox-embed	FFI bindings to PHP's embed SAPI
pox-pm	Package manager (solver, repositories, autoload)
pox-semver	Semantic versioning for Composer constraints
pox-spdx	SPDX license identifier validation

Contributing

Contributions welcome! See the Feature Roadmap for planned features.

# Build
cargo build

# Run tests
cargo test

# Run specific crate tests
cargo test -p pox-pm

License

MIT