DEV Community

Cover image for How to Install Multiple PHP Versions on Ubuntu 22.04
Suresh Ramani
Suresh Ramani

Posted on • Originally published at techvblogs.com

How to Install Multiple PHP Versions on Ubuntu 22.04

#ubuntu #linux #php

PHP is a programming language used for developing web applications. You must install PHP packages on a Ubuntu system to run the application written on it. Generally, it is used to create e-commerce websites, blogs, and API applications. If you’re looking for an easy way to install PHP on Ubuntu 22.04, look no further. In this blog post, we’ll show you how to do it quickly and easily.

We will use the Ondrej PPA for installing PHP on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS system. Which contains PHP 8.1, 8.0, 7.4, 7.3, 7.2. 7.1, 7.0 & PHP 5.6 packages. You can install any of the versions as required for your application. The new application developers are suggested to use the latest PHP version ie PHP 8.1.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to install PHP on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS system. This tutorial is also compatible with Ubuntu 20.04, and 18.04 systems.

Step 1: System Update

First, log in to Ubuntu 22.04 via console. Then update the Apt cache and upgrade the current packages of the system using the following command:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

When prompted, press y to confirm the installation.

Step 2: Installing Multiple PHP Versions on Ubuntu 22.04

The easiest way to install multiple versions of PHP is by using the PPA from Ondřej Surý, who is a Debian developer. To add this PPA, run the following commands in the terminal. The software-properties-common package is needed if you want to install software from PPA. It’s installed automatically on the Ubuntu desktop but might miss on your Ubuntu server.

sudo apt install software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php
sudo apt update
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

The SURY repository contains PHP 8.1, 8.0, 7.4, 7.3, 7.2, 7.1, 7.0 & PHP 5.6. As the latest stable version of PHP is 8.0, but many websites still required PHP 7. You can install any of the required PHP versions on your system.

Install PHP 8.1:

Now you can install PHP8.1 on Ubuntu by executing the following command:

sudo apt-get install php8.1 php8.1-fpm
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

And install some common PHP8.1 extensions.

sudo apt-get install php8.1-mysql php8.1-mbstring php8.1-xml php8.1-gd php8.1-curl
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

When prompted, press y to confirm the installation.

You can view all available PHP8.1 extensions by typing in sudo apt-get install php8.1 and pressing Tab key twice.

Install Multiple PHP Version on Ubuntu 22.04 - TechvBlogs

Install PHP 8.0:

Now you can install PHP8.0 on Ubuntu by executing the following command:

sudo apt-get install php8.0 php8.0-fpm
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

And install some common PHP8.0 extensions.

sudo apt-get install php8.0-mysql php8.0-mbstring php8.0-xml php8.0-gd php8.0-curl
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Install PHP 7.4:

Now you can install PHP7.4 on Ubuntu by executing the following command:

sudo apt-get install php7.4 php7.4-fpm
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

And install some common PHP7.4 extensions.

sudo apt-get install php7.4-mysql php7.4-mbstring php7.4-xml php7.4-gd php7.4-curl
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

When prompted, press y to confirm the installation.

Install PHP 7.3:

Now you can install PHP7.3 on Ubuntu by executing the following command:

sudo apt-get install php7.3 php7.3-fpm
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

And install some common PHP7.3 extensions.

sudo apt-get install php7.3-mysql php7.3-mbstring php7.3-xml php7.3-gd php7.3-curl
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

When prompted, press y to confirm the installation.

Install PHP 7.2:

Now you can install PHP7.2 on Ubuntu by executing the following command:

sudo apt-get install php7.2 php7.2-fpm
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

And install some common PHP7.2 extensions.

sudo apt-get install php7.2-mysql php7.2-mbstring php7.2-xml php7.2-gd php7.2-curl
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

When prompted, press y to confirm the installation.

Install PHP 7.1:

Now you can install PHP7.1 on Ubuntu by executing the following command:

sudo apt-get install php7.1 php7.1-fpm
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

And install some common PHP7.2 extensions.

sudo apt-get install php7.1-mysql php7.1-mbstring php7.1-xml php7.1-gd php7.1-curl
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

When prompted, press y to confirm the installation.

Install PHP 5.6:

Now you can install PHP5.6 on Ubuntu by executing the following command:

sudo apt-get install php5.6 php5.6-fpm
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

And install some common PHP5.6 extensions.

sudo apt-get install php5.6-mysql php5.6-mbstring php5.6-xml php5.6-gd php5.6-curl
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

When prompted, press y to confirm the installation.

Step 3: Check Active PHP Version

Now after installation, verify that the correct version of PHP is installed by checking the version number by the below-mentioned command:

php -v
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
# Output
PHP 8.1.8 (cli) (built: Jul 11 2022 08:30:39) (NTS)
Copyright (c) The PHP Group
Zend Engine v4.1.8, Copyright (c) Zend Technologies
    with Zend OPcache v8.1.8, Copyright (c), by Zend Technologies
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Step 4: Switch Default PHP Version for CLI

If you have multiple versions of PHP installed on Ubuntu 22.04, you can choose to make one of the versions the default PHP version.

To list the available versions, run the following command:

sudo update-alternatives --config php
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Install Multiple PHP Version on Ubuntu 22.04 - TechvBlogs

As you can see, we have PHP 8.1 as the default version of PHP.

To change the default version, enter the number that matches the appropriate version you want to make as the default and press ENTER.

For example, to make PHP 7.4 the default version, type 3 and press ENTER.

You can execute the command below to change the version straight away:

sudo update-alternatives --set php /usr/bin/php7.4
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

After, Check the active PHP version:

php -v
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
# Output
PHP 7.4.30 (cli) (built: Jun 27 2022 08:21:19) ( NTS )
Copyright (c) The PHP Group
Zend Engine v3.4.0, Copyright (c) Zend Technologies
    with Zend OPcache v7.4.30, Copyright (c), by Zend Technologies
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Step 5: Uninstalling PHP Versions

If any PHP version is no more required, it can be removed from the system. That will free the disk space as well as system security.

To uninstall any PHP version, Run the following command:

sudo apt-get remove php5.6
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Also, uninstall all the modules for that version, Run the following command:

sudo apt-get remove php5.6-*
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Thank you for reading this blog.

Top comments (3)

Collapse
 
daniolivet profile image
Daniel Olivet •

I can understand you mate. There are companies that don't use docker yet so it's a good way for switch php versions.

Another way is make a bash script that switch php version :)

Collapse
 
leslieeeee profile image
Leslie •

If you are macos user, ServBay.dev is worth to try. You don't need to spend some time or couple of days to setup anything. Just download it and you can use it immediately. You can run multiple PHP versions simultaneously and switch between them effortlessly.
Honestly, this tool has greatly simplified my PHP development and is definitely worth trying!

Collapse
 
michabbb_76 profile image
Michael Bladowski •

that´s what you do when you don´t know docker. so in other words: DON`T DO IT!
learn docker and forget everything you have read here.

Read next

ysf00009 profile image

Spring Boot vs Laravel

YSF -

mbayoun95 profile image

Linux Special Permissions: A Comprehensive Guide with Examples

Murad Bayoun -

barim profile image

Change screen input programatically on Linux

CodeCadim by Brahim Hamdouni -

silent_mobius profile image

Self Made Installer Packages

Alex M. Schapelle -