$ Linux Command

Development

php

PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor command-line interpreter.

phpscriptingwebclilanguageprogramming

Additional Notes

php is the command-line interface (CLI) for executing PHP scripts. PHP is a widely-used general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development. The CLI version allows running PHP scripts from the terminal, performing batch processing, writing system administration tools, and testing code without a web server.

PHP is one of the most popular languages for server-side web development, powering major platforms like WordPress, Drupal, Laravel, Symfony, and Facebook (via HHVM historically). The CLI version includes the same language engine as the web module but with features tailored for command-line use, such as built-in web server mode, interactive shell, and support for Unix signals.

Syntax

php [options] [script-file] [arguments...]
php [options] -r 'code' [arguments...]
php [options] -a

Parameters

  • script-file: The PHP script to execute.
  • arguments: Command-line arguments passed to the script. Available in $argv and $argc.

Common Options

  • -r 'code': Run PHP code directly from the command line without <?php tags.
  • -f file: Parse and execute a file. This is the default behavior.
  • -a: Start the interactive PHP shell (read-eval-print loop).
  • -l: Syntax check (lint) a PHP file without executing it.
  • -w: Strip comments and whitespace from the source code.
  • -i: Print PHP information (phpinfo() equivalent) and exit.
  • -m: List all compiled and loaded PHP modules.
  • -n: Load no php.ini file.
  • -c path: Look for php.ini in the specified path.
  • -d key=value: Define a custom INI entry.
  • -e: Generate extended information for the debugger/profiler.
  • -S addr:port: Start the built-in web server on the specified address and port.
  • -t document-root: Specify the document root for the built-in web server.
  • -B code: Execute code before processing input (with -R or -F).
  • -R code: Execute code for each input line.
  • -E code: Execute code after processing input.
  • -F file: Parse and execute a file for each input line.
  • -h, --help: Show help.
  • -v, --version: Show PHP version information.
  • --ini: Show PHP configuration file names and paths.

Examples

php -v

Show the PHP version.

php -m

List all loaded PHP modules.

php -i | grep php.ini

Show PHP configuration and search for the config file path.

php -r 'echo "Hello, World!\n";'

Run a PHP one-liner that prints a greeting.

php -l script.php

Check a PHP file for syntax errors without executing it.

php script.php

Execute a PHP script file.

php -a

Start the interactive PHP shell.

php -S localhost:8000 -t /var/www/html

Start the built-in PHP development web server.

php -d memory_limit=256M -d max_execution_time=60 script.php

Run a script with custom PHP configuration values.

php -r 'print_r(get_loaded_extensions());'

Print all loaded PHP extensions.

php -n script.php

Run a script without loading any php.ini configuration (all defaults).

php -B 'print "Starting\n";' -R 'print strtoupper("$argn\n");' -E 'print "Done\n";'

Process each input line: print before, uppercase each line, print after.

php --ini

Show which configuration files PHP is using.

#!/usr/bin/env php
<?php
echo "Command-line args:\n";
foreach ($argv as $i => $arg) {
    echo "  \$argv[$i] = $arg\n";
}

A standard PHP CLI script shebang line and argument processing.

Practical Notes

  • The built-in web server (-S) is for development only. It is single-threaded and not intended for production use.
  • Use php -l (lint) as part of a pre-commit hook or CI pipeline to catch syntax errors before they reach production.
  • The interactive shell (-a) requires the readline extension for line editing and history.
  • For running scheduled tasks, use php /path/to/script.php in cron jobs. The CLI version has different ini settings from the web module (e.g., no time limit by default).
  • Common CLI INI file is /etc/php/8.x/cli/php.ini on Debian/Ubuntu. Check with php --ini.
  • PHP CLI scripts can access $argv (argument array) and $argc (argument count) for command-line argument handling.
  • Use php -r for quick tests, but be careful with quoting on the shell command line.
  • The -d option allows setting any php.ini directive at runtime without modifying configuration files.