Pie
The official installer for PHP extensions, replacing the deprecated PECL system.
What is Pie?
PIE (PHP Installer for Extensions) is the official tool for installing PHP extensions, designed as a modern replacement for the deprecated PECL system. It simplifies adding extensions to PHP installations, whether for individual extensions or project-wide dependencies, using a Composer-like workflow.
PHP developers and system administrators who need to manage PHP extensions across different environments, including local development, CI/CD pipelines, and production servers.
Developers choose PIE because it provides a standardized, user-friendly way to install extensions with cross-platform support, automatically handling build tools on Linux/OSX and using pre-compiled DLLs on Windows, reducing the traditional complexity of building and installing PHP extensions.
Overview
🥧 The PHP Installer for Extensions
Use Cases
Best For
- Installing individual PHP extensions with a simple command-line interface similar to Composer.
- Setting up all required extensions for a PHP project based on its configuration in one command.
- Automating extension installation in non-interactive environments like CI/CD pipelines or containers.
- Managing PHP extensions on Windows without needing a build toolchain, using pre-compiled DLLs.
- Discovering and installing extensions that support PIE via integration with Packagist.
- Replacing the deprecated PECL system with an official, modern tool for extension management.
Not Ideal For
- Projects using PHP versions older than 8.1, as PIE itself requires PHP 8.1 or newer to run.
- Environments where extensions must be installed without internet access, since PIE relies on Packagist for discovery.
- Scenarios requiring fine-grained control over extension compilation flags, as PIE automates the build process.
Pros & Cons
Pros
PIE uses a PHAR distribution and commands similar to Composer, making it intuitive for developers familiar with modern PHP tooling, as stated in the README comparing it to Composer.
Automatically handles build tools on Linux/OSX and uses pre-compiled DLLs on Windows, simplifying installation across different operating systems without manual setup, as detailed in the prerequisites section.
Can install all required extensions for a PHP project with a single command, enhancing dependency management, demonstrated in the 'Installing all extensions for a PHP project' example in the README.
Supports non-interactive modes with flags like --allow-non-interactive-project-install, making it suitable for automated environments like containers, as mentioned in the tip for CI pipelines.
Cons
Many PHP extensions are not yet available through PIE, as it's a new system replacing PECL, and the README notes that extensions must support PIE via Packagist, which can be a blocker for niche or legacy extensions.
PIE requires PHP 8.1 or newer to run, which excludes older PHP environments, as specified in the prerequisites, limiting its use in legacy projects or systems.
In non-interactive environments, specific flags are needed to avoid prompts, which can cause setup failures if overlooked, as cautioned in the documentation for CI use cases.
Open Source Alternative To
Pie is an open-source alternative to the following products:
Frequently Asked Questions
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