How to use the command 'phpquery' (with examples)

phpquery is a command-line tool designed to manage PHP extensions on Debian-based operating systems. It serves as an efficient extension manager, providing users with capabilities to query various attributes of the PHP environment. With phpquery, developers and system administrators can streamline the way PHP versions and their extensions are handled, contributing to easier maintenance and greater control over the PHP environment.

Use case 1: List available PHP versions

Code:

sudo phpquery -V

Motivation:

This use case is essential for developers and system administrators who need to know what PHP versions are installed or available on a Debian-based system. When working on multiple projects, managing different PHP versions can be crucial due to compatibility requirements. Thus, quickly knowing which versions are available can help plan and manage deployments effectively.

Explanation:

• sudo: This ensures the command runs with superuser privileges, which are often required to access configurations and packages installed system-wide.
• phpquery: The base command used to query PHP-related information.
• -V: This option specifically tells phpquery to list all available PHP versions on the system.

Example output:

PHP versions available: 7.3, 7.4, 8.0, 8.1

Use case 2: List available SAPIs for PHP 7.3

Code:

sudo phpquery -v 7.3 -S

Motivation:

Knowing the available Server Application Programming Interfaces (SAPIs) for a specific PHP version can be critical when configuring your server to manage PHP operations. Different SAPIs modify how PHP interacts with your web server, and choosing the right one can have significant implications for performance and compatibility.

Explanation:

• sudo: Executes the command with superuser permissions needed for accessing PHP system configurations.
• phpquery: The command for querying PHP details.
• -v 7.3: Specifies the PHP version you are inquiring about. Here, 7.3 is the PHP version in focus.
• -S: Requests a list of available SAPIs (Server Application Programming Interfaces) for the specified PHP version.

Example output:

Available SAPIs for PHP 7.3: apache2, cli, fpm

Use case 3: List enabled extensions for PHP 7.3 with the cli SAPI

Code:

sudo phpquery -v 7.3 -s cli -M

Motivation:

Extensions significantly enhance PHP’s capabilities, adding various functionalities ranging from database support to JSON processing. This information allows developers to verify that essential extensions required for their applications are enabled and functioning properly, particularly in a command-line interface environment.

Explanation:

• sudo: Necessary to permit modification or inspection of PHP extensions at the system level.
• phpquery: The PHP query utility for extracting extension information.
• -v 7.3: Indicates which PHP version’s extensions you are interested in.
• -s cli: Specifies ‘cli’ (Command Line Interface) as the target SAPI context to list installed extensions.
• -M: Instructs the command to list all modules (extensions) enabled under the specified conditions.

Example output:

Enabled extensions for PHP 7.3 (cli): json, pdo, tokenizer, curl

Use case 4: Check if the JSON extension is enabled for PHP 7.3 with the apache2 SAPI

Code:

sudo phpquery -v 7.3 -s apache2 -m json

Motivation:

Understanding whether specific PHP extensions like JSON are enabled under specific conditions (like the apache2 SAPI) is crucial to ensure that the server environment is set up correctly for processing specific functionalities in web applications. Without such an extension, any feature relying on JSON operations could fail.

Explanation:

• sudo: Provides necessary administrative access required to query and confirm system settings.
• phpquery: The probing command for PHP-related extensions.
• -v 7.3: Designates the PHP version being examined.
• -s apache2: Specifies the apache2 SAPI, focusing the query on the web server’s PHP configuration.
• -m json: Queries about the ‘json’ extension in the given PHP version and SAPI.

Example output:

JSON extension is enabled for PHP 7.3 with apache2 SAPI.

Conclusion:

The phpquery command is a powerful tool for managing and querying PHP versions, SAPIs, and extensions on Debian-based systems. By providing detailed information about PHP environments, it aids system administrators and developers in maintaining compatibility, enhancing functionality, and troubleshooting issues efficiently.