PHP

There are two ways to install PHP packages with XBPS:

1. Using the versioned packages (recommended).
2. Using the meta-packages.

Versioned PHP Packages

It is generally recommended to use versioned PHP packages (e.g. php8.1, php8.1-apcu, etc.) for most use cases as this ensures a consistent environment on updates with minimal or no intervention required.

PHP Meta-packages

In Void, the php package is a meta-package that points to the latest upstream PHP version. This convention is followed by all packages prefixed with php-, such as php-fpm, as well as xdebug and composer. See the php template for a complete list. It is recommended to only use these meta-packages for development purposes.

When using a PHP meta-package, be warned that updating may require manual intervention if a new major PHP version has been added to the repository. As a part of the version change, the configuration location will change to reflect the new version. For example, upgrading from 8.0 to 8.1 would result in the configuration path changing from /etc/php8.0 to /etc/php8.1. Any customizations that have been made need to be manually applied to the new configuration directory.

php-fpm updates require special care since they include a runit service. In this case, ensure that the new runit service is started and that applications using the previous version of php-fpm can access the new php-fpm instance. In particular, make sure any applications accessing the FPM instance have the correct TCP/unix socket address.