How to Turn Any PHP Script into a Cross‑Platform Executable with PHPacker

Introduction

PHPacker is a tool that packages any PHP script or PHAR file into a standalone, cross‑platform executable, simplifying distribution by handling all the complexities of bundling PHP with the application.

Installation

composer require phpacker/phpacker --dev

Quick Start

Create a simple PHP script, for example app.php:

<?php
/**
 * @desc app.php description
 * @author Tinywan (ShaoBo Wan)
 */
declare(strict_types=1);

echo 'Hello 开源技术小栈' . PHP_EOL;

Build an executable from the script with a single command: vendor/bin/phpacker build --src=./app.php The tool will prompt you to select a target platform. After the build finishes you will find binaries for the chosen platforms, for example:

# Linux
build/linux/linux-arm
Hello 开源技术小栈

# Windows
build/windows/windows-x64.exe
Hello 开源技术小栈

Basic Build Commands

If you run the build command without additional arguments, PHPacker interactively asks for basic information. The same options can be supplied directly as parameters:

# Build for a specific platform and architecture
phpacker build mac arm --src=./app.phar

# Build for all supported platforms
phpacker build all --src=./app.phar

# Build with a custom output directory
phpacker build --src=./app.phar --dest=./custom-build-path

# Build with a specific PHP configuration file
phpacker build --src=./app.phar --ini=./custom-php.ini

# Prompt INI definitions interactively
phpacker build --src=./app.phar --ini

# Build with a specific PHP version
phpacker build --src=./app.phar --php=8.3