Php Src

Open source alternative to Adobe ColdFusion

41.2K stars
BSD-3-Clause
Active this week
Last commit today

Last verified Oct 23, 2026

Run server-side PHP scripts and build web applications using a BSD-licensed interpreter that powers a substantial share of public websites.

Visit website GitHub41.2K

Read the full breakdownWho it is for, how it works, trade-offs, the quick start and the FAQ

who it's for

Who Php Src is for#

Web developers building server-side applications

PHP runs natively in Apache and Nginx environments on any standard Linux server without additional application server configuration. Developers building CMS-backed sites, REST APIs, or custom web applications deploy PHP on shared hosting or a VPS with minimal setup overhead.

Skip if:

Teams building CPU-intensive backend services or microservice architectures where language-level concurrency and performance characteristics are primary selection criteria may find a compiled language or a runtime with async I/O a better fit.

Teams migrating from Adobe ColdFusion

PHP covers the same server-side scripting use case as Adobe ColdFusion with BSD-3-Clause licensing and no per-server fees. The extension ecosystem and major frameworks such as Laravel and Symfony provide feature coverage comparable to ColdFusion's built-in tag library for typical web application work.

Skip if:

If the existing ColdFusion codebase relies heavily on CFML-specific tags or the built-in ColdFusion ORM, migration to PHP requires meaningful rewrite effort. PHP does not provide a CFML compatibility layer.

Developers deploying on shared or budget hosting

Most shared hosting providers include PHP by default. Deploying a PHP application requires no containerization, no custom server configuration, and no additional licensing. This makes PHP the default path for teams operating within the constraints of shared hosting plans.

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Teams that require runtime version isolation across multiple PHP versions on the same host without conflicts will need additional configuration using PHP-FPM pools or a container-based setup.

the problem

The problem it solves#

Server-side web development has long required choosing between a language with broad hosting support and one with a rich ecosystem of frameworks and extensions. Proprietary options like Adobe ColdFusion lock teams into per-server licensing fees, vendor-controlled release cycles, and limited portability between hosting environments.

For developers maintaining applications across shared hosting, VPS servers, and cloud containers, a language that runs natively on Apache, Nginx, and every major Linux distribution simplifies operational overhead. PHP fills that gap as an open source, freely licensed interpreter with decades of production use and a stable extension infrastructure.

how Php Src solves it

How it solves it#

Multiple server integration modes

PHP runs natively in Apache via mod_php, in Nginx via PHP-FPM, via php-cgi, inside FrankenPHP, and via LiteSpeed. Each integration mode allows PHP to serve web requests in a different server configuration. Switching between integration modes requires no changes to application code.

Extension ecosystem via PIE and PECL

PHP bundles essential extensions for database drivers, XML parsing, cryptography, and image processing. Additional extensions are available through the PIE (PHP Installer for Extensions) registry on Packagist, which replaces the older PECL tool. Custom extensions can be installed as compiled shared libraries.

RFC-driven language development

New PHP language features require a formal RFC that must be voted on by the PHP development community. This process is documented at wiki.php.net/rfc and prevents unilateral additions to the language. Bug fixes do not require an RFC and can be submitted directly via GitHub pull request with a reference to the relevant issue number.

Parallel test suite

PHP ships with an extensive test suite run via `make test` after compilation. Tests run in parallel by default across up to 10 detected logical processors. The `-jN` flag in TEST_PHP_ARGS controls worker count. The qa.php.net site provides additional quality assurance metrics and test results per release branch.

BSD-3-Clause license

PHP is distributed under the BSD-3-Clause license (the Modified BSD License). This permits use, modification, and redistribution in any project, including commercial products, with no per-server or per-seat licensing costs. The only requirements are preserving the copyright notice and BSD license text in redistributions.

strengths · trade-offs

Strengths and trade-offs#

Strengths

Broad hosting compatibilityPHP is the default server-side runtime on most shared hosting providers and is included in every major Linux distribution's package repository. Deploying a PHP application requires no container orchestration, no custom server compilation, and no vendor subscription. This makes it the lowest-friction deployment target for web applications across a wide range of hosting environments.
No licensing cost for commercial useThe BSD-3-Clause license permits commercial use, modification, and redistribution without fees. Unlike Adobe ColdFusion, which charges a per-server commercial license, PHP imposes no cost for production deployments. A team running dozens of web servers pays nothing more than their infrastructure costs.
Active release branches with coordinated security patchingMultiple PHP release branches receive simultaneous security updates. The PHP security team coordinated critical patches (CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619) across PHP 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, and 8.5 in a single release cycle, distributing patches to Linux LTS vendors in advance of the public disclosure. This coordinated process is documented publicly.

Trade-offs

-End-of-life versions stop receiving security updatesPHP 8.1 and older no longer receive security updates from the PHP project. Sites running end-of-life PHP versions must either upgrade to a supported branch or rely on distribution-specific backported fixes from LTS vendors. The recent CVE-2026-109618 (RCE via OOM corruption) and CVE-2026-109619 (RCE via stale global state) demonstrated that unpatched PHP installations serving web requests face real remote code execution risk if not kept current.
-Building from source requires a significant toolchainCompiling PHP from source requires autoconf, bison, re2c, libxml2, and libsqlite3 as prerequisites. On systems without these packages, the build process requires several additional installation steps before compilation can begin. Most deployments use prebuilt distribution packages; teams needing custom builds must manage these dependencies independently.

versus alternatives

Php Src vs alternatives#

PHP vs Adobe ColdFusion

PHP and Adobe ColdFusion both target server-side scripting for web application development. The core difference is licensing: PHP is BSD-3-Clause open source with no licensing costs, while ColdFusion is a proprietary commercial platform requiring a purchased per-server or per-core license.

Feature	PHP	Adobe ColdFusion
License	BSD-3-Clause	Proprietary commercial
Self-hosting	Any server, no license fee	Licensed server required
Pricing	Free	Per-server commercial license
Web server support	Apache, Nginx, FrankenPHP, LiteSpeed	JEE app servers, IIS
Runtime	C interpreter	Java-based CFML runtime
Extension install	PIE / PECL	CFML tag library
Community model	Open source, GitHub-maintained	Adobe-controlled releases

PHP is the better choice when cost is a constraint, when the deployment target is a standard Linux server with Apache or Nginx, or when the team wants access to the open source framework ecosystem (Laravel, Symfony). The BSD-3-Clause license means production deployment carries no per-server fee regardless of how many servers the application runs on.

ColdFusion remains a reasonable choice for organizations already invested in Adobe enterprise tooling, teams with existing CFML codebases where a full rewrite is not feasible, or environments that need ColdFusion's built-in Administrator and ORM capabilities without assembling a PHP application stack independently.

install · quick start

Quick start#

bash

Install PHP build dependencies on Ubuntu/Debian, then compile and install from source.
```bash
sudo apt install -y pkg-config build-essential autoconf bison re2c libxml2-dev libsqlite3-dev
./buildconf
./configure
make -j4
make install
```

tech stack · detected from GitHub

What it's built on#

Languages: CC++PHP

frequently asked

FAQ#

Is PHP free for commercial use?

Yes. PHP is distributed under the BSD-3-Clause license, which permits use in commercial applications, modifications, and redistribution without any fee or license purchase. There are no per-server or per-deployment costs.

What web servers does PHP support?

PHP runs in Apache via mod_php, in Nginx and other servers via PHP-FPM, via php-cgi, inside FrankenPHP, and via LiteSpeed. It also runs as a standalone CLI interpreter for scripting tasks outside of web requests.

How do I install PHP extensions?

PHP bundled extensions cover common needs including database drivers, XML parsing, and cryptography. Additional extensions can be installed via PIE (PHP Installer for Extensions) from the Packagist extensions registry, or via the older PECL tool.

Which PHP versions currently receive security updates?

As of late 2026, PHP 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, and 8.5 receive security updates from the PHP project. PHP 8.1 and older are end-of-life from the PHP project, though some Linux distributions provide backported patches for older versions through their LTS support.

How does PHP compare to Adobe ColdFusion for server-side scripting?

PHP and ColdFusion both serve server-side scripting for web development. PHP is BSD-3-Clause licensed and free for all deployments; ColdFusion requires a commercial per-server license. PHP has broader hosting support across shared hosting providers and a larger open source framework ecosystem. ColdFusion offers deeper integration with Adobe enterprise tooling and tighter built-in ORM capabilities for teams already in that ecosystem.

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PHP vs Adobe ColdFusion

Feature	PHP	Adobe ColdFusion
License	BSD-3-Clause	Proprietary commercial
Self-hosting	Any server, no license fee	Licensed server required
Pricing	Free	Per-server commercial license
Web server support	Apache, Nginx, FrankenPHP, LiteSpeed	JEE app servers, IIS
Runtime	C interpreter	Java-based CFML runtime
Extension install	PIE / PECL	CFML tag library
Community model	Open source, GitHub-maintained	Adobe-controlled releases

Who Php Src is for#

Web developers building server-side applications

Skip if:

Teams migrating from Adobe ColdFusion

Skip if:

Developers deploying on shared or budget hosting

Skip if:

The problem it solves#

How it solves it#

Multiple server integration modes

Extension ecosystem via PIE and PECL

RFC-driven language development

Parallel test suite

BSD-3-Clause license

Strengths and trade-offs#

Strengths

Trade-offs

Php Src vs alternatives#

PHP vs Adobe ColdFusion

Quick start#

What it's built on#

FAQ#

Similar open-source tools#

Open source tools in these categories#

Web Development

Backend Development

Developer Tools

Find open source alternatives to paid software

Who Php Src is for#

Web developers building server-side applications

Skip if:

Teams migrating from Adobe ColdFusion

Skip if:

Developers deploying on shared or budget hosting

Skip if:

The problem it solves#

How it solves it#

Multiple server integration modes

Extension ecosystem via PIE and PECL

RFC-driven language development

Parallel test suite

BSD-3-Clause license

Strengths and trade-offs#

Strengths

Trade-offs

Php Src vs alternatives#

PHP vs Adobe ColdFusion

Quick start#

What it's built on#

FAQ#

Similar open-source tools#

Open source tools in these categories#

Web Development

Backend Development

Developer Tools

Find open source alternatives to paid software