Base de Conhecimento

AlmaLinux/Rocky Linux's default repositories often ship an older PHP version than actively developed applications need. This guide covers installing a current PHP version using the Remi repository.

Prerequisites

• AlmaLinux 9 or Rocky Linux 9 VPS
• Root or sudo access

Step 1 — Enable EPEL and Remi Repositories

sudo dnf install epel-release -y
sudo dnf install https://rpms.remirepo.net/enterprise/remi-release-9.rpm -y

Step 2 — List Available PHP Versions

sudo dnf module list php

Step 3 — Reset the Default PHP Module and Select a Version

sudo dnf module reset php -y
sudo dnf module enable php:remi-8.3 -y

Step 4 — Install PHP

sudo dnf install php php-cli php-fpm php-mysqlnd php-gd php-mbstring php-xml php-zip php-curl -y

Step 5 — Verify Installation

php -v

Step 6 — Enable and Start PHP-FPM

sudo systemctl enable --now php-fpm

Step 7 — Connect PHP-FPM to Nginx

server {
    location ~ \.php$ {
        fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php-fpm/www.sock;
        fastcgi_index index.php;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        include fastcgi_params;
    }
}

Verify the exact socket path matches your PHP-FPM pool configuration:

cat /etc/php-fpm.d/www.conf | grep listen

Step 8 — SELinux Considerations for PHP-FPM

If PHP-FPM needs to connect to a database or make network calls:

sudo setsebool -P httpd_can_network_connect_db 1

Step 9 — Test PHP

echo "<?php phpinfo(); ?>" | sudo tee /var/www/html/info.php

Visit http://YOUR_SERVER_IP/info.php, then remove it:

sudo rm /var/www/html/info.php

Switching PHP Versions Later

sudo dnf module reset php -y
sudo dnf module enable php:remi-8.2 -y
sudo dnf install php -y
sudo systemctl restart php-fpm

Common Errors

"Error: Problem: package php conflicts with..." — multiple PHP module streams enabled simultaneously; reset with dnf module reset php before enabling a different stream.

PHP files download instead of executing (Nginx) — verify the socket path in your Nginx config matches PHP-FPM's actual listen directive.

Database connection fails from PHP despite correct credentials — likely SELinux blocking the network connection; apply setsebool httpd_can_network_connect_db as shown above.

Best Practices

• Use the Remi repository for access to current, actively supported PHP versions
• Install only the PHP extensions your application actually needs
• Check SELinux booleans (getsebool -a | grep httpd) when troubleshooting unexpected permission errors

Continue Reading

• How to Install Nginx on AlmaLinux/Rocky Linux
• Understanding SELinux Basics on AlmaLinux/Rocky Linux
• How to Install MySQL/MariaDB on AlmaLinux/Rocky Linux

Browse more articles in AlmaLinux & Rocky Linux.