PHP’s Phar extension can bundle an application into a single archive that runs without being extracted. To create one, use PHP’s Phar APIs to add your application files and configure a bootstrap stub. The build machine must allow archive writes; the machine running the result has its own PHP and archive-format requirements.
What a Phar package does
A Phar packages PHP application files into an archive, which can be used as a single-file distribution. PHP supports executable Phar archives as well as tar- and zip-based archive forms. The format matters: an executable Phar can run even if the Phar extension is disabled, but accessing individual files inside an archive requires the extension except in PHP_Archive cases. Tar and zip archives can also be read or extracted with third-party tools; running them as Phar applications requires the extension. See PHP’s Phar manual for the format and runtime distinctions.
Packaging does not bundle the PHP runtime. A recipient still needs a compatible PHP environment, and whether the Phar extension must be enabled depends on the archive form and what the recipient needs to do with it.
Choose an archive form for how recipients will use it
| Format | Run directly as a Phar application | Inspect or extract with ordinary archive tools | Phar extension needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executable Phar | Yes; PHP documents that it can run with the extension disabled. | Not established by the cited PHP format guidance. | Not needed to run it; needed to access individual files inside, except in PHP_Archive cases. |
| Tar-based Phar | Yes, when used as a Phar application. | Can be read or extracted by third-party tools. | Required to run it as a Phar application. |
| Zip-based Phar | Yes, when used as a Phar application. | Can be read or extracted by third-party tools. | Required to run it as a Phar application. |
These distinctions are documented in the PHP Phar manual. Choose based on whether direct execution or compatibility with general archive utilities matters more, and check the target environment’s PHP extensions before release.
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Build the archive in a controlled environment
- Prepare the application files. Include the files needed to run the application and any dependencies required by your distribution approach.
- Allow archive writes for the build. PHP’s
phar.readonlysetting defaults to1, preventing creation or modification of executable Phar archives. Set it to0in the controlled build configuration where you create the artifact; PHP’s Phar runtime configuration documentation says this setting should remain enabled on production machines. - Create the archive with the Phar API. Use PHP’s Phar classes and APIs to add files from a directory or iterator, select the archive format, and configure a bootstrap stub. Follow the examples and API details in PHP’s guide to creating Phar archives.
- Test the artifact in the target runtime. Check that it starts as intended and that any file access inside the archive works with the recipient’s PHP configuration and chosen format.
Building and running are separate concerns: permission to write an archive belongs in the build environment, not as a reason to weaken configuration on production machines.
Understand the hash setting and what it does not prove
phar.require_hash also defaults to 1. It requires an opened Phar to contain a supported signature. PHP describes this as a safeguard against accidentally corrupted archives, not proof that an archive came from a trusted publisher: someone able to tamper with an archive could also repair its signature. For release authenticity, do not treat the Phar hash requirement as publisher verification. See PHP’s configuration reference and its Phar file-format documentation.
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Account for Composer and PHP version differences
If the application uses Composer, build from the dependency versions recorded in composer.lock: Composer’s install command documentation explains that install uses those exact locked versions.
Composer documents a separate version-specific restriction: before PHP 8.0, it refuses by default to read or extract tar/Phar distribution archives because parsing an untrusted archive was considered unsafe on those PHP versions. Composer recommends upgrading PHP rather than enabling the unsafe override. PHP 8.0 and newer ignore that legacy override. This is Composer’s behavior for those archive operations; it is not a blanket statement that all Phar use is unsafe. See Composer’s configuration documentation.
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Release checklist
- Decide whether recipients need a directly executable archive, ordinary archive-tool access, or both.
- Confirm target PHP compatibility and the extension requirements implied by the format and expected file access.
- Enable
phar.readonly=0only in the controlled build configuration; keep it enabled on production machines. - For Composer applications, install from the committed lock file and preserve the build inputs used to create the artifact.
- Do not present a required Phar signature as protection against deliberate tampering or as proof of publisher identity.
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