PHPas

PHPas is a lightweight, open-source PHP application server and runtime designed to simplify local development and deployment of PHP applications. It combines the PHP interpreter, a minimal HTTP server, and routing and middleware capabilities into a single package that can run without a full LAMP or Nginx stack.

Originating in 2018 by a group of PHP developers seeking easier distribution of PHP apps, PHPas was released as an open-source project in 2019 on a public repository. It has seen multiple major releases through 2020–2023, expanding routing, environment management, and developer tooling.

PHPas provides a compact runtime with a configuration file, support for environment variables, and a pluggable middleware system. It supports PHP 7.1 and newer, Composer autoloading, and PSR-4 coding standards. A built-in development server, static asset handling, and optional HTTPS support are included.

Typical usage involves installing PHPas via Composer or a binary release, placing application code under a public/ directory with an index.php entry point, configuring routes, and starting the server with a command such as “phpas serve.” It integrates with existing PHP codebases and uses a .env file for environment variables, aligning with common PHP development practices.

Reception and status: PHPas remains a niche tool aimed at small projects and educational use. It is praised for simplicity, quick bootstrapping, and portability, but it lacks some features of larger frameworks and is not widely adopted in enterprise environments. The community is modest but active, with occasional plugins and contributions.