How to Install PHP 8.1 on CentOS 7

To install PHP 8.1 on CentOS 7, follow these concise steps.

Step 1 : Ensure your system is up-to-date by running:

sudo yum update -y

Step 2 : Install the Remi repository which provides PHP 8.1:

sudo yum install https://rpms.remirepo.net/enterprise/remi-release-7.rpm

Step 3 : Enable the PHP 8.1 repository:

sudo yum-config-manager --enable remi-php81

Step 4 : Install PHP core packages including PHP itself, PHP-FPM (FastCGI Process Manager), and PHP CLI (Command Line Interface):

sudo yum install -y php81 php81-php-fpm php81-php-cli

Step 5 : Install commonly used PHP extensions for web development:

sudo yum install -y php81-php-{mysqlnd,curl,gd,mcrypt,json,pear,common,xml,zip,devel,xsl,soap,bcmath,mbstring,gettext,imagick}

- php-mysqlnd: Native driver for MySQL databases.

- php-curl: Library for making HTTP requests.

- php-gd: Graphics library for image processing.

- php-mcrypt: Library for encryption functions.

- php-json: Support for JSON data format.

- php-pear: Package management for PHP.

- php-common: Common files for PHP.

- php-xml: XML parsing library.

- php-zip: Zip file support.

- php-devel: PHP development libraries.

- php-xsl: XSLT processor.

- php-soap: SOAP client and server support.

- php-bcmath: Arbitrary precision mathematics.

- php-mbstring: Multibyte string support.

- php-gettext: GNU gettext library.

- php-imagick: Image processing library using ImageMagick.

Step 6 : After installation, verify the PHP version to ensure it is correctly installed:

php81 -v

Congratulations! You have successfully installed PHP 8.1 on CentOS 7.