crazywhalecc/static-php-cli

What is it?

Key features

• 01Builds single-file PHP CLI binaries with no runtime dependencies.
• 02Can package PHP source code into a phpmicro self-extracting executable.
• 03Supports PHP 8.1 to 8.5, with 8.6 in pre-release.
• 04Offers 100+ selectable PHP extensions.
• 05Runs on Linux, macOS and Windows.
• 06Includes a build environment checker with auto-fix.

Use cases

• Shipping a PHP command-line tool to servers without a PHP installation.
• Distributing a PHP application as one executable file to end users.
• Creating slim PHP runtimes for containers or minimal Linux images.
• Producing a PHP build with a specific extension set for a CI pipeline.

Quick start

1. 1

   Download the spc binary for Linux x86_64

   curl -fsSL -o spc https://dl.static-php.dev/v3/spc-bin/nightly/spc-linux-x86_64
2. 2

   Add execute permission to spc

   chmod +x ./spc
3. 3

   Create a craft.yml file listing the PHP version and extensions

4. 4

   Build static PHP from craft.yml

   ./spc craft

Things to know

• !The v3 branch is not yet an official release, and PHP 8.6 is pre-release.
• !Windows builds require Visual Studio 2022 with C++ tools installed first.

In collections

Topics

FAQ

What is static-php-cli?

A CLI tool that builds standalone, dependency-free PHP binaries with chosen extensions for Linux, macOS and Windows. StaticPHP (the repository is still named static-php-cli) builds portable PHP executables that bundle the PHP interpreter, chosen extensions and related components into a single file. The resulting binaries can be copied to another machine and run without installing PHP or its shared libraries.

Is static-php-cli free to use? What license does it have?

static-php-cli is open source under the MIT license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.

Is static-php-cli still maintained?

Actively maintained. The last commit to static-php-cli was on Nov 7, 2026.

What can I use static-php-cli for?

Shipping a PHP command-line tool to servers without a PHP installation. Distributing a PHP application as one executable file to end users. Creating slim PHP runtimes for containers or minimal Linux images. Producing a PHP build with a specific extension set for a CI pipeline.

How do I install static-php-cli?

Download the spc binary for Linux x86_64: curl -fsSL -o spc https://dl.static-php.dev/v3/spc-bin/nightly/spc-linux-x86_64 Add execute permission to spc: chmod +x ./spc Create a craft.yml file listing the PHP version and extensions Build static PHP from craft.yml: ./spc craft

Where can I get static-php-cli?

The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/crazywhalecc/static-php-cli