How to install a PHP extension in OpenPanel

OpenPanel uses the shinsenter/php Docker images for PHP services. These images include many commonly used PHP extensions out of the box and provide a simple way to install additional extensions when needed.

Pre-installed PHP Extensions​

Most popular PHP extensions are pre-installed by default, allowing projects to start quickly without extra configuration:

apcu
bcmath
calendar
Core
ctype
curl
date
dom
exif
fileinfo
filter
gd
gettext
gmp
hash
iconv
igbinary
intl
json
lexbor
libxml
mbstring
msgpack
mysqli
mysqlnd
openssl
pcntl
pcre
PDO
pdo_mysql
pdo_pgsql
pdo_sqlite
pgsql
Phar
posix
random
readline
redis
Reflection
session
SimpleXML
sodium
SPL
sqlite3
standard
tidy
tokenizer
uri
uuid
xml
xmlreader
xmlwriter
yaml
Zend OPcache
zip
zlib

and OpenPanel adds the Zend OPcache extension.

Adding Custom PHP Extensions​

The PHP images include a helper command called phpaddmod to install PHP extensions: it installs the extension and edits the php.ini file to enable it.

Install a PHP Extension for a Single User​

To install a PHP extension for a single user, open a terminal for the desired PHP version.

Example assumptions​

• Username: stefan
• PHP version: 8.5
• Service name: php-fpm-8.5

Adjust these values to match your environment.

Option 1: OpenPanel Terminal (Enterprise Edition)​

If the Docker module is enabled:

1. Go to Containers → Terminal in OpenPanel
2. Select the desired PHP version
3. Run the following commands

Example: installing the GMP extension:

apt update
apt install -y libgmp-dev
phpaddmod gmp

Option 2: OpenAdmin Terminal​

1. Go to Users → (select user) → Services
2. Open the terminal for the desired PHP version
3. Run the following commands

Example: installing the GMP extension:

apt update
apt install -y libgmp-dev
phpaddmod gmp

Option 3: SSH Access (root)​

1. Connect to the server via SSH as root
2. Enter the PHP container for the desired user and version:

docker --context=USERNAME_HERE exec -it php-fpm-8.5 bash

3. Install the extension

Example: installing the GMP extension:

apt update
apt install -y libgmp-dev
phpaddmod gmp

Verify Installation​

You can verify that the extension is installed by running:

php -m

Or by checking your application or website.

Install PHP Extensions for All New Users​

To have a PHP extension automatically available for all newly created users, you have two options:

1. Modify the startup command in the docker-compose.yml template to install the extension on container startup

   • This increases PHP container startup time

2. Use a custom PHP Docker image with the required extensions pre-installed

   • Recommended for production environments

These approaches are intended for advanced users. If you need help, please contact the OpenPanel community forum or Discord channel.

Install PHP Extensions for All Existing Users​

To install a PHP extension for all existing users, you can:

• Run a custom Bash script that installs the extension for each user and PHP version
• Switch all users to a custom PHP Docker image that already includes the extension

Both approaches require advanced knowledge of Docker and OpenPanel internals.