PHP installation

PHP runs the Metadata Editor web application (editor/ folder). The FastAPI service is separate (Python) — see Install and configure the FastAPI service.

This page covers PHP version, extensions, and php.ini settings. For full server setup, use:

Platform	Guide
Linux (Apache or NGINX + PHP-FPM)	Installation (Linux)
Windows (IIS)	Installation (Windows)

The web installer (first browser visit after deploy) checks PHP version, extensions, upload limits, and timezone — use it to confirm your configuration before creating the database.

Requirements

Setting	Requirement
PHP version	8.2 or later
Architecture (Windows IIS)	Non-Thread Safe (NTS) x64
Architecture (Windows Apache)	Thread Safe x64 (if using Apache on Windows)
Database driver	mysqli (MySQL 8.x or MariaDB 10.x+)

Extensions

The installer validates XML/XSL support. Enable the following in php.ini (or via PHP Manager on IIS):

Extension	Required?	Purpose
xsl	Yes	DDI and XML metadata transforms
xml, simplexml, xmlreader	Yes	XML parsing
mysqli	Yes	MySQL / MariaDB
curl	Yes (production)	HTTP client (NADA publish, FastAPI service, external APIs)
openssl	Yes (production)	HTTPS and secure connections
mbstring	Strongly recommended	Multibyte strings
zip	Strongly recommended	Archive import/export
gd	Optional	Image handling (marked optional in the installer)

Linux package names (Debian/Ubuntu examples): php-xml, php-xsl, php-mysql, php-curl, php-mbstring, php-zip, php-gd.

Windows IIS (php.ini or PHP Manager): enable extension=mysqli, extension=xsl, extension=curl, extension=openssl, extension=mbstring, extension=zip, and ensure XML support is available in your PHP build.

Recommended php.ini settings

Large microdata uploads and long-running imports need generous limits:

Setting	Recommended value	Notes
memory_limit	512M or higher	Windows guide uses 528M; increase for very large files
max_execution_time	300	Seconds; background jobs may run longer via CLI worker
post_max_size	2000M	Must be ≥ upload_max_filesize
upload_max_filesize	2000M	Adjust to your largest expected upload
file_uploads	On	Required for data import
date.timezone	e.g. UTC or your region	Required — installer fails if unset

Set date.timezone explicitly. See PHP timezone list.

Linux (PHP-FPM)

On Linux, install PHP and extensions from your distribution, then use PHP-FPM with Apache or NGINX.

Debian / Ubuntu example:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install php8.2-fpm php8.2-mysql php8.2-xml php8.2-xsl php8.2-curl \
  php8.2-mbstring php8.2-zip php8.2-gd
sudo systemctl enable --now php8.2-fpm

Edit /etc/php/8.2/fpm/php.ini (path may vary) for upload limits and timezone, then restart FPM:

sudo systemctl restart php8.2-fpm

Point the web server document root at the editor folder (e.g. /var/www/metadata-editor/editor). NGINX and Apache examples: Installation (Linux).

Verify:

php -v
php -m | grep -E 'mysqli|xsl|curl|mbstring|zip'

Windows — IIS (recommended)

Production Windows installs use IIS with PHP 8.2+ NTS x64. Also install:

• URL Rewrite Module — front-controller routing
• PHP Manager for IIS 10 — optional but simplifies extension and php.ini management

Download PHP: windows.php.net — choose VS16 x64 Non Thread Safe (or current equivalent for PHP 8.2+).

Install PHP with PHP Manager

1. Extract the PHP zip to a fixed path, e.g. C:\PHP\PHP82.
2. Open IIS Manager → select the server node (not a single site) → open PHP Manager.
3. Click Register new PHP version and select php-cgi.exe or php.exe from the extracted folder.
4. For the Metadata Editor site, ensure the registered version is PHP 8.2+.
5. Open Manage all settings and set upload limits, memory_limit, max_execution_time, and date.timezone (see table above).
6. Open Enable or disable an extension and enable the extensions listed in the table above.

Create the IIS site or application with physical path ...\metadata-editor\editor (the folder containing index.php), app pool No Managed Code, Integrated pipeline. Full walkthrough: Installation (Windows).

Windows — Apache (optional)

Apache on Windows is supported for development or legacy setups. Use the Thread Safe (TS) x64 PHP build matched to your Apache architecture.

1. Download PHP TS x64 from windows.php.net.
2. Install Apache Lounge or another Apache 2.4 build for Windows.
3. Extract PHP to e.g. C:\php and add to httpd.conf:

LoadModule php_module "C:/php/php8apache2_4.dll"
AddHandler application/x-httpd-php .php
PHPIniDir "C:/php"

4. Configure php.ini (extensions and limits as above), restart Apache, and confirm with phpinfo().

For production on Windows, prefer IIS — it is the path covered in Installation (Windows).

Verify before install

1. Browse to the Metadata Editor URL (document root = editor/).
2. On the installer page, expand Required PHP Extensions — all required rows should show enabled.
3. Expand Other PHP settings — confirm upload sizes and timezone.
4. Fix any red items, then proceed with Install Database.

After PHP is working, continue with Install and configure the FastAPI service and Post-install configuration.