PHP 8.1 is the latest version of the popular server-side scripting language, bringing numerous features and improvements. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps to install PHP 8.1 on an Ubuntu 22.04 system. We will use the Ondřej Surý’s PPA repository to easily install PHP 8.1 on Ubuntu. Follow the steps below to get PHP 8.1 up and running.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have a user account with sudo privileges, or you are logged in as the root user.

Step 1: Update Package List

Start by updating the list of available packages to ensure you have the latest information on software repositories and available packages.

sudo apt update

Step 2: Install Software Properties Common

To add the PPA repository for PHP 8.1, you need to install the software-properties-common package.

sudo apt install software-properties-common -y

Step 3: Add PHP Repository

Add the PPA repository maintained by Ondřej Surý for PHP.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php

Step 4: Update Package List Again

After adding the PHP repository, update the package list to include the new repository.

sudo apt update

Step 5: Install PHP 8.1

Now that you have added the PHP repository, you can install PHP 8.1:

sudo apt install php8.1 -y

Step 6: Install PHP Modules

To make the most out of PHP, you may want to install various modules commonly used in web development. You can install multiple PHP extensions in one command using a brace expansion.

sudo apt install -y php8.1-{common,cli,gd,curl,mysql,xml,mbstring,zip,ldap,xmlrpc,curl,intl,fpm,imagick,dev,imap,opcache,soap,memcached,redis}

Step 7: Enable and Start PHP-FPM

PHP-FPM (PHP FastCGI Process Manager) is the preferred way to serve PHP applications with Nginx or Apache. To enable PHP-FPM and start it as a service, use the following commands:

sudo systemctl enable --now php8.1-fpm

Step 8: Verify PHP-FPM Status

Check the status of the PHP-FPM service to ensure it is running without issues:

sudo systemctl status php8.1-fpm

If everything is set up correctly, you should see the status information, indicating that PHP-FPM is active and running. That’s it! You have successfully installed PHP 8.1 on your Ubuntu 22.04 system. You can now start developing and hosting your PHP applications with the latest features and enhancements that PHP 8.1 has to offer.