Open Ground Wiki

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====== PHP Tools & Resources ======

A curated reference of PHP tools, libraries, and self-contained applications worth
knowing. Updated over time as good things surface.

**The PHP advantage in 2026:** Runs on shared hosting, no Docker required, no root
access needed. A $5/month cPanel host can run most of these. That's still a superpower.

> "Don't forget PHP" — it runs everywhere, needs nothing, and often outlasts the
> framework of the week.

===== Search =====

==== php-fts ====
  * **Repo:** [[https://github.com/olivier-ls/php-fts|olivier-ls/php-fts]]
  * **What it does:** Self-contained full-text search engine in pure PHP. No extensions,
    no external services, no dependencies — just files.
  * **Algorithm:** BM25 + IDF scoring (same as Lucene/Elasticsearch), trigram indexing
    with O(1) lookup, field boosting, AND/OR filters.
  * **Sweet spot:** Shared hosting, small VPS, hundreds to tens of thousands of documents.
    Searches 10k docs in ~3–5ms median on shared Linux hosting.
  * **Install:** ''composer require ols/php-fts''
  * **HN discussion:** [[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48041316|Hacker News thread]]


===== File Management & Viewers =====

==== Tiny File Manager ====
  * **Repo:** [[https://github.com/prasathmani/tinyfilemanager|prasathmani/tinyfilemanager]]
  * **What it does:** Single PHP file. Password-protected filesystem browser, upload,
    rename, delete, edit, zip/unzip. Drop it anywhere and it works.
  * **Sweet spot:** Quick server-side file access without FTP or SSH.

==== h5ai ====
  * **Site:** [[https://larsjung.de/h5ai/|larsjung.de/h5ai]]
  * **What it does:** Modern HTTP web server index for Apache/nginx. Beautiful directory
    listings with thumbnails, search, tree view.
  * **Sweet spot:** Turning a folder into a browsable, shareable file index.

==== FileGator ====
  * **Site:** [[https://filegator.io|filegator.io]]
  * **What it does:** Self-hosted multi-user file manager with a clean UI. Supports
    local storage, FTP, S3. More full-featured than Tiny File Manager.
  * **Sweet spot:** When you need user accounts and access control on file storage.

===== Image & Photo Tools =====

==== Piwigo ====
  * **Site:** [[https://piwigo.org|piwigo.org]]
  * **What it does:** Full-featured self-hosted photo gallery. Albums, tags, users,
    plugins, themes. Mature project, active community.
  * **Sweet spot:** Family photos, club/organization galleries, anything needing
    real user management.

==== Lychee ====
  * **Site:** [[https://lycheeorg.github.io|lycheeorg.github.io]]
  * **What it does:** Self-hosted photo management with a clean modern UI.
    Supports albums, sharing, EXIF data display.
  * **Sweet spot:** Personal portfolio or photo sharing, cleaner UI than Piwigo.

==== Chevereto (Free) ====
  * **Site:** [[https://chevereto.com|chevereto.com]]
  * **What it does:** Image hosting platform. The free/community edition is capable.
    Upload, albums, user accounts.
  * **Note:** Paid version has more features. Free edition still useful for self-hosting.

==== Intervention Image ====
  * **Repo:** [[https://github.com/Intervention/image|Intervention/image]]
  * **What it does:** PHP image manipulation library. Resize, crop, watermark, convert
    formats, adjust colors — clean fluent API wrapping GD and Imagick.
  * **Install:** ''composer require intervention/image''
  * **Sweet spot:** Any PHP project needing image processing without writing raw GD code.

==== (Placeholder) Thumbnailers & On-the-fly Resizers ====
  * Tools like Glide (PHP), Thumbor (Python, but worth knowing), TimThumb (legacy).
  * //To be expanded.//


===== CMS & Flat-File Publishing =====

==== Grav ====
  * **Site:** [[https://getgrav.org|getgrav.org]]
  * **What it does:** Flat-file CMS. No database. Markdown content, Twig templates,
    strong plugin ecosystem. Fast and portable.
  * **Sweet spot:** Sites where you want Git-friendly content and zero DB overhead.

==== Kirby ====
  * **Site:** [[https://getkirby.com|getkirby.com]]
  * **What it does:** File-based CMS with a polished admin panel. Not free for
    commercial use but highly regarded.
  * **Sweet spot:** Client sites where you want a clean editing experience without WordPress.

==== Pico CMS ====
  * **Site:** [[https://picocms.org|picocms.org]]
  * **What it does:** Stupidly simple flat-file CMS. Drop Markdown files in a folder,
    get a website. Minimal, no admin panel.
  * **Sweet spot:** Personal sites, documentation, anything where simplicity wins.

==== DokuWiki ====
  * **Site:** [[https://www.dokuwiki.org|dokuwiki.org]]
  * **What it does:** File-based wiki — no database required. Stores pages as plain
    text files. Strong plugin ecosystem, access control, revision history.
  * **Why it belongs here:** A model example of PHP's "runs anywhere" strength.
    Lightweight, portable, actively maintained for 20+ years.
  * **Sweet spot:** Documentation, personal wikis, intranets, team notes.

==== WordPress ====
  * **Site:** [[https://wordpress.org|wordpress.org]]
  * **Note:** Listed for completeness. The ecosystem is massive and PHP-native.
    For simple sites, consider the flat-file options above first.

===== Personal Productivity & Knowledge =====

==== Shaarli ====
  * **Repo:** [[https://github.com/shaarli/Shaarli|shaarli/Shaarli]]
  * **What it does:** Single-user self-hosted bookmarking tool. Tag, search, share links.
    No-database option available. Very Unix-philosophy.
  * **Sweet spot:** Personal del.icio.us replacement. Own your bookmarks.

==== FreshRSS ====
  * **Site:** [[https://freshrss.org|freshrss.org]]
  * **What it does:** Self-hosted RSS/Atom feed aggregator. Multi-user, mobile-friendly,
    supports fever API (compatible with many RSS reader apps).
  * **Sweet spot:** Replacing Google Reader, Feedly, etc. with something you control.

==== PrivateBin ====
  * **Site:** [[https://privatebin.info|privatebin.info]]
  * **What it does:** Self-hosted pastebin where the server has zero knowledge of
    content. Encrypted client-side. Expiry options.
  * **Sweet spot:** Sharing sensitive snippets or notes without trusting a third party.

==== Wallabag ====
  * **Site:** [[https://wallabag.org|wallabag.org]]
  * **What it does:** Self-hosted read-it-later app. Save articles, strip to reading
    view, sync to e-readers.
  * **Sweet spot:** Pocket/Instapaper replacement on your own server.

==== (Placeholder) Note-taking & Personal Wikis ====
  * Beyond DokuWiki: Outline, Wiki.js (Node-based but worth knowing),
    Trilium Notes, Joplin Server.
  * //To be expanded — focus on PHP-native options.//

===== URL & Link Tools =====

==== YOURLS ====
  * **Site:** [[https://yourls.org|yourls.org]]
  * **What it does:** Your Own URL Shortener. Self-hosted, plugin system, click
    tracking, API. The PHP gold standard for this.
  * **Sweet spot:** Branded short links, tracking, internal redirects.

===== Forms & Mail =====

==== PHPMailer ====
  * **Repo:** [[https://github.com/PHPMailer/PHPMailer|PHPMailer/PHPMailer]]
  * **What it does:** The standard PHP email library. SMTP with auth, HTML email,
    attachments, DKIM signing. Replaces PHP's unreliable ''mail()''.
  * **Install:** ''composer require phpmailer/phpmailer''
  * **Sweet spot:** Any PHP project that sends email. Basically mandatory.

==== Respect/Validation ====
  * **Repo:** [[https://github.com/Respect/Validation|Respect/Validation]]
  * **What it does:** Fluent PHP validation library. Email, URL, CNPJ, custom rules,
    chained validators, good error messages.
  * **Install:** ''composer require respect/validation''
  * **Sweet spot:** Form and API input validation without a full framework.

==== (Placeholder) Form Builders & Self-Hosted Form Apps ====
  * Mautic (heavy, marketing-focused), Typebot, Formbricks.
  * PHP-native lightweight form processors.
  * //To be expanded.//

===== Routing & HTTP =====

==== FastRoute ====
  * **Repo:** [[https://github.com/nikic/FastRoute|nikic/FastRoute]]
  * **What it does:** Fast request router for PHP. Regex-based, very low overhead.
    Used internally by many frameworks.
  * **Install:** ''composer require nikic/fast-route''
  * **Sweet spot:** Rolling your own micro-framework or adding routing to a plain PHP app.

==== Slim Framework ====
  * **Site:** [[https://www.slimframework.com|slimframework.com]]
  * **What it does:** Micro-framework for PHP. Routing, middleware, PSR-7 request/response.
    Much lighter than Laravel/Symfony.
  * **Sweet spot:** REST APIs and small apps that don't need a full framework.

==== Symfony HttpClient ====
  * **Docs:** [[https://symfony.com/doc/current/http_client.html|symfony.com/doc/http_client]]
  * **What it does:** Standalone HTTP client component from Symfony. Async capable,
    streaming, no full Symfony install needed.
  * **Install:** ''composer require symfony/http-client''

==== Guzzle ====
  * **Site:** [[https://docs.guzzlephp.org|docs.guzzlephp.org]]
  * **What it does:** HTTP client library. The longtime standard. Async requests,
    middleware, PSR-18 compatible.
  * **Install:** ''composer require guzzlehttp/guzzle''
  * **Note:** For new projects, consider Symfony HttpClient — lighter dependency tree.

===== Templating =====

==== Twig ====
  * **Site:** [[https://twig.symfony.com|twig.symfony.com]]
  * **What it does:** The dominant PHP template engine. Sandboxed, extensible, clean
    syntax. Used by Symfony, Drupal, Grav, and many others.
  * **Install:** ''composer require twig/twig''

==== Plates ====
  * **Site:** [[https://platesphp.com|platesphp.com]]
  * **What it does:** Native PHP template engine — no new syntax to learn. Layouts,
    inheritance, escaping. Feels like PHP, not a DSL.
  * **Sweet spot:** When you want templates without learning Twig syntax.

==== Latte ====
  * **Site:** [[https://latte.nette.org|latte.nette.org]]
  * **What it does:** Templating engine from the Nette framework. Strong XSS protection
    by design, context-aware escaping.
  * **Sweet spot:** Security-conscious templating with minimal overhead.

===== Database & ORM =====

==== Doctrine DBAL ====
  * **Site:** [[https://www.doctrine-project.org/projects/dbal.html|doctrine-project.org]]
  * **What it does:** Database abstraction layer. Query builder, schema management,
    multiple driver support. Without the full ORM weight.
  * **Install:** ''composer require doctrine/dbal''

==== Medoo ====
  * **Site:** [[https://medoo.in|medoo.in]]
  * **What it does:** Lightweight PHP database framework. Single file, simple API,
    supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and more.
  * **Sweet spot:** Small projects that want convenience without a heavy ORM.

==== RedBeanPHP ====
  * **Site:** [[https://redbeanphp.com|redbeanphp.com]]
  * **What it does:** Zero-config ORM. Auto-creates and modifies tables as you go
    during development. Freeze mode for production.
  * **Sweet spot:** Rapid prototyping where you don't want to write schema first.

==== (Placeholder) SQLite in PHP ====
  * PHP's built-in SQLite support is underused. Worth a dedicated section on
    patterns, tooling, and when SQLite beats MySQL for PHP apps.
  * //To be expanded.//

===== CLI & Task Running =====

==== Symfony Console (standalone) ====
  * **Docs:** [[https://symfony.com/doc/current/components/console.html|symfony.com/doc/console]]
  * **What it does:** Build CLI commands with argument parsing, colored output,
    progress bars, tables. Standalone Symfony component.
  * **Install:** ''composer require symfony/console''
  * **Sweet spot:** Any PHP CLI tool or cron job that needs more than ''echo''.

==== (Placeholder) Task Schedulers & Job Queues ====
  * Crunz (cron scheduler in PHP), PHP-Resque, Symfony Messenger.
  * //To be expanded.//

===== Developer Tools =====

==== PHPStan ====
  * **Site:** [[https://phpstan.org|phpstan.org]]
  * **What it does:** Static analysis for PHP. Finds bugs without running the code.
    Configurable strictness levels.
  * **Install:** ''composer require --dev phpstan/phpstan''

==== Psalm ====
  * **Site:** [[https://psalm.dev|psalm.dev]]
  * **What it does:** Alternative static analysis tool. Strong type inference,
    security analysis, taint tracking.
  * **Install:** ''composer require --dev vimeo/psalm''

==== PHP CS Fixer ====
  * **Site:** [[https://cs.symfony.com|cs.symfony.com]]
  * **What it does:** Automatically fixes PHP coding standards. PSR-1, PSR-2, PSR-12,
    and custom rules.
  * **Install:** ''composer require --dev friendsofphp/php-cs-fixer''

==== PHPUnit ====
  * **Site:** [[https://phpunit.de|phpunit.de]]
  * **What it does:** The standard PHP testing framework. Unit and integration tests,
    mocking, coverage reports.
  * **Install:** ''composer require --dev phpunit/phpunit''

==== Pest ====
  * **Site:** [[https://pestphp.com|pestphp.com]]
  * **What it does:** Testing framework built on PHPUnit with a friendlier API.
    Fluent expectations, cleaner syntax.
  * **Install:** ''composer require --dev pestphp/pest''
  * **Sweet spot:** If PHPUnit feels verbose, Pest is the modern alternative.

==== Clockwork ====
  * **Site:** [[https://underground.works/clockwork|underground.works/clockwork]]
  * **What it does:** PHP dev tools in the browser. Timeline, database queries,
    log viewer, request data. Browser extension + PHP library.
  * **Install:** ''composer require --dev itsgoingd/clockwork''
  * **Sweet spot:** Debugging and profiling without Xdebug complexity.

==== Xdebug ====
  * **Site:** [[https://xdebug.org|xdebug.org]]
  * **What it does:** PHP debugger and profiler. Step debugging, stack traces,
    code coverage. Integrates with VS Code, PhpStorm.
  * **Note:** PHP extension, not Composer — install via pecl or your system package manager.

===== Monitoring & Status =====

==== Cachet ====
  * **Site:** [[https://cachethq.io|cachethq.io]]
  * **What it does:** Self-hosted status page system. Components, incidents, metrics,
    subscriber notifications.
  * **Sweet spot:** Public status page for your own services.

==== (Placeholder) Uptime Monitoring ====
  * Uptime Kuma (Node-based but popular), PHP-based alternatives.
  * //To be expanded.//

==== (Placeholder) Logging & Error Tracking ====
  * Monolog (the PHP logging standard), Sentry (has PHP SDK), self-hosted
    error trackers like Flare.
  * //To be expanded.//

===== Self-Hosted Apps (Misc) =====

==== Nextcloud ====
  * **Site:** [[https://nextcloud.com|nextcloud.com]]
  * **What it does:** Self-hosted cloud platform. Files, calendar, contacts, notes,
    video calls, and a large app ecosystem.
  * **Note:** Heavy but comprehensive. The PHP app ecosystem is genuinely impressive.

==== Kanboard ====
  * **Site:** [[https://kanboard.org|kanboard.org]]
  * **What it does:** Self-hosted Kanban board. Projects, tasks, swimlanes, automation
    rules, time tracking. No-frills, no database required (SQLite default).
  * **Sweet spot:** Trello replacement on your own server.

==== Snipe-IT ====
  * **Site:** [[https://snipeitapp.com|snipeitapp.com]]
  * **What it does:** Open source IT asset management. Track hardware, licenses,
    accessories. Laravel-based.
  * **Sweet spot:** Small teams needing real asset tracking without enterprise pricing.

==== Invoice Ninja ====
  * **Site:** [[https://invoiceninja.com|invoiceninja.com]]
  * **What it does:** Self-hosted invoicing, quotes, time tracking, expenses. Full
    client portal. Laravel-based.
  * **Sweet spot:** Freelancers and small agencies who want to own their billing data.

==== (Placeholder) Chat & Communication ====
  * PHP is not ideal for realtime, but worth noting options like Rocket.Chat
    (not PHP), and what PHP can/can't do here with WebSockets.
  * //To be expanded.//

==== (Placeholder) Pastebin & Code Sharing ====
  * PrivateBin (listed above), Hastebin, Stikked.
  * //To be expanded.//

===== Notes & Philosophy =====

  * **Prefer zero-dependency or single-file tools** where possible — they survive
    longer and deploy anywhere.
  * **Shared hosting compatibility** is a feature worth calling out explicitly. If a
    tool requires Docker or root, note it.
  * **"No database" is an architectural choice**, not just a convenience. File-based
    tools are portable, backup-friendly, and Git-compatible.
  * **Composer is fine** but be aware of dependency trees. A tool that pulls in
    half of Symfony for one feature is a different beast than a focused library.
  * Ask a follow-up question on any placeholder category to get it fleshed out
    in DokuWiki format, ready to paste in.

===== Resources & Further Reading =====

  * [[https://packagist.org|Packagist]] — PHP package repository
  * [[https://github.com/ziadoz/awesome-php|Awesome PHP]] — community-maintained PHP resource list
  * [[https://news.ycombinator.com/|Hacker News]] — where good obscure PHP tools still surface
  * [[https://www.php.net/manual/en/|PHP Manual]] — underrated, still the best reference