PHP Example for Convox

A PHP web application with Apache ready to deploy on Convox.

This example demonstrates how to deploy a dynamic PHP application on Convox. It showcases server-side rendering, API endpoints, environment variable usage, and includes common PHP extensions for database connectivity.

Deploy to Convox Cloud for a fully-managed platform experience, or to your own Convox Rack for complete control over your infrastructure. Either way, you'll get automatic SSL, load balancing, and zero-downtime deployments out of the box.

Deploy to Convox Cloud

1. Create a Cloud Machine at console.convox.com

2. Create the app:

convox cloud apps create php -i your-machine-name

3. Deploy the app:

convox cloud deploy -a php -i your-machine-name

4. View your app:

convox cloud services -a php -i your-machine-name

Visit your URL to see the PHP application!

Deploy to Convox Rack

1. Create the app:

convox apps create php

2. Deploy the app:

convox deploy -a php

3. View your app:

convox services -a php

Visit your URL to see the PHP application!

Features

• PHP 8.3 with Apache web server
• Dynamic Routing - Simple PHP router for multiple pages
• API Endpoints - JSON API examples at /api/status and /api/time
• Environment Variables - Access Convox environment variables
• Database Ready - PDO and MySQLi extensions pre-installed
• Modern UI - Responsive design with Convox branding

Project Structure

.
├── Dockerfile           # PHP 8.3 with Apache
├── convox.yml          # Convox configuration
└── public/             # Web root
    ├── index.php       # Main router
    ├── style.css       # Styles
    ├── .htaccess       # Apache routing rules
    └── pages/          # Page templates
        ├── home.php
        ├── info.php
        ├── api_status.php
        └── api_time.php

Available Routes

• / - Homepage with server information
• /info - PHP configuration details (phpinfo)
• /api/status - JSON API endpoint with system status
• /api/time - JSON API endpoint with current time
• Any other route - 404 page

Adding Database Support

This example includes PDO and MySQLi extensions. To add a database:

Add to convox.yml:

resources:
  database:
    type: mysql
    options:
      storage: 10

services:
  web:
    resources:
      - database

Access in PHP:

// Database URL is automatically provided
$db_url = getenv('DATABASE_URL');
// Parse and connect using PDO or MySQLi

Environment Variables

The application can access Convox-provided environment variables:

• APP - Application name
• RACK - Rack name
• SERVICE - Service name
• BUILD - Build ID
• RELEASE - Release ID

Scaling

Convox Cloud

convox cloud scale web --count 2 --cpu 500 --memory 1024 -a php -i your-machine-name

Convox Rack

convox scale web --count 2 --cpu 500 --memory 1024 -a php

Common Commands

View logs

Cloud:

convox cloud logs -a php -i your-machine-name

Rack:

convox logs -a php

Run PHP commands

Cloud:

convox cloud run web "php -m" -a php -i your-machine-name

Rack:

convox run web "php -m" -a php

Access shell

Cloud:

convox cloud run web bash -a php -i your-machine-name

Rack:

convox run web bash -a php

Customization

Adding Composer

To add Composer dependencies, update the Dockerfile:

FROM php:8.3-apache

# Install Composer
COPY --from=composer:latest /usr/bin/composer /usr/bin/composer

# Copy composer files
COPY composer.json composer.lock ./
RUN composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader

# Rest of Dockerfile...

Adding More PHP Extensions

Add to Dockerfile:

RUN docker-php-ext-install opcache gd zip
RUN pecl install redis && docker-php-ext-enable redis

Using Framework

This example uses vanilla PHP. To use a framework like Laravel or Symfony:

1. Copy your framework files to the project
2. Update the document root in Dockerfile if needed
3. Ensure .env files are properly configured
4. Add any required PHP extensions

Performance Tips

• Enable OPcache for production
• Use PHP-FPM for better performance under load
• Configure Apache MPM settings for your workload
• Use Redis/Memcached for session storage in scaled deployments