crazygoat/tinyphp repository overview

⁠Tiny PHP - Minimal Docker Images with Static PHP

A proof-of-concept project demonstrating how to create extremely small Docker images using statically compiled PHP binaries. All images are built from scratch, resulting in minimal footprint containers.

⁠Overview

This project uses static-php-cli⁠ to build standalone PHP binaries and packages them into minimal Docker images. Three different runtime configurations are included:

• php-server: Simple PHP built-in web server
• webman: Webman framework with micro.sfx runtime
• workerman_sf: Symfony application with Workerman runtime

⁠Features

• 🐳 Ultra-small - 1.8MB -Docker images built from scratch
• 📦 Statically compiled PHP 8.4 binaries
• 🚀 No external dependencies required
• ⚡ Fast startup and minimal resource usage

⁠Prerequisites

• Docker
• Bash shell
• curl

⁠Quick Start

⁠Pull Pre-built Images

The easiest way to try these images is to pull them directly from Docker Hub:

docker pull crazygoat/tinyphp:php-server
docker pull crazygoat/tinyphp:webman
docker pull crazygoat/tinyphp:symfony

Then run any of them:

docker run -p 8080:8080 crazygoat/tinyphp:php-server

⁠Build Locally

To build all runtimes and Docker images from source:

./build.sh

This script will:

1. Download the static-php-cli binary (spc)
2. Build PHP binaries for each runtime using their respective craft.yml configurations
3. Create Docker images for all three runtimes

⁠Runtime Configurations

⁠PHP Server (crazygoat/tinyphp:php-server)

Basic PHP CLI runtime with built-in web server.

docker run -p 8080:8080 crazygoat/tinyphp:php-server

Configuration: runtimes/php-server/craft.yml

• PHP 8.4
• Extensions: posix
• SAPI: cli

⁠Webman (crazygoat/tinyphp:webman)

Webman⁠ framework packaged as a single executable using micro.sfx.

docker run -p 8080:8080 crazygoat/tinyphp:webman

⁠Workerman + Symfony (crazygoat/tinyphp:symfony)

Symfony application with Workerman⁠ runtime bundle.

docker run -p 8080:8080 crazygoat/tinyphp:symfony

⁠Project Structure

.
├── build.sh              # Main build script
├── spc                   # Static PHP CLI binary (downloaded)
├── runtimes/
│   ├── php-server/       # PHP built-in server runtime
│   ├── webman/           # Webman framework runtime
│   └── workerman_sf/     # Symfony + Workerman runtime
├── buildroot/            # Build artifacts
├── downloads/            # Downloaded dependencies
└── pkgroot/              # Package root directory

⁠Docker Images

All images are tagged under crazygoat/tinyphp:

• crazygoat/tinyphp:latest → php-server
• crazygoat/tinyphp:php-server → PHP built-in server
• crazygoat/tinyphp:webman → Webman framework
• crazygoat/tinyphp:symfony → Symfony + Workerman

⁠How It Works

The project uses static-php-cli (spc) to compile PHP and its extensions into a single static binary. Each runtime has a craft.yml file that defines:

• PHP version
• Required extensions
• SAPI type (cli or micro)
• Build options

These binaries are then copied into FROM scratch Docker images, resulting in containers that contain only the essential files needed to run.

⁠Benefits of Static PHP Binaries

• Minimal attack surface: No unnecessary system libraries or utilities
• Portable: Single binary runs anywhere without dependencies
• Fast: No dynamic linking overhead
• Consistent: Same binary works across different environments

⁠License

This is a proof-of-concept project. Check individual runtime directories for their respective licenses.

⁠Resources

• static-php-cli⁠
• Webman Framework⁠
• Workerman⁠