Create and Run a CodeIgniter Project

What is CodeIgniter?

CodeIgniter is a lightweight PHP framework suitable for developing fast and efficient web applications. It follows the MVC (Model-View-Controller) design pattern and provides rich features and tools that enable developers to quickly build high-quality web applications. CodeIgniter is known for its simplicity, high performance, and ease of learning, making it a preferred framework for many developers.

Key Features and Advantages of CodeIgniter

• Lightweight: The core system of CodeIgniter is very small, containing only the necessary components, resulting in very fast loading speeds.
• High Performance: CodeIgniter is known for its efficient performance and speed, capable of handling high concurrent requests.
• Easy to Learn: It provides a simple and easy-to-use API and extensive documentation, allowing developers to quickly get started.
• Flexibility: Developers can freely choose and use third-party libraries and plugins, making it easy to extend and customize functions.
• Strong Community Support: It has an active developer community and a wealth of third-party extensions.

CodeIgniter can help developers quickly build high-performance and high-quality web applications, suitable for projects of all sizes.

Create and Run a CodeIgniter Project Using ServBay

In this article, we will use the PHP environment provided by ServBay to create and run a CodeIgniter project. We will take advantage of the 'Host' feature of ServBay to set up a web server and implement project access through simple configuration.

Note: If you were an NGINX or Apache user

ServBay uses Caddy as the web server by default. For users migrating from NGINX or Apache to ServBay, there are some key changes to note:

1. Caddy Configuration

   ServBay comes with Caddy pre-installed and optimized by default. Developers can manage sites through ServBay's 'Host' feature without manually modifying the Caddy configuration file.

2. Rewrite Rules and .htaccess

   In NGINX and Apache, developers usually need to write their own rewrite rules and .htaccess files to handle URL rewriting and other configurations. However, ServBay already configures Caddy rules out of the box, so unless there are special requirements, developers do not need to write these rules themselves.

3. Learn More

   For more information, please refer to Rewrite and htaccess, How to Migrate Apache Website to ServBay, How to Migrate NGINX Website to ServBay.

Create a CodeIgniter Project

TIP

ServBay recommends developers place their websites in the /Applications/ServBay/www directory for easier management.

1. Install Composer

   ServBay comes with Composer pre-installed, so there is no need for separate installation.

2. Create a CodeIgniter Project

   Use Composer to create a new CodeIgniter project:

   cd /Applications/ServBay/www
   mkdir servbay-codeigniter-app
   cd servbay-codeigniter-app
   composer create-project codeigniter4/appstarter .

3. Enter the Project Directory

   Navigate to the newly created CodeIgniter project directory:

   cd /Applications/ServBay/www/servbay-codeigniter-app

Initialization Configuration

1. Configure Database Connection

   Configure the database connection information in the app/Config/Database.php file:

   public $default = [
       'DSN'      => '',
       'hostname' => '127.0.0.1',
       'username' => 'root',
       'password' => 'password',
       'database' => 'servbay_codeigniter_app',
       'DBDriver' => 'MySQLi',
       'DBPrefix' => '',
       'pConnect' => false,
       'DBDebug'  => (ENVIRONMENT !== 'production'),
       'charset'  => 'utf8mb4',
       'DBCollat' => 'utf8mb4_general_ci',
       'swapPre'  => '',
       'encrypt'  => false,
       'compress' => false,
       'strictOn' => false,
       'failover' => [],
       'port'     => 3306,
   ];

Configure Web Server

Use ServBay's 'Host' feature to access the CodeIgniter project through the web server. In the 'Host' settings of ServBay, add a new host:

• Name: My First CodeIgniter Dev Site
• Domain: servbay-codeigniter-test.local
• Website Type: PHP
• PHP Version: Choose 8.3
• Website Root Directory: /Applications/ServBay/www/servbay-codeigniter-app/public

For detailed setup steps, please refer to Adding the First Website.

Add Example Code

Add the following code in the app/Controllers/Home.php file:

namespace App\Controllers;

use CodeIgniter\Controller;

class Home extends Controller
{
    public function index()
    {
        return 'Hello ServBay!';
    }

    public function memcached()
    {
        $cache = \Config\Services::cache();
        $cache->save('key', 'Hello Memcached!', 60);
        $value = $cache->get('key');
        return $value;
    }

    public function redis()
    {
        $redis = \Config\Services::cache();
        $redis->set('key', 'Hello Redis!');
        $value = $redis->get('key');
        return $value;
    }

    public function mysqlAdd()
    {
        $db = \Config\Database::connect();
        $db->table('users')->insert([
            'name' => 'ServBay',
            'email' => '[email protected]',
        ]);
        return 'User added';
    }

    public function mysql()
    {
        $db = \Config\Database::connect();
        $users = $db->table('users')->get()->getResult();
        return json_encode($users);
    }
}

Access the Website

Open your browser and visit the following URL:

• https://servbay-codeigniter-test.local: You will see the page output Hello ServBay!.

NoSQL Database Examples

Memcached Example

1. Install Memcached Extension

   In ServBay, the Memcached extension is pre-installed, so no additional installation is needed.

2. Configure Memcached

   Configure Memcached connection information in the app/Config/Cache.php file:

   public $memcached = [
       'host'   => '127.0.0.1',
       'port'   => 11211,
       'weight' => 1,
   ];

3. Use Memcached

   Use cache in the controller:

   public function memcached()
   {
       $cache = \Config\Services::cache();
       $cache->save('key', 'Hello Memcached!', 60);
       $value = $cache->get('key');
       return $value;
   }

4. Add the route in the app/Config/Routes.php file:

   $routes->get('/memcached', 'Home::memcached');

5. Open your browser and visit: https://servbay-codeigniter-test.local/memcached

Redis Example

1. Install Redis Extension

   In ServBay, the Redis extension is pre-installed, so no additional installation is needed.

2. Configure Redis

   Configure Redis connection information in the app/Config/Cache.php file:

   public string $handler = 'redis';
   
   public $default = [
       'host'     => '127.0.0.1',
       'password' => null,
       'port'     => 6379,
       'timeout'  => 0,
       'database' => 0,
   ];

3. Use Redis

   Use cache in the controller:

   public function redis()
   {
       $redis = \Config\Services::cache();
       $redis->save('key', 'Hello Redis!');
       $value = $redis->get('key');
       return $value;
   }

4. Add the route in the app/Config/Routes.php file:

   $routes->get('/redis', 'Home::redis');

5. Open your browser and visit: https://servbay-codeigniter-test.local/redis

Relational Database Examples

Create Database Structure and Migration Files

1. Create Migration File

   Use the CLI tool of CodeIgniter to create a migration file:

   php spark make:migration create_users_table

2. Edit Migration File

   Edit the newly created migration file in the app/Database/Migrations directory to define the database table structure:

   use CodeIgniter\Database\RawSql;
   
   public function up()
   {
       $this->forge->addField([
           'id'          => [
               'type'           => 'INT',
               'constraint'     => 5,
               'unsigned'       => true,
               'auto_increment' => true,
           ],
           'name'       => [
               'type'       => 'VARCHAR',
               'constraint' => '100',
           ],
           'email'      => [
               'type'       => 'VARCHAR',
               'constraint' => '100',
               'unique'     => true,
           ],
           'created_at' => [
               'type' => 'TIMESTAMP',
               'default' => new RawSql('CURRENT_TIMESTAMP'),
           ],
           'updated_at' => [
               'type' => 'TIMESTAMP',
               'default' => new RawSql('CURRENT_TIMESTAMP ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP'),
           ],
       ]);
       $this->forge->addKey('id', true);
       $this->forge->createTable('users');
   }

3. Run Migration

   Use the migration command of CodeIgniter to run the migration and create the database table:

   php spark migrate

MySQL Example

1. Configure MySQL

   Configure MySQL connection information in the app/Config/Database.php file:

   public $default = [
       'DSN'      => '',
       'hostname' => '127.0.0.1',
       'username' => 'root',
       'password' => 'password',
       'database' => 'servbay_codeigniter_app',
       'DBDriver' => 'MySQLi',
       'DBPrefix' => '',
       'pConnect' => false,
       'DBDebug'  => (ENVIRONMENT !== 'production'),
       'charset'  => 'utf8',
       'DBCollat' => 'utf8_general_ci',
       'swapPre'  => '',
       'encrypt'  => false,
       'compress'  => false,
       'strictOn' => false,
       'failover' => [],
       'port'     => 3306,
   ];

2. Add Routes

   Add the following routes in the app/Config/Routes.php file:

   $routes->get('/mysql-add', 'Home::mysqlAdd');
   $routes->get('/mysql', 'Home::mysql');

3. Insert User Data

   Insert user data in the controller:

   public function mysqlAdd()
   {
       $db = \Config\Database::connect();
       $db->table('users')->insert([
           'name' => 'ServBay',
           'email' => '[email protected]',
       ]);
       return 'User added';
   }

4. Use MySQL

   Call the database in the controller:

   public function mysql()
   {
       $db = \Config\Database::connect();
       $users = $db->table('users')->get()->getResult();
       return json_encode($users);
   }

   Open your browser and visit: https://servbay-codeigniter-test.local/mysql-add and https://servbay-codeigniter-test.local/mysql

PostgreSQL Example

1. Configure PostgreSQL

   Configure PostgreSQL connection information in the app/Config/Database.php file:

   public $default = [
       'DSN'      => '',
       'hostname' => '127.0.0.1',
       'username' => 'root',
       'password' => 'password',
       'database' => 'servbay_codeigniter_app',
       'DBDriver' => 'Postgre',
       'DBPrefix' => '',
       'pConnect' => false,
       'DBDebug'  => (ENVIRONMENT !== 'production'),
       'charset'  => 'utf8',
       'DBCollat' => 'utf8_general_ci',
       'swapPre'  => '',
       'encrypt'  => false,
       'compress'  => false,
       'strictOn' => false,
       'failover' => [],
       'port'     => 5432,
   ];

2. Create Database Migration File

   Generate the database migration file using the following command:

   php spark make:migration create_users_table

3. Edit Database Migration File

   use CodeIgniter\Database\RawSql;
   
   public function up()
   {
       $this->forge->addField([
           'id'          => [
               'type'           => 'INT',
               'constraint'     => 5,
               'unsigned'       => true,
               'auto_increment' => true,
           ],
           'name'       => [
               'type'       => 'VARCHAR',
               'constraint' => '100',
           ],
           'email'      => [
               'type'       => 'VARCHAR',
               'constraint' => '100',
               'unique'     => true,
           ],
           'created_at' => [
               'type' => 'TIMESTAMP',
               'default' => new RawSql('NOW()'),
           ],
           'updated_at' => [
               'type' => 'TIMESTAMP',
               'default' => new RawSql('NOW()'),
           ],
       ]);
       $this->forge->addKey('id', true);
       $this->forge->createTable('users');
   }

4. Run Database Migration

   Execute the following command to run the database migration and create the table structure:

   php spark migrate

5. Add Routes

   Add the following routes in the app/Config/Routes.php file:

   $routes->get('/pgsql-add', 'Home::pgsqlAdd');
   $routes->get('/pgsql', 'Home::pgsql');

6. Insert User Data

   Insert user data in the controller:

   public function pgsqlAdd()
   {
       $db = \Config\Database::connect();
       $db->table('users')->insert([
           'name' => 'ServBay',
           'email' => '[email protected]',
       ]);
       return 'User added';
   }

7. Use PostgreSQL

   Call the database in the controller:

   public function pgsql()
   {
       $db = \Config\Database::connect();
       $users = $db->table('users')->get()->getResult();
       return json_encode($users);
   }

   Open your browser and visit: https://servbay-codeigniter-test.local/pgsql-add and https://servbay-codeigniter-test.local/pgsql

By following the above steps, you successfully created and ran a CodeIgniter project, managed and accessed your project using ServBay's features, and connected to multiple databases and retrieved data. We hope this article helps you quickly get started with CodeIgniter and apply it to your projects.