Create and Run a FuelPHP Project

What is FuelPHP?

FuelPHP is a flexible and modular PHP framework suitable for developing modern web applications. It follows the HMVC (Hierarchical Model-View-Controller) design pattern and provides rich features and tools that enable developers to quickly build high-quality web applications. Known for its flexibility, high performance, and ease of extension, FuelPHP is a preferred framework for many developers.

Key Features and Advantages of FuelPHP

• HMVC Architecture: Supports hierarchical MVC design pattern, facilitating code reuse and modular development.
• High Performance: FuelPHP is renowned for its efficient performance and speed, capable of handling high concurrency requests.
• Ease of Extension: Offers rich extension mechanisms, allowing developers to easily add custom functionalities.
• Security: Built-in security features like input validation, output filtering, and CSRF protection.
• Strong Community Support: Active developer community and a wealth of third-party extensions.

FuelPHP helps developers rapidly build high-performance, high-quality web applications suitable for projects of any scale.

Creating and Running a FuelPHP Project using ServBay

In this article, we will use ServBay’s PHP environment to create and run a FuelPHP project. We will utilize ServBay's Host feature to set up the web server and access the project through simple configuration.

Note: For Former NGINX or Apache Users

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

1. Caddy Configuration

   ServBay already includes Caddy, and the default configuration is optimized and debugged. Developers only need to manage sites through ServBay’s Host feature without manually modifying Caddy configuration files.

2. Rewrite Rules and .htaccess

   In NGINX and Apache, developers typically write their own rewrite rules and .htaccess files to handle URL rewriting and other configurations. However, ServBay’s default configuration already includes Caddy rules, so developers don’t need to write these rules unless there are special requirements.

3. Learn More

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

Creating a FuelPHP Project

TIP

ServBay recommends placing your websites in the /Applications/ServBay/www directory for easy management.

1. Install Composer

   ServBay comes with Composer pre-installed, so you don’t need to install it separately.

2. Create a FuelPHP Project

   Use Composer to create a new FuelPHP project:

   cd /Applications/ServBay/www
   mkdir servbay-fuelphp-app
   cd servbay-fuelphp-app
   composer create-project fuel/fuel .

3. Enter the Project Directory

   Enter the newly created FuelPHP project directory:

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

Initial Configuration

1. Configure Database Connection

   Configure the database connection information in the fuel/app/config/development/db.php file:

   return [
       'default' => [
            'connection' => [
    		    'dsn'      => 'mysql:host=localhost;dbname=fuel_dev',
    		    'username' => 'root',
    		    'password' => 'root',
            ],
       ],
   ];

Configure Web Server

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

• Name: My First FuelPHP Dev Site
• Domain: servbay-fuelphp-test.local
• Site Type: PHP
• PHP Version: Select 8.3
• Document Root: /Applications/ServBay/www/servbay-fuelphp-app/public

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

Add Sample Code

Add the following code to the fuel/app/classes/controller/welcome.php file:

use Fuel\Core\Controller;
use Fuel\Core\Response;
use Fuel\Core\Cache;

class Controller_Welcome extends Controller
{
    public function action_index()
    {
        return Response::forge('Hello ServBay!');
    }

    public function action_memcached()
    {
        Cache::set('key', 'Hello Memcached!', 60);
        $value = Cache::get('key');

        return Response::forge($value);
    }

    public function action_redis()
    {
        $redis = \Redis::instance();
        $redis->set('key', 'Hello Redis!');
        $value = $redis->get('key');
        return Response::forge($value);
    }

    public function action_mysql_add()
    {
        \DB::insert('users')->set([
            'name' => 'ServBay',
            'email' => '[email protected]',
        ])->execute();
        return Response::forge('User added');
    }

    public function action_mysql()
    {
        $users = \DB::select()->from('users')->execute()->as_array();
        return Response::forge(json_encode($users));
    }
}

Access the Website

Open the browser and visit the following URL:

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

NoSQL Database Example

Memcached Example

1. Install Memcached Extension

   Memcached extension is pre-installed in ServBay, no additional installation is required.

2. Configure Memcached

   Configure Memcached connection information in the fuel/app/config/cache.php file:

   return [
       'driver' => 'memcached',
       'memcached' => [
           'cache_id' => 'fuel',
           'servers' => [
                'default' => [
                   'host'   => '127.0.0.1',
                   'port'   => 11211,
                   'weight' => 100,
               ],
           ],
       ],
   ];

3. Add Routes

   Add the following route to the fuel/app/config/routes.php file:

   return array(
       'memcached' => 'welcome/memcached',
   )

4. Use Memcached

   Use cache in the controller:

   public function action_memcached()
   {
       Cache::set('key', 'Hello Memcached!', 60);
       $value = Cache::get('key');
   
       return Response::forge($value);
   }

5. Open the browser and visit: https://servbay-fuelphp-test.local/memcached

Redis Example

1. Install Redis Extension

   Redis extension is pre-installed in ServBay, no additional installation is required.

2. Configure Redis

   Configure Redis connection information in the fuel/app/config/redis.php file:

   return [
       'driver' => 'redis',
       'redis' => [
           'database' => 'default',
       ],
   ];

3. Add Routes

   Add the following route to the fuel/app/config/routes.php file:

   return array(
       'redis' => 'welcome/redis',
   )

4. Use Redis

   Use cache in the controller:

   public function action_redis()
   {
       Cache::set('key', 'Hello Redis!', 60);
       $value = Cache::get('key');
   
       return Response::forge($value);
   }

5. Open the browser and visit: https://servbay-fuelphp-test.local/redis

Relational Database Example

Creating Database Schema and Migration Files

1. Create Migration File

   Use FuelPHP’s Oil tool to create a migration file:

   php oil g migration create_users_table

2. Edit Migration File

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

   <?php
    namespace Fuel\Migrations;
   
    use Fuel\Core\DBUtil;
   
    class Create_users_table
    {
        public function up()
        {
            DBUtil::create_table('users', [
                'id'          => ['type' => 'int', 'constraint' => 11, 'auto_increment' => true],
                'name'        => ['type' => 'varchar', 'constraint' => 100],
                'email'       => ['type' => 'varchar', 'constraint' => 100, 'unique' => true],
            ], ['id']);
        }
   
        public function down()
        {
            DBUtil::drop_table('users');
        }
    }

3. Run Migrations

   Use FuelPHP’s Oil tool to run the migration and create the database table:

   php oil refine migrate

MySQL Example

1. Configure MySQL

   Configure MySQL connection information in the fuel/app/config/development/db.php file:

    return [
     'default' => [
    	'connection' => [
    		'dsn'      => 'mysql:host=localhost;dbname=fuel_dev',
    		'username' => 'root',
    		'password' => 'root',
        ],
     ],
   ];

2. Write User Data

   Write user data in the controller:

   public function action_mysql_add()
   {
       DB::insert('users')->set([
           'name' => 'ServBay',
           'email' => '[email protected]',
       ])->execute();
   
       return Response::forge('User added');
   }

3. Use MySQL

   Call the database in the controller:

   public function action_mysql()
   {
       $users = DB::select()->from('users')->execute()->as_array();
       return Response::forge(json_encode($users));
   }

By following the above steps, you have successfully created and run a FuelPHP project, used ServBay features to manage and access your project, and connected to various databases to fetch data. We hope this article helps you get started with FuelPHP and apply it to your projects.