Create and Run a ThinkPHP 8 Project

What is ThinkPHP?

ThinkPHP is an open-source PHP web framework created by Chinese PHP developers. It aims to provide developers with a simple and efficient toolkit to build modern web applications. ThinkPHP offers a rich set of features, such as routing, session management, caching, and authentication, simplifying common web development tasks.

Key Features and Advantages of ThinkPHP

• Simplicity and Efficiency: ThinkPHP's syntax is concise and efficient, enhancing code readability and maintainability.
• Rich Feature Set: Including routing, authentication, session management, and caching, significantly simplifying development work.
• Powerful ORM: ThinkPHP provides sophisticated database operation capabilities, making database operations easier.
• Modular Design: Easily integrate third-party libraries and extensions using the Composer package manager.
• Strong Community Support: A large developer community with a rich ecosystem.

ThinkPHP can help developers quickly build high-quality web applications and APIs, suitable for projects of all sizes, from small applications to large enterprise-level systems.

Create and Run a ThinkPHP 8 Project Using ServBay

In this article, we will create and run a ThinkPHP 8 project using the PHP environment provided by ServBay. We will use ServBay's 'Site' feature to set up a web server and achieve project access through simple configurations.

Note: If you have been a user of NGINX or Apache

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

1. Caddy Configuration

   ServBay has built-in Caddy, and the default configuration is optimized and debugged. Developers only need to manage the site through ServBay's 'Site' 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 has already configured Caddy's rules out of the box, so developers do not need to write these rules unless there are special requirements.

3. Learn More

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

Create a ThinkPHP Project

TIP

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

1. Install Composer

   ServBay comes with Composer installed, so there’s no need to install it separately.

2. Create a ThinkPHP Project

   Use Composer to create a new ThinkPHP project:

   cd /Applications/ServBay/www
   composer create-project topthink/think servbay-thinkphp-app

3. Enter the Project Directory

   Enter the newly created ThinkPHP project directory:

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

Initialization Configuration

1. Configure Environment Variables

   In the config/database.php file, configure the database connection information and other environment variables. Ensure the following configurations are correctly set:

   'type'     => 'mysql',
   'hostname' => '127.0.0.1',
   'database' => 'servbay_thinkphp_app',
   'username' => 'root',
   'password' => 'password',
   'hostport' => '3306',

Configure the Web Server

DANGER

ThinkPHP's rewrite rules are slightly different from general rules, so customization is necessary.

Using ServBay's 'Site' feature, access the ThinkPHP project through the web server. In ServBay's 'Site' settings, add a new site:

• Name: My First ThinkPHP Dev Site
• Domain: servbay-thinkphp-test.local

Then click Custom Configuration at the top right, and enter the following content below

    encode zstd gzip
    import set-log servbay-thinkphp-test.local

    tls internal

    @canonicalPath {
        file {
            try_files {path}/index.php
        }
        not path */
    }

    redir @canonicalPath {path}/ 308

    root * /Applications/ServBay/www/servbay-thinkphp-app/public

    route {
        try_files {path} {path}/ /index.php?s={path}&{query}
        php_fastcgi unix//Applications/ServBay/tmp/php-cgi-8.3.sock
    }

    file_server

TIP

If different PHP versions are needed, change php-cgi-8.3.sock to the corresponding PHP version. Also, remember to change set-log to the website's corresponding domain name.

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

Add Sample Code

Add the following code to the route/app.php file to output "Hello ServBay!":

Route::get('servbay', function () {
    return 'Hello ServBay!';
});

Access the Website

Open your browser and visit https://servbay-thinkphp-test.local/servbay, and you should see the webpage output Hello ServBay!.

NoSQL Database Example

Memcached Example

1. Install Memcached Extension

   In ServBay, the Memcached extension is already preinstalled, so no additional installation is required.

2. Configure Memcached

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

   'type'   => 'memcached',
   'host'   => '127.0.0.1',

3. Using Memcached

   Use cache in the controller:

   use think\facade\Cache;
   
   Route::get('/memcached', function () {
       Cache::set('key', 'value', 600);
       return Cache::get('key');
   });

Redis Example

1. Install Redis Extension

   In ServBay, the Redis extension is already preinstalled, so no additional installation is required.

2. Configure Redis

   Configure Redis connection information in the config/cache.php file:

   'type'   => 'redis',
   'host'   => '127.0.0.1',
   'port'   => 6379,
   'password' => '',

3. Using Redis

   Use cache in the controller:

   use think\facade\Cache;
   
   Route::get('/redis', function () {
       Cache::set('key', 'value');
       return Cache::get('key');
   });

Relational Database Example

Create Database Structure and Migration Files

1. Install Database Migration Tool

   To use ThinkPHP's database migration tool, first install it:

   composer require topthink/think-migration

2. Create Migration File

   Use ThinkPHP's command-line tool to create a migration file:

   php think migrate:create CreateUserTable

3. Edit Migration File

   Find the newly created migration file in the database/migrations directory and edit it to define the database table structure:

   public function up()
   {
       Schema::create('users', function (Blueprint $table) {
           $table->increments('id');
           $table->string('name');
           $table->string('email')->unique();
           $table->timestamps();
       });
   }

4. Run Migration

   Use ThinkPHP's command-line tool to run the migration and create the database table:

   php think migrate:run

MySQL Example

1. Configure MySQL

   Configure MySQL connection information in the config/database.php file:

   'type'     => 'mysql',
   'hostname' => '127.0.0.1',
   'database' => 'servbay_thinkphp_app',
   'username' => 'root',
   'password' => 'password',
   'hostport' => '3306',

2. Insert User Data

   Insert user data in the controller:

   use think\Db;
   
   Route::get('/mysql-add', function () {
       Db::table('users')->insert([
           'name' => 'ServBay',
           'email' => '[email protected]',
       ]);
       return 'User added';
   });

3. Using MySQL

   Call the database in the controller:

   use think\Db;
   
   Route::get('/mysql', function () {
       $users = Db::table('users')->select();
       return json($users);
   });

PostgreSQL Example

1. Configure PostgreSQL

   Configure PostgreSQL connection information in the config/database.php file:

   'type'     => 'pgsql',
   'hostname' => '127.0.0.1',
   'database' => 'servbay_thinkphp_app',
   'username' => 'root',
   'password' => 'password',
   'hostport' => '5432',

2. Insert User Data

   Insert user data in the controller:

   use think\Db;
   
   Route::get('/pgsql-add', function () {
       Db::table('users')->insert([
           'name' => 'ServBay',
           'email' => '[email protected]',
       ]);
       return 'User added';
   });

3. Using PostgreSQL

   Call the database in the controller:

   use think\Db;
   
   Route::get('/pgsql', function () {
       $users = Db::table('users')->select();
       return json($users);
   });

By following the above steps, you successfully created and ran a ThinkPHP 8 project, managed and accessed your project using the features provided by ServBay, and connected to multiple databases and fetched data.