[pxp] Personal Xampp PHP version switcher for CLI. A simple yet powerful CLI tool to manage multiple PHP versions in XAMPP on Windows.

• 🔄 Switch between PHP versions instantly
• 📦 Download and install new PHP versions automatically
• 🗑️ Uninstall PHP versions safely
• 📋 List all installed PHP versions (local)
• 🌐 Fetch available stable PHP versions from PHP.net (global)
• ⚡ Automatic Apache configuration updates
• 🛡️ Safe backups before switching

Download the latest MSI installer from Releases and run it. The installer will automatically add pxp to your PATH.

1. Clone or download from GitHub:

git clone https://github.com/pphatdev/php-version-switcher.git

2. Add the folder to your system PATH:

Settings → System → About → Advanced system settings → Environment Variables → Path → New

Add the full path to where you cloned/extracted the files.

3. Open a new terminal and run:

pxp help

Note: Pxp is designed for Windows Command Prompt or PowerShell. If using Git Bash or other bash terminals, see the Git Bash compatibility guide.

pxp -v
# or
pxp --version

Displays the current Pxp version.

pxp list
# or explicitly list local versions
pxp list -php -local

Output example:

Installed PHP versions:
* 7.4.33 (active, php7)
  8.0.30 (8.0.30)
  8.2.27 (8.2.27)

pxp list -php -global

This fetches the latest stable PHP versions available from windows.php.net (Thread-Safe x64 builds).

Output example:

  Fetching available PHP versions from windows.php.net...

  Available stable PHP versions (Thread-Safe x64):
  PHP 8.3:
    8.3.15
    8.3.14
    8.3.13

  PHP 8.2:
    8.2.27
    8.2.26

  PHP 8.1:
    8.1.31
    8.1.30
  To install a version: pxp install <version>

pxp current

Displays the currently active PHP version in XAMPP.

pxp switch 8.0.30
# or use the alias
pxp use 8.0.30

This will:

1. Stop Apache
2. Backup current php/ → php{version}/ (e.g., php7.4.33/)
3. Rename php{target}/ → php/
4. Update Apache config (httpd-xampp.conf)
5. Start Apache

pxp install 8.3.6

Downloads the thread-safe x64 build from windows.php.net and extracts it to C:\xampp\php8.3.6\.

After installing, switch to it:

pxp switch 8.3.6

pxp uninstall 8.0.30

Removes an installed PHP version from your system. This will:

1. Verify the version exists and is not currently active
2. Ask for confirmation before deletion
3. Permanently remove the PHP version directory

Note: You cannot uninstall the currently active PHP version. Switch to a different version first.

pxp help

Shows all available commands with examples.

• Windows 10/11 - Required for PowerShell support
• XAMPP - Installed at C:\xampp (default location)
• PowerShell 5.1+ - Pre-installed on Windows 10/11
• .NET SDK 6.0+ - Only needed for building the MSI installer

If you want to build the installer from source:

1. Install the .NET SDK 6.0+

2. Build the MSI:

   dotnet build ./installer/Pxp.wixproj -c Release

3. The MSI will be created in installer\bin\Release\

To specify a custom version:

dotnet build ./installer/Pxp.wixproj -c Release -p:ProductVersion=1.0.0

📖 For detailed troubleshooting solutions, see TROUBLESHOOTING.md

If you see "cannot be loaded. The file is not digitally signed" error:

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator
2. Run: Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
3. Run: Unblock-File "C:\Program Files (x86)\Pxp\pxp.ps1"

➡️ Full solution guide

Run your terminal as Administrator if you encounter permission errors when switching PHP versions.

➡️ Full solution guide

1. Check Apache error logs at C:\xampp\apache\logs\error.log
2. Ensure the correct PHP DLL files exist in the PHP directory
3. Verify httpd-xampp.conf has the correct PHP module configuration

➡️ Full solution guide

Apache virtual host warnings (e.g., Could not resolve host name) are unrelated to PHP switching — they come from your virtual host configuration in httpd-vhosts.conf.

• 📘 README - Getting started and basic usage
• 🔧 Troubleshooting Guide - Common issues and solutions
• 🔒 Security Policy - Security best practices and vulnerability reporting
• 📝 Changelog - Version history and release notes

• 🤝 Contributing Guide - How to contribute to the project
• 👨‍💻 Development Guide - Technical documentation for developers
• 📋 Code of Conduct - Community guidelines

• PowerShell Execution Policy
• Permission Denied Errors
• Apache Won't Start
• Download Fails
• PHP Version Not Found
• Git Bash Compatibility

Contributions are welcome! We appreciate any help in improving pxp-cli.

1. 🐛 Report bugs - Open an issue
2. 💡 Suggest features - Request a feature
3. 🔀 Submit pull requests - Read the contributing guide
4. 📝 Improve documentation - Help make docs better
5. ⭐ Star the repository - Show your support

Before contributing, please read:

• Contributing Guidelines - Detailed contribution instructions
• Code of Conduct - Community standards
• Development Guide - Technical documentation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/pphatdev/pxp-cli.git
cd pxp-cli

# Test the script
.\pxp.ps1 help

# Build the installer
dotnet build ./installer/Pxp.wixproj -c Release

• 📖 Check the documentation first
• 🔍 Search existing issues
• ❓ Open a new issue if needed

If you find this tool helpful, please consider:

• ⭐ Star the repository on GitHub
• 🐛 Report bugs you encounter
• 💡 Suggest features you'd like to see
• 📝 Improve documentation with corrections and additions
• 🤝 Share with others who might benefit

MIT © pphatdev

Made with 😧 to resolve PHP version switching issues | pphatdev