Contents

• • Features
  • Examples
  • Requirements
  • Installation
  • Security
  • Documentation
  • License

**Write PostgreSQL functions, triggers, and procedures in PHP.** [](https://www.postgresql.org/) [](https://www.php.net/) [](sql/) [](#license)

PL/php is a procedural-language handler that lets you write database functions in PHP, stored and executed inside PostgreSQL. You get the convenience of PHP’s standard library as a native PostgreSQL function: plain functions, set-returning functions, triggers, event triggers, and procedures with transaction control.

CREATE EXTENSION plphp;

CREATE FUNCTION hello(text) RETURNS text LANGUAGE plphp AS $$
    return "Hello, {$args[0]}!";
$$;

SELECT hello('world');   -- Hello, world!

[!NOTE] Release 2.0 modernizes PL/php (originally from 2010) for PostgreSQL 18 and the PHP 8 Zend API, installs as a first-class CREATE EXTENSION, and adds a large set of PL/Perl- and PL/Tcl-inspired features.

Features

See the language reference for the full API, the cookbook for practical, regression-tested recipes, and the PL/Perl and PL/Tcl comparisons for feature-by-feature detail.

Examples

A set-returning function

CREATE FUNCTION squares(lim integer)
RETURNS TABLE(n integer, square integer) LANGUAGE plphp AS $$
    for ($n = 1; $n <= $lim; $n++) {
        $square = $n * $n;
        return_next();
    }
$$;

SELECT * FROM squares(3);   -- (1,1), (2,4), (3,9)

Querying the database with a prepared plan

CREATE FUNCTION lookup(int) RETURNS text LANGUAGE plphp AS $$
    $plan = spi_prepare('select name from things where id = $1', 'int4');
    $res  = spi_exec_prepared($plan, $args[0]);
    $row  = spi_fetch_row($res);
    spi_freeplan($plan);
    return $row['name'];
$$;

A row trigger that transforms data

CREATE FUNCTION uppercase_name() RETURNS trigger LANGUAGE plphp AS $$
    $_TD['new']['name'] = strtoupper($_TD['new']['name']);
    return 'MODIFY';
$$;

Requirements

• PostgreSQL 11 or newer (tested on 11–18; 18 recommended), with the server development files that provide pg_config.
• PHP 8.1 through 8.4 built with the embed SAPI and without ZTS (thread safety). On Debian/Ubuntu, install php8.x-dev and libphp8.x-embed.

Installation

From PGXN:

pgxn install plphp

From a source checkout:

make
sudo make install

Then, in a database:

CREATE EXTENSION plphp;

See INSTALL for details and troubleshooting, and run the regression suite with make installcheck.

Security

[!WARNING] PL/php is an untrusted language. On modern PHP there is no sandbox (safe_mode was removed in PHP 5.4), so a PL/php function can do anything the PostgreSQL server’s operating-system user can: read and write files, open network connections, run shell commands, and so on.

The language is created without the TRUSTED attribute, so only superusers can install the extension or create PL/php functions. Grant that ability only to roles you would trust with the server’s OS account.

Documentation

• Language reference
• Cookbook: tested recipes
• Benchmarks: within a few percent of PL/pgSQL on scalar work; 1.75x PL/Perl on row loops
• Installation
• Changelog
• PL/php vs PL/Perl
• PL/php vs PL/Tcl

License

PL/php is copyright © Command Prompt, Inc. and is distributed under a permissive, PostgreSQL-style license; see the notice at the top of each source file.