PHP Development Environment Setup Scripts for Linux & WSL

Overview

This repository provides interactive bash scripts to set up a complete PHP development environment on:

• Linux (Ubuntu/Debian-based distros)
• Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL 1/2)

Features

• ✅ Install PHP (version selectable: 8.1 - 8.4)
• ✅ Install Node.js (via LTS, specific version, or nvm)
• ✅ Install Composer, Laravel Installer, and Valet for Linux
• ✅ Web servers: Nginx, Apache, or both
• ✅ Databases: MariaDB, PostgreSQL, MongoDB
• ✅ Optional tools: Xdebug, Redis, Docker, ZSH, UFW Firewall
• ✅ GUI tools: pgAdmin, phpMyAdmin, MongoDB Compass, DBeaver, VS Code, Postman/Insomnia
• ✅ Auto configures Git & SSH for GitHub
• ✅ Adds useful command aliases
• ✅ Creates detailed log file for troubleshooting

📁 Scripts Included

Script	Target Platform	Description
setup.sh	Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)	Full setup script for Linux
setup-wsl.sh	Windows WSL 1/2	Adapted setup script for WSL + Windows notes

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⚙️ Usage Instructions

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/oheneadjei/php-dev-setup.git
cd php-dev-setup

2. Make Scripts Executable

chmod +x setup.sh setup-wsl.sh

3. Run the Script

• Linux:

./setup.sh

• WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux):

./setup-wsl.sh

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🖥️ WSL Notes

• GUI tools like phpMyAdmin, pgAdmin, or Compass may have limited support.
• Recommended: Install these GUI apps on Windows:
  • MySQL Workbench
  • pgAdmin
  • MongoDB Compass

Snap is often unsupported on WSL. The script detects this and offers alternatives.

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🚀 Aliases for Productivity

Default aliases added (can be customized during setup):

alias serve="php artisan serve"
alias art="php artisan"
alias nginx-restart="sudo systemctl restart nginx"
alias mongo-start="sudo systemctl start mongod"
start_project() {
  cd ~/Projects/"$1" && valet link && php artisan serve
}

📢 Run serve to quickly start a Laravel server.

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📜 License

MIT License - See LICENSE

👤 Author

Ohene Adjei
https://ohene.dev
GitHub: @oheneadj

💡 Contributions, suggestions, and PRs are welcome!

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📋 Final Setup Checklist (Sample)

• Git: John Doe <john@example.com>
• PHP: PHP 8.4.1 (cli)
• Node.js: v18.17.0
• Composer: 2.7.x
• Web Server: Nginx
• Database: PostgreSQL
• Laravel Installer: Installed
• Docker: Installed
• Redis: Enabled
• Aliases: Added to .bashrc or .zshrc
• Log File: ~/php-dev-setup-YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.log

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🧪 Test & Feedback

Tested on:

• Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
• Debian 11
• WSL 2 (Ubuntu on Windows 10/11)

Please open an issue for bugs or environment-specific improvements.

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📂 File Structure Example

php-dev-setup/
├── setup.sh
├── setup-wsl.sh
├── alias-sample.sh
├── LICENSE
└── README.md