Alright, folks! Getting PHP up and running on Windows Server 2019 might seem daunting, but trust me, it's totally manageable. This guide breaks down the process into easy-to-follow steps, ensuring you'll have PHP humming along smoothly in no time. Let's dive in!

Prerequisites

Before we get started, let's make sure you have everything you need. First off, you'll need Windows Server 2019 already installed and configured. Make sure you have administrative privileges on the server, because you'll need those to install and configure PHP and related components. It's also a good idea to have a text editor like Notepad++ or Visual Studio Code handy for editing configuration files. Finally, you'll need a web server like IIS (Internet Information Services) installed.

Having IIS properly set up is crucial because PHP will work in tandem with it to serve dynamic web content. Think of IIS as the engine that delivers your website to the world, and PHP as the fuel that powers the dynamic parts of that website. If IIS isn't installed, you'll need to add it through the Server Manager. Open Server Manager, click on "Add roles and features," and follow the wizard to install the Web Server (IIS) role. Make sure to select the common features like Static Content, Default Document, and Directory Browsing. After installing IIS, verify that it’s running by opening a web browser and navigating to http://localhost. You should see the default IIS welcome page. If you don't see it, double-check that the IIS service is started and that there are no firewall rules blocking access to port 80. Once IIS is confirmed to be running, you’re ready to move on to the next steps.

Step 1: Download PHP

First things first, you'll need to grab the latest version of PHP. Head over to the official PHP downloads page (https://windows.php.net/) and find the appropriate version for Windows. Make sure to choose the non-thread-safe version if you plan to use PHP with IIS, which is the most common setup on Windows Server. Download the ZIP archive.

When you're on the PHP downloads page, you'll see several options. Pay close attention to the version number (e.g., PHP 8.2, PHP 8.1) and the architecture (x86 or x64). Choose the version that's compatible with your server's architecture. Most modern servers are 64-bit, so you'll likely want the x64 version. Also, make sure you're downloading the VC15 or VC16 version, depending on your Visual C++ Redistributable version. The non-thread-safe (NTS) version is designed to work with web servers like IIS using the FastCGI protocol, which is the recommended setup for performance and stability. Once you've downloaded the ZIP archive, save it to a location on your server where you can easily access it, such as your Downloads folder. After downloading the ZIP archive, it’s crucial to verify the integrity of the downloaded file. You can do this by comparing the file's checksum (MD5, SHA1, SHA256) with the checksum provided on the PHP downloads page. This ensures that the file hasn't been tampered with during the download process. There are various tools available for calculating checksums, such as CertUtil, which is built into Windows. Open Command Prompt, navigate to the directory where you saved the ZIP archive, and run the command CertUtil -hashfile php-x.x.x-nts-Win32-vsxx-x64.zip SHA256 (replace php-x.x.x-nts-Win32-vsxx-x64.zip with the actual filename). Compare the output with the SHA256 checksum on the PHP downloads page. If they match, you can be confident that the file is genuine and safe to use.

Step 2: Extract PHP

Once you've downloaded the ZIP file, extract its contents to a directory on your server. A common location is C:\php. This will be your PHP installation directory. Keep this directory in mind as you'll need it later when configuring IIS.

Extracting the PHP files to a dedicated directory helps keep your server organized and makes it easier to manage PHP-related files. Create a new folder named php directly under the C:\ drive to maintain a clean and straightforward path. This also simplifies configuration later on. Once you've created the directory, right-click the downloaded ZIP archive and select "Extract All." Follow the prompts to extract the files to C:\php. Ensure that all the PHP files and subdirectories are extracted to this location. After extracting the files, it’s a good practice to verify that the extraction process was successful. Open the C:\php directory and check for the presence of essential PHP files, such as php.exe, php-cgi.exe, php.ini-development, and php.ini-production. These files are crucial for PHP to function correctly. If any of these files are missing, it could indicate that the extraction process was incomplete or that there was an error during the download. In that case, you may need to re-download the ZIP archive and repeat the extraction process. Once you've verified that all the necessary files are present, you can proceed to the next step.

Step 3: Configure PHP

Now that you've extracted PHP, it's time to configure it. Inside the PHP directory, you'll find two important files: php.ini-development and php.ini-production. Rename the php.ini-production file to php.ini. This will be your main PHP configuration file.

Configuring PHP involves setting various options that control how PHP behaves. The php.ini file is where you define these settings. The php.ini-production file is a pre-configured file with settings optimized for production environments, providing better security and performance. Renaming it to php.ini tells PHP to use this configuration. Open the C:\php directory, locate the php.ini-production file, right-click on it, and select "Rename." Change the name to php.ini. If you don't see the file extensions, you may need to enable them in File Explorer by going to the "View" tab and checking the "File name extensions" box. After renaming the file, open it with a text editor like Notepad++. You'll need to make a few adjustments to ensure PHP works correctly with IIS. First, uncomment the line `extension_dir =