Through PHP Desktop we can turn our PHP Web Application into a Desktop application. It will look very similar to desktop application. In the PHP Desktop, the Google Chrome browser, Web server, and PHP are all bundled together. When you execute it, a web server starts running automatically and a Chrome browser window opens with no address bar, menu etc. And a web page opens inside it. So it looks like a desktop application.
Initially PHP Desktop was only available for Windows. But now it is also available for Linux. However its Google Chrome does not update often. By the time this article is written, the last date for its update is 7 February 2019. If you are reading this article in future, then maybe a new version of it has come.
If you want to run a PHP application in PHP Desktop, then use SQLite for database.
How to install PHP application in PHP Desktop?
Step 1: Download the PHP desktop from the following link:
https://github.com/cztomczak/phpdesktop/releases/tag/linux-v72.0
Step 2: Now extract it on any folder on your computer.
Step 3: Put copy your PHP files in www folder.
And that’s it. Now double click on the executable file of phpdesktop. And your PHP application will start running like a desktop application.
From settings.json file you can adjust various parameters like the size of the window and its features such as source code may appear or not, whether or not Dev Tools will be available, etc.
If you want, you can also make closed source software of PHP using ioncube loader. Currently PHP Desktop is available with php 7.2.