Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to The only PHP library you miss

Make your PHP arrays sweet'n'safe. Save your mental energy on type casting. - zakirullin/mess

The Only PHP Library You Miss is a PHP library launched in 2020 for developers working with PHP applications. It provides functionality that the creators consider essential but previously unavailable as a unified… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. The only PHP library you miss launched in 2020; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   Rust compiler in PHP emitting x86-64 executables▲66

   Hi! I put together a Rust compiler written in PHP. It takes Rust source code and outputs x86-64 Linux binaries directly. No LLVM, no assembler, no linker. It has a working ownership checker, borrow checker, type checker, structs, functions, control flow, and mutable references. The test suite has 80+ cases. The whole thing is around 2,500 lines of PHP.

   Mar 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

2. 2
   PHPunctional, a PHP Functional Programming Library▲37

   Functional Programming Library For PHP. Contribute to r-cyr/PHPunctional development by creating an account on GitHub.

   2015 · github.com · its alternatives →

3. 3
   PHP Secure▲407

   Free vulnerability scanner to secure your PHP code

   2023 · its alternatives →

4. 4
   Wolff▲103

   Ridiculously small PHP framework for building web apps 🐺

   2020 · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Upgrade your PHP▲124

   Is your site at risk?

   2018 · upgradeyourphp.com · its alternatives →

6. 6PB
   PHP Best Practices, a short guide for common and confusing PHP tasks▲16

   phpbestpractices.org ist Ihre erste und beste Informationsquelle über phpbestpractices. Hier finden Sie auch weitere interessante Links. Wir hoffen, dass Sie bei Ihrer Suche erfolgreich sind!

   2012 · phpbestpractices.org · its alternatives →

7. 7
   Pan PHP▲165

   A simple and privacy-focused analytics php package

   2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

8. 8
   PHP Library Development 101 Book▲6

   Elevate your library development skills from beginner to pro

   2024 · ahmadraafat.gumroad.com · its alternatives →

9. 9
   Namespaced PHP functions to fix inconsistencies in the PHP language▲19

   Wrapper library to fix inconsistencies in PHP's core functions - nkkollaw/zubr

   2017 · github.com · its alternatives →

10. 10
    PHPBot▲136

    The ultimate PHP Snippet bot

    2017 · phpbot.org · its alternatives →

11. 11
    PHPForm▲104

    The ultimate Open source solution for form management

    2024 · its alternatives →

12. 12
    Functors, Applicative Functors and Monads in PHP▲46

    Functors, Applicative Functors and Monads in PHP. Contribute to widmogrod/php-functional development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2015 · github.com · its alternatives →

13. 13RF
    Requests for PHP - HTTP library, my project for the last few weeks▲5

    A HTTP request library written for human beings

    2012 · requests.ryanmccue.info · its alternatives →

14. 14
    PHPRunner▲103

    Professional web apps with little or no coding

    2022 · xlinesoft.com · its alternatives →

15. 15
    Domain-Driven Design in PHP▲71

    Real examples written in PHP.

    2016 · leanpub.com · its alternatives →

16. 16
    PHP-fts – Full-text search engine in pure PHP, no extensions▲89

    A self-contained full-text search engine in pure PHP. No extensions, no dependencies. - olivier-ls/php-fts

    May 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

17. 17
    PHP API Bindings for Open Brewery DB▲50

    Howdy! I'm a recent PHP convert after a decade of laughing at PHP memes on r/programmerhumor, and wanted to dive a bit deeper into the language by building something practical with it. I also love beer and decided to combine the two by building a PHP library for the Open Brewery DB API (https://openbrewerydb.org/). Hope someone finds it useful!

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

18. 18
    PHP 7▲9

    The new version of the old programming language, 7.0.0!

    2015 · github.com · its alternatives →

19. 19
    Dumbo – Hono inspired framework for PHP▲76

    Hey HN, I last PHP professionally over 15 years ago, and I loved it. I switched to Ruby on Rails, then Node/Go/React/GraphQL as there was a lot more demand for those roles. However, PHP is back! In true JavaScript fashion, I decided to learn PHP again by building a framework to put all the pieces together in my brain. I absolutely love Hono.dev, and decided to base the PHP framework on that. Dumbo isn't intended to compete with Laravel, Symphony or Slim, if anything, it's something people can use in production, but also contribute to and be used as a learning resource for…

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

20. 20
    PHP does Meta Programming too▲45

    PHP does Meta Programming too! (Requires PHP 5.4). GitHub Gist: instantly share code, notes, and snippets.

    2011 · gist.github.com · its alternatives →

21. 21
    The PHP Socket Programming Handbook▲58

    Learn how to make servers in PHP.

    2016 · its alternatives →

22. 22EP
    Enophp – PHP library for the eno notation language▲17

    The eno notation language[1] now also has an official PHP library: https://eno-lang.org/php/ It features the same API and featureset as the JavaScript / Python / Ruby libraries, and also comes with the same extensive testsuite that has been growing during implementation of the other libraries, with already well over 90% coverage at the time of release. Happy to hear your feedback and answer any questions! [1] A user-friendly format for file-based content: https://eno-lang.org/

    2018 · its alternatives →

23. 23
    PHPSSP▲9

    The Minimal PHP Framework for Pragmatic Developers

    2024 · its alternatives →

24. 24IJ
    I just released Requests for PHP 1.6▲32

    2013 · journal.ryanmccue.info · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →