FrankenPHP

beginner

Modern PHP app server built on Caddy with automatic HTTPS.

Overview

FrankenPHP is a revolutionary PHP application server that combines the power of Go's Caddy web server with PHP's CGO bindings, creating a modern alternative to traditional PHP-FPM and Apache setups. Built by Kévin Dunglas, FrankenPHP eliminates the overhead of spawning new PHP processes for each request by keeping PHP workers in memory, similar to Swoole or RoadRunner, while maintaining full compatibility with existing PHP applications. The server includes Caddy's automatic HTTPS provisioning through Let's Encrypt, HTTP/3 support, and implements cutting-edge features like 103 Early Hints for improved performance. This Docker configuration leverages FrankenPHP's worker mode capabilities to serve PHP applications with dramatically reduced latency and increased throughput compared to traditional setups. The integration with Caddy provides zero-configuration HTTPS, automatic certificate management, and modern HTTP protocol support out of the box. FrankenPHP's unique architecture allows it to handle thousands of concurrent connections while consuming significantly less memory than conventional PHP deployment methods. Development teams building high-performance PHP applications, Laravel and Symfony projects requiring enterprise-grade performance, and organizations seeking to modernize their PHP infrastructure will benefit most from this setup. FrankenPHP is particularly valuable for applications that need real-time features, WebSocket support, or handle high concurrent loads, making it ideal for modern web applications, APIs, and microservices that demand both performance and simplicity.

Key Features

Worker mode keeps PHP processes in memory for lightning-fast response times without process spawning overhead
Native Laravel Octane and Symfony Runtime integration for zero-configuration framework optimization
HTTP/3 and HTTP/2 support with server push capabilities for improved client performance
103 Early Hints implementation allows browsers to preload resources before full response
Automatic HTTPS certificate provisioning and renewal through Let's Encrypt integration
Real-time WebSocket support built directly into the PHP runtime without external dependencies
Graceful worker reloading enables zero-downtime deployments and configuration changes
Built-in request/response pooling reduces garbage collection pressure and memory allocations

Common Use Cases

1High-traffic Laravel applications requiring sub-millisecond response times with Octane integration
2Real-time web applications needing WebSocket connections for chat, notifications, or live updates
3API-heavy microservices architecture where PHP service performance is critical
4E-commerce platforms handling thousands of concurrent users during peak shopping periods
5Content management systems requiring fast page generation with automatic HTTPS
6Development environments where quick iteration and hot-reloading improve productivity
7SaaS applications needing enterprise-grade performance without complex infrastructure setup

Prerequisites

Docker Engine 20.10+ and Docker Compose 2.0+ for container orchestration support
Minimum 512MB RAM available for FrankenPHP worker processes and Caddy operations
Ports 80 and 443 available on host system for HTTP/HTTPS traffic handling
Basic understanding of Caddyfile syntax for server configuration and routing rules
PHP application structure with public directory containing index.php entry point
Domain name with proper DNS configuration if using automatic HTTPS certificates

For development & testing. Review security settings, change default credentials, and test thoroughly before production use. See Terms

docker-compose.yml

1services: 
2  frankenphp: 
3    image: dunglas/frankenphp:latest
4    container_name: frankenphp
5    restart: unless-stopped
6    volumes: 
7      - ./app:/app/public
8      - ./Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile:ro
9    ports: 
10      - "80:80"
11      - "443:443"
12    networks: 
13      - franken-network
14
15networks: 
16  franken-network: 
17    driver: bridge

.env Template

.env

1# FrankenPHP with Caddy

Usage Notes

1Docs: https://frankenphp.dev/docs/
2Built on Caddy - automatic HTTPS with Let's Encrypt
3Worker mode keeps PHP in memory (like Swoole/RoadRunner)
4103 Early Hints support for faster page loads
5Native support for Laravel, Symfony - just works
6Configure with Caddyfile: php_server directive

Quick Start

terminal

1# 1. Create the compose file
2cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
3services:
4  frankenphp:
5    image: dunglas/frankenphp:latest
6    container_name: frankenphp
7    restart: unless-stopped
8    volumes:
9      - ./app:/app/public
10      - ./Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile:ro
11    ports:
12      - "80:80"
13      - "443:443"
14    networks:
15      - franken-network
16
17networks:
18  franken-network:
19    driver: bridge
20EOF
21
22# 2. Create the .env file
23cat > .env << 'EOF'
24# FrankenPHP with Caddy
25EOF
26
27# 3. Start the services
28docker compose up -d
29
30# 4. View logs
31docker compose logs -f

One-Liner

Run this command to download and set up the recipe in one step:

terminal

1curl -fsSL https://docker.recipes/api/recipes/frankenphp/run | bash

Troubleshooting

Worker process crashes with memory errors: Increase container memory limits and tune PHP memory_limit setting in worker mode
Automatic HTTPS fails with certificate errors: Verify domain DNS points to server and ports 80/443 are publicly accessible
PHP application returns 502 errors: Check that app directory contains valid PHP files and public/index.php entry point exists
WebSocket connections fail to establish: Ensure Caddyfile includes proper WebSocket upgrade directives and routing
High memory usage in worker mode: Implement worker recycling strategies and tune FRANKENPHP_WORKER environment variables
Static assets not serving correctly: Verify Caddyfile file_server directives and check volume mount paths match application structure

Community Notes

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