Swoole HTTP Server

intermediate

High-performance async HTTP server for PHP applications.

Overview

Swoole is a revolutionary PHP extension that transforms traditional synchronous PHP into a high-performance asynchronous runtime, eliminating the need for external web servers like Apache or Nginx. Originally developed by Chinese engineers and now maintained globally, Swoole introduces coroutines, event loops, and built-in server capabilities directly into PHP, enabling developers to build concurrent applications without the complexity of callback-based programming. This async approach allows a single PHP process to handle thousands of concurrent connections efficiently. The Swoole HTTP server leverages coroutine-based architecture to achieve performance gains of 10-100x over traditional PHP-FPM setups for I/O-intensive workloads. Unlike traditional PHP where each request spawns a separate process, Swoole maintains persistent worker processes that handle multiple requests concurrently using lightweight coroutines. The built-in HTTP server eliminates the overhead of CGI/FastCGI communication layers, while connection pooling for databases and caching systems dramatically reduces connection establishment costs. This stack is ideal for PHP developers building high-throughput APIs, real-time applications, or microservices who need better performance without abandoning PHP's familiar syntax and ecosystem. Companies migrating from Node.js or Go for performance reasons can leverage Swoole to achieve similar concurrency levels while maintaining their existing PHP codebase and developer expertise.

Key Features

Coroutine-based concurrency allowing thousands of simultaneous connections without callback complexity
Built-in HTTP/HTTPS server eliminating need for Apache, Nginx, or PHP-FPM
Persistent connection pooling for MySQL, Redis, and PostgreSQL reducing connection overhead
WebSocket and TCP/UDP server capabilities within the same PHP process
Memory-resident application state between requests enabling advanced caching strategies
Laravel Octane and Hyperf framework integration for enterprise applications
Built-in process management with worker process recycling and memory limit controls
Hook-based PHP function replacement making file I/O and network calls non-blocking

Common Use Cases

1High-frequency trading platforms requiring microsecond response times for financial data APIs
2Gaming backends handling real-time multiplayer interactions and leaderboard updates
3IoT data collection services processing thousands of sensor readings per second
4Chat applications combining HTTP APIs with WebSocket connections in single deployment
5E-commerce platforms during flash sales requiring rapid inventory updates across concurrent users
6Microservices architectures where PHP teams need Node.js-level performance without language migration
7Development environments testing async PHP code before production deployment

Prerequisites

Minimum 512MB RAM allocation as Swoole maintains persistent worker processes
PHP 7.2+ knowledge with understanding of namespace and class-based architecture
Port 9501 available for HTTP server or ability to modify port mapping
Basic understanding of asynchronous programming concepts and coroutines
Familiarity with PHP composer for managing Swoole-compatible packages
Application code designed for stateful operation as variables persist between requests

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

docker-compose.yml

1services: 
2  swoole: 
3    image: phpswoole/swoole:latest
4    container_name: swoole
5    restart: unless-stopped
6    volumes: 
7      - ./app:/var/www/html
8    ports: 
9      - "9501:9501"
10    networks: 
11      - swoole-network
12
13networks: 
14  swoole-network: 
15    driver: bridge

.env Template

.env

1# Swoole HTTP server

Usage Notes

1Docs: https://wiki.swoole.com/
2Coroutine-based PHP - async without callback hell
310-100x faster than php-fpm for many workloads
4Built-in HTTP server, WebSocket, TCP, UDP support
5Connection pooling for MySQL, Redis, PostgreSQL
6Compatible with Laravel (Octane), Hyperf, and other frameworks

Quick Start

terminal

1# 1. Create the compose file
2cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
3services:
4  swoole:
5    image: phpswoole/swoole:latest
6    container_name: swoole
7    restart: unless-stopped
8    volumes:
9      - ./app:/var/www/html
10    ports:
11      - "9501:9501"
12    networks:
13      - swoole-network
14
15networks:
16  swoole-network:
17    driver: bridge
18EOF
19
20# 2. Create the .env file
21cat > .env << 'EOF'
22# Swoole HTTP server
23EOF
24
25# 3. Start the services
26docker compose up -d
27
28# 4. View logs
29docker 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/swoole/run | bash

Troubleshooting

Fatal error: Class 'Swoole\Http\Server' not found: Ensure phpswoole/swoole image is used instead of standard PHP images
Connection refused on port 9501: Verify Swoole server is binding to 0.0.0.0 instead of localhost in server configuration
Memory leaks causing worker restarts: Implement proper variable cleanup and avoid circular references in request handlers
Database connection errors after idle time: Configure connection pool with proper heartbeat settings to maintain persistent connections
Session data not persisting between requests: Replace PHP's default session handling with Swoole Table or Redis-based storage
Composer autoloader conflicts: Use Swoole-compatible autoloaders or manually require files before server startup

Community Notes

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