php-io-extensions/open-gl

PHP-Controllable OpenGL Rendering Extension

0.7.0 2026-08-09 01:05 UTC

Requires

• php: >=8.2

MIT

• Project Saturn Studios, LLC

Published on Packagist.org on 2026-08-09 02:43 UTC

Extension name: ext-opengl

Supports Zend Thread Safety (ZTS): ✅

Supports non-Thread Safe mode (NTS): ✅

Supported operating systems: bsd, darwin, solaris, linux, unknown

Configure flags:

• --enable-opengl Enable the opengl extension

README

PHP extension for the OpenGL rendering API — built with Zephir, installable via PHP PIE.

opengl exposes gl* entry points to PHP 8.2+ under Opengl\GL\…. It is the draw half of ScrapyardIO's Windowed Visual Output stack. Window/context creation stays in peer packages (php-io-extensions/glfw, php-io-extensions/sdl3).

OpenGL #define tokens live in a companion microscrap wrapper, not in this extension.

Requirements

Component	Minimum version	Notes
PHP	8.2	ZTS and NTS builds both supported.
OpenGL	system	macOS OpenGL.framework or Linux Mesa (libgl1-mesa-dev).
OS	Linux / macOS	x86_64 + aarch64. Windows is not currently supported.
Compiler	C11 toolchain	gcc, clang, or Apple Clang.
php-dev / phpize	matches PHP	Required for any build path that is not PIE.

Installation

Via PHP PIE (recommended)

pie install php-io-extensions/open-gl

Platform installers

macOS (Homebrew / system frameworks):

bash install-macos.sh
# or with Laravel Herd on PATH:
bash install-macos-herd.sh

Debian Trixie / Raspberry Pi OS:

bash install-debian-trixie.sh

JetPack 6 / Ubuntu 22.04 (Jetson):

bash install-jetpack6.sh

Manual build with Zephir (maintainers)

bash scripts/prepare-ext.sh
cd ext && phpize && ./configure --enable-opengl && make
php -n -d extension="$(pwd)/modules/opengl.so" --ri opengl

scripts/prepare-ext.sh regenerates C sources, patches portable ext/config.m4 (Darwin -framework OpenGL / Linux -lGL), applies Zephir 0.19 REGISTER fixups when needed, and strips phpize junk so absolute host paths never ship.

Quick start

<?php
use Opengl\GL\GL;

// Requires a current OpenGL context from glfw/sdl3 first.
GL::glClearColor(0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 1.0);
GL::glClear(0x00004000); // GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT — prefer microscrap enums

Named objects (fd)

Buffers, textures, shaders, and programs are Zephir objects. The opaque GLuint name is stored on public fd (0 = none), matching the posi/ftdi handle style:

$buffer = GL::glGenBuffer();
GL::glBindBuffer(0x8892, $buffer); // GL_ARRAY_BUFFER
// $buffer->fd is the GLuint name

Examples

# Visual window + on-screen Quit menu (needs glfw + opengl)
OPENGL_PROOF_SECONDS=5 php examples/proof_menu.php

API surface

Class	Namespace	Role
GL	Opengl\GL	Static gl* passthrough (clear, viewport, fixed-function draw, buffer/texture/shader/program helpers)
GlBuffer	Opengl\GL	Buffer object DTO (fd, target, size, usage)
GlTexture	Opengl\GL	Texture object DTO (fd, target, width, height, format)
GlShader	Opengl\GL	Shader object DTO (fd, type, compiled)
GlProgram	Opengl\GL	Program object DTO (fd, linked)

Binding conventions

• Opaque GLuint names → object fd (int) or plain int where noted
• Static methods mirror C names (glClear, glGenBuffer, …)
• Hard failures from context-less calls surface as OpenGL errors via glGetError
• No FFI

What this package is not

• Not a windowing library (use glfw / sdl3)
• Not an extension loader (GLEW/glad — future slice)
• Not Metal / Vulkan / CUDA

Version

0.7.0 — ecosystem docs line 0.7.x. IDE stubs under ide/0.7.0/.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.