php-io-extensions/vulkan

PHP-Controllable Vulkan Rendering Extension

0.7.1 2026-08-09 17:32 UTC

Requires

• php: >=8.2

MIT

• Project Saturn Studios, LLC

Published on Packagist.org on 2026-08-09 17:35 UTC

Extension name: ext-vulkan

Supports Zend Thread Safety (ZTS): ✅

Supports non-Thread Safe mode (NTS): ✅

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

Configure flags:

• --enable-vulkan Enable the vulkan extension

README

PHP extension for Vulkan — built with Zephir, installable via PHP PIE.

vulkan exposes instance/device/swapchain present helpers to PHP 8.2+ as namespaced classes under Vulkan\Vk\…. Static methods live on Vulkan\Vk\Vk; opaque handles are Zephir DTOs with a public fd (pointer as int). Windowing belongs to peer extensions (glfw); this package is draw/present bindings.

On macOS the loader typically needs MoltenVK (brew install molten-vk vulkan-loader vulkan-headers).

Requirements

Component	Minimum version	Notes
PHP	8.2	ZTS and NTS builds both supported.
Vulkan loader	1.x	Discoverable via pkg-config vulkan.
OS	Linux / macOS	Darwin uses MoltenVK (portability enumeration). Windows not supported.
Compiler	C11 toolchain	gcc, clang, or Apple Clang.
php-dev / phpize	matches PHP	Required for any build path that is not PIE.

Demo additionally requires the glfw extension for the window + VkSurfaceKHR.

Installation

Via PHP PIE (recommended)

pie install php-io-extensions/vulkan

Platform installers

macOS (Homebrew):

bash install-macos.sh
# or Herd:
bash install-macos-herd.sh

Debian Trixie / Raspberry Pi OS:

bash install-debian-trixie.sh

Manual build with Zephir (maintainers)

export PKG_CONFIG_PATH="/opt/homebrew/lib/pkgconfig:/usr/local/lib/pkgconfig:${PKG_CONFIG_PATH:-}"
# Darwin + Homebrew MoltenVK (glfw dlopen of libvulkan):
export DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH="/opt/homebrew/lib:${DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH:-}"
export VK_ICD_FILENAMES="/opt/homebrew/etc/vulkan/icd.d/MoltenVK_icd.json"
bash scripts/prepare-ext.sh
cd ext && phpize && ./configure --enable-vulkan && make -j1
php -d extension=modules/vulkan.so --ri vulkan

Quick start

use Vulkan\Vk\Vk;

$instance = Vk::createInstance($glfwRequiredExtensions, 'my-app');
$devices = Vk::enumeratePhysicalDevices($instance);
// … create device/queue/swapchain, then:
Vk::presentFrame($swapchain, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 1.0);

Visual proof (Quit menu):

export DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH="/opt/homebrew/lib:${DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH:-}"
export VK_ICD_FILENAMES="/opt/homebrew/etc/vulkan/icd.d/MoltenVK_icd.json"
VULKAN_PROOF_SECONDS=3 php -d extension=./ext/modules/vulkan.so examples/proof_menu.php

Agent docs

Package knowledge lives in .okf/. See AGENTS.md.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.