PHP FastCGI Process Manager – PHP-FPM

Overview

Warning:
We strongly recommend that you only activate Apache PHP-FPM if your server has at least 2 GB of RAM available, or at least 30 MB of RAM per domain. If you enable PHP-FPM on a server with less than the required RAM, your server may experience severe performance issues.

PHP FastCGI Process Manager (PHP-FPM) is an alternative FastCGI daemon for PHP that allows a website to handle high loads. PHP-FPM maintains pools (workers that can respond to PHP requests) to accomplish this. PHP-FPM is faster than traditional CGI-based methods, such as SUPHP, for multi-user PHP environments. It does not overload a system’s memory with PHP from Apache processes.

  • LiteSpeed Web Server uses the lsphp binary. LiteSpeed Web Server does not use the system’s PHP-FPM implementation in WHM’s MultiPHP Manager interface (WHM >> Home >> Software >> MultiPHP Manager).
  • To monitor applications that use PHP-FPM, select the Monitor checkbox for the PHP-FPM service for cPanel Daemons service in WHM’s Service Manager interface (WHM >> Home >> Service Configuration >> Service Manager).

Running PHP-FPM with CentOS 7, CentOS 8, or AlmaLinux 8 and EasyApache 4

On CentOS 7, CentOS 8, and AlmaLinux 8 systems, EasyApache 4 uses the PrivateTmp option with PHP-FPM. EasyApache 4 does this to increase security for temporary files that the running processes in PHP-FPM access. The PrivateTmp option creates special directories in the /tmp directory for each Apache PHP-FPM version your system uses. It’s possible that each time you or the system restarts the PHP-FPM service, the PrivateTmp option will create a new directory.

Warning:

Removing the PrivateTmp-created directories, either manually or automatically, will cause errors in applications or websites that use PHP-FPM. We strongly encourage that you do not remove these directories. If you need to remove any of these directories, we recommend that you restart the Apache PHP-FPM service. This ensures that Apache PHP-FPM will work correctly.

To restart Apache PHP-FPM, use the following command:

scripts/restartsrv_apache_php_fpm --hard

Tutorials on how to use PHP-FPM

  • Configuration Values of PHP-FPM — This document lists the cPanel PHP-FPM system’s configuration settings and their default values.
  • PHP-FPM Code and FileSystem Layout for EasyApache4 — This document explains how to implement PHP-FPM, the filesystem layout of PHP-FPM, and how to adjust PHP versions.
  • The php_fpm_config Script — This document explains when and how to use the /scripts/php_fpm_config script.
  • PHP-FPM Domain Pools – This document explains how to create a domain pool with PHP-FPM.