Question 1

Can you compile PHP to a native binary?

Accepted Answer

Yes. elephc compiles a supported static subset of PHP directly to native assembly. It produces standalone executables for macOS ARM64, Linux ARM64, and Linux x86_64, plus native libraries for those hosts and iOS ARM64 targets. The compiled path uses no interpreter, VM, Zend Engine, or opcode fallback.

Question 2

How is elephc different from PHP packagers or other PHP AOT systems?

Accepted Answer

elephc is not a PHP packager and does not bundle Zend/PHP. It is a from-scratch compiler: parse, type-check, lower to native assembly, assemble, link, and include a small runtime in the output. If elephc compiles it, it runs as native code.

Question 3

Can elephc work with PHP frameworks?

Accepted Answer

Not a drop-in replacement for an entire dynamic framework today, but a path to accelerate static modules inside existing PHP applications. Keep frameworks such as WordPress, Laravel, or Symfony on PHP, then compile static and performance-sensitive modules into standalone executables or native libraries. A PHP extension bridge remains on the roadmap.

Question 4

How does the elephc PHP compiler work?

Accepted Answer

elephc uses a twelve-stage compilation pipeline covering source classification, lexing, parsing, resolution, type checking, AST optimization, declaration reachability, EIR lowering and optimization, register allocation, target code generation, and linking. It targets macOS ARM64, Linux ARM64, Linux x86_64, and iOS ARM64 libraries.

Question 5

What PHP features does elephc support?

Accepted Answer

elephc supports 21 user-facing types, modern PHP control flow and object features, functions and closures, native extensions, and 974 compiled built-in functions across strings, arrays, math, I/O, databases, images, iconv, curl, XML, and other categories.

Question 6

Is elephc free and open source?

Accepted Answer

Yes, elephc is free and open-source software released under the MIT License. The source code is available on GitHub at github.com/illegalstudio/elephc.

Function	Signature	Returns	AOT	eval()
`json_decode()`	`(string $json, ?bool $associative = null, int $depth = 512, int $flags = 0): mixed`	`mixed`	✓	✓
`json_encode()`	`(mixed $value, int $flags = 0, int $depth = 512): string`	`string`	✓	✓
`json_last_error()`	`(): int`	`int`	✓	✓
`json_last_error_msg()`	`(): string`	`string`	✓	✓
`json_validate()`	`(string $json, int $depth = 512, int $flags = 0): bool`	`bool`	✓	✓

JSON builtins

JSON builtins