In this tutorial, we will show you how to install and optimize PHP 8.4 on a Debian 13 VPS, including the most commonly used extensions for modern web applications.
PHP is a widely used, open-source, server-side scripting language designed for web development. It is used in WordPress- and Laravel-based applications, as well as in other popular e-commerce platforms such as Magento, and even in custom e-commerce or CMS platforms. Debian 13 is the first stable Debian release to ship PHP 8.4 directly from its default repositories, so no third-party PPA is required to get started. PHP 8.4 itself brings meaningful improvements over earlier versions; simply installing PHP only gets you a working interpreter with conservative, one-size-fits-all defaults.
Getting real performance out of PHP 8.4 on a production Debian 13 server means installing the right extensions for your application and tuning OPcache, PHP-FPM, and a handful of php.ini directives. That is exactly what this guide covers.