# Install brew-php-switcher with Homebrew

Switch Apache / Valet / CLI configs between PHP versions. Version 2.6 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:brew-php-switcher
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install brew-php-switcher
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:brew-php-switcher
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 2.6
- **Source summary:** Switch Apache / Valet / CLI configs between PHP versions
- **Homepage:** <https://github.com/philcook/brew-php-switcher>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/philcook/brew-php-switcher>
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- brew-php-switcher (alias)
- phpswitch.sh (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 2.6
## Project history and usage

Brew PHP Switcher is a macOS shell utility for switching Homebrew-installed PHP versions across command-line, Apache, and Valet-oriented development setups.

### Project history

The project was created in March 2014 and published v1.0 in April 2014. Its README frames the tool as a one-command answer for developers supporting multiple PHP projects that require different PHP major versions.

The script tracks Homebrew PHP layout changes over time. The README documents support for older PHP 5.6 and 7.x versions through modern 8.x versions, and recent commits mention Apple Silicon Homebrew Apache path handling.

### Adoption history

The package gained a durable niche among macOS PHP developers because it automated edits that were otherwise easy to get wrong: Apache module lines, CLI symlinks, and optional Valet configuration. GitHub metadata shows over a thousand stars, and Homebrew analytics reported thousands of installs over the prior year at lookup time.

### How it is used

Users install it with Homebrew and run commands such as `brew-php-switcher 8.3` or `brew-php-switcher 5.6`. Options allow skipping Apache or Valet changes, or targeting only a specific config area.

### Why package nerds care

The package is a classic Homebrew-era local development helper: small shell code wrapped as a formula, solving the impedance mismatch between language runtime versions and macOS web-server configuration. It is historically tied to the long tail of PHP projects that require multiple runtime versions on one laptop.

### Timeline

- 2014: Repository created and v1.0 released.
- 2019: v2.2 released during the PHP 7.x Homebrew era.
- 2021: v2.4 released with continued PHP version updates.
- 2024: v2.6 released.
- 2026: Homebrew stable version reported as 2.6.

### Related projects

- Homebrew PHP formulae are the runtime packages switched by the tool.
- Apache configuration is one of the script's central targets.
- Valet configuration is supported through skip and target options documented in the README.

### Sources

- <https://formulae.brew.sh/api/formula/brew-php-switcher.json>
- <https://github.com/philcook/brew-php-switcher>
- <https://raw.githubusercontent.com/philcook/brew-php-switcher/master/README.md>


## Security Notes

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals


## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/brew-php-switcher.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/brew-php-switcher.yml)


## Sources

- pkg.so package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph