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Windows Installation Guide for php-firebird

This guide explains how to install the php-firebird extension on Windows.

1. Download the Extension

Go to the Releases page and download the DLL that matches your environment.

The DLL filenames follow this convention: php_firebird-{version}-php{php_version}-{ts|nts}-{arch}-fb{fb_version}.dll

You need to match 4 criteria:

  1. PHP Version: 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, or 8.4
  2. Thread Safety:
    • ts (Thread Safe) - usually for Apache
    • nts (Non Thread Safe) - usually for IIS or FastCGI
    • Check php -i | findstr "Thread Safety" to be sure.
  3. Architecture:
    • x64 (64-bit) - standard for modern systems
    • x86 (32-bit) - legacy
    • Check php -i | findstr "Architecture" to be sure.
  4. Firebird Client Version:
    • fb3.0 - for Firebird 3.0 client
    • fb4.0 - for Firebird 4.0 client
    • fb5.0 - for Firebird 5.0 client

Example: If you have PHP 8.3 (Thread Safe) x64 and want to use Firebird 5.0 client, download: php_firebird-1.0.0-php8.3-ts-x64-fb5.0.dll

2. Install the Extension

  1. Rename the file: Rename the downloaded file to php_firebird.dll.
  2. Move to extensions directory: Copy php_firebird.dll to your PHP ext directory (e.g., C:\php\ext).
  3. Edit php.ini: Add the following line to your php.ini file: 
    extension=php_firebird

3. Install Firebird Client Library

The extension requires the Firebird client library (fbclient.dll) to be available in your system PATH or in the same directory as php.exe.

  1. Download the Firebird Windows ZIP kit (not the installer) matching your Firebird version (3.0, 4.0, or 5.0) and architecture (x64 or x86) from the Firebird website.
  2. Extract fbclient.dll from the ZIP file.
  3. Copy fbclient.dll to your PHP root directory (where php.exe is located).

Note: If you already have the Firebird Server installed on the same machine, the client library might already be in your PATH. However, copying it to the PHP directory ensures the correct version is used.

4. Verify Installation

Open a command prompt and run:

php -m

You should see firebird in the list of modules.

To check detailed information:

php -ri firebird

Troubleshooting

"Unable to load dynamic library"

  • Architecture Mismatch: Ensure you didn't mix x64 PHP with x86 DLL (or vice versa).
  • Thread Safety Mismatch: Ensure you didn't mix TS PHP with NTS DLL.
  • Missing fbclient.dll: Ensure fbclient.dll is in the PHP directory or PATH.
  • Visual C++ Redistributable: Ensure you have the Visual C++ Redistributable installed.

"The specified module could not be found"

This usually means fbclient.dll is missing or incompatible.

"%1 is not a valid Win32 application"

This means you are trying to load a 64-bit DLL into a 32-bit PHP (or vice versa).