PHP不一定要以http方式调用。PHP与其它应用的接口叫做SAPI,选用不同的SAPI决定了调用PHP的方式。例如Apache的mod_php就是一个SAPI的实现,用于Apache与PHP交互,同样,CGI和FastCGI(如fpm)的SAPI实现也是用于以HTTP方式调用PHP解释器。
除此之外,还有很多SAPI,如CLI的SAPI可以支持命令行方式运行PHP脚本,运用php的pcntl_fork函数可以用与C类似的方式(两次fork)创建deamon进程,这样PHP脚本就可以当做服务使用了。
至于服务与其它进程的交互,php支持socket。
我写过一个小的Demo,展示了如何用PHP写Server,你可以看一下:
<?php
//Accpet the http client request and generate response content.
//As a demo, this function just send "PHP HTTP Server" to client.
function handle_http_request($address, $port)
{
$max_backlog = 16;
$res_content = "HTTP/1.1 200 OK\nContent-Length: 15\nContent-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8\n\nPHP HTTP Server
";
$res_len = strlen($res_content);
//Create, bind and listen to socket: 127.0.0.1:8888
if(($socket = socket_create(AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, SOL_TCP)) === FALSE)
{
echo "Create socket failed!\n";
exit;
}
if((socket_bind($socket, $address, $port)) === FALSE)
{
echo "Bind socket failed!\n";
exit;
}
if((socket_listen($socket, $max_backlog)) === FALSE)
{
echo "Listen to socket failed!\n";
exit;
}
//Loop
while(TRUE)
{
if(($accept_socket = socket_accept($socket)) === FALSE)
{
continue;
}
else
{
socket_write($accept_socket, $res_content, $res_len);
socket_close($accept_socket);
}
}
}
//Run as deamon process.
function run()
{
if(($pid1 = pcntl_fork()) === 0)
//First child process
{
posix_setsid(); //Set first child process as the session leader.
if(($pid2 = pcntl_fork()) === 0)
//Second child process, which run as deamon.
{
handle_http_request('www.codinglabs.org', 9999); //Replaced by your own domain or address.
}
else
{
//Second child process exit;
exit;
}
}
else
{
//First child process exit;
pcntl_wait($status);
}
}
//Entry point.
run();
?>