Introduction
PHP 8 is the latest version of one of the most influential languages in the world of server-side scripting. Given its versatility and effectiveness, PHP is utilized extensively in the development of dynamic web pages. In some instances, however, you might find the previous versions of PHP more practical due to compatibility issues. In such cases, uninstalling PHP 8 on your Mac becomes necessary. This article will guide you in accomplishing exactly that, ensuring you can revert back to the PHP version that meets your needs the most efficiently.
Why Uninstall PHP 8 on Mac?
When PHP 8 hit the stage, it brought with it an array of compelling features – from the Just-In-Time compiler to named arguments, to attributes, and more. Still, this new major release doesn’t come without its challenges, particularly concerning compatibility. Developers might have an existing codebase that doesn’t yet support these features, or third-party libraries and plugins might not be ready for PHP 8.
Uninstalling PHP 8 from Mac
Uninstalling PHP on a Mac isn’t as simple as clicking the ‘uninstall’ button. It requires a little more effort. Don’t fret, though! Here are the steps:
# Step 1: List Installed PHP Versions brew list | grep php # Step 2: Uninstall PHP 8 brew unlink php@8.0 brew uninstall --ignore-dependencies php@8.0
The first command lists all the installed versions of PHP you have on your system. The second set of commands are used to unlink and uninstall PHP 8 specifically.
Detailed Explanation of The Code
Firstly, the command `brew list | grep php` is used to list all installed versions of PHP on your system. In this command, `brew list` returns a list of all packages installed via Homebrew and `grep php` filters out packages containing ‘php’ in their names.
Next, the `brew unlink php@8.0` command is utilized to ‘unlink’ PHP 8.0 – which essentially removes the symbolic links that were created for it during installation.
Lastly, the `brew uninstall –ignore-dependencies php@8.0` command removes PHP 8 from your Mac entirely. The `–ignore-dependencies` flag ensures that even if there are other packages relying on PHP 8 being installed, the uninstallation process will continue – so be careful.
Restoring the Previous Version of PHP
Assuming you want to revert back to PHP 7.4, you will need to link it back into your PATH. Here’s the command to help you achieve that:
brew link --overwrite --force php@7.4
To confirm that the reversion was successful, use the command `php -v` to check the current active version.
Important Note
It’s crucial to back up your data before you perform any operation related to uninstallation of software. This can help prevent any unwanted situations where you might lose all your precious work.
Now that you’ve successfully managed to uninstall PHP 8 from your Mac, you can continue working seamlessly with your previous PHP version. Happy coding!
