Explicitly list the PHP packages needed under System Requirements

[yorkshire-pudding]

In a forum post a user reported that needed more PHP packages installed.

I think perhaps most hosts have these by default, but should we explicitly list them in:
https://docs.backdropcms.org/documentation/system-requirements

[schoenid]

I think perhaps most hosts have these by default

Right.
But for test installations, if PHP is installed manually on a local system, it's not.

[schoenid]

However, looking to the original post with the following extensions:

php-mdb2
php-pear
php-xml
php-mbstring
php-gd
php-mdb2-driver-mysql
php-mysql
php8.2-mysql

There are some extensions, I cant find in my actual PHP (8.4.10).
This leads me to the idea, that it depends from the PHP version, one is using.

In my installation:

• xml: is built in (does not need to be activated)
• mbstring: has to be activated in php.ini
• gd: has to be activated in php.ini

There are additional extensions, which have to be activated in php.ini:

• mysqli
• openssl (like the documentation says)

The following extensions do not exist:

• mdb2
• mdb2-driver-mysql
• mysql
• pear

[schoenid]

Finally I've got the php.ini extension list, I've made to host backdrop locally on my windows machine.

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
; Dynamic Extensions ;
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

; If you wish to have an extension loaded automatically, use the following
; syntax:
;
;   extension=modulename
;
; For example:
;
;   extension=mysqli
;
; When the extension library to load is not located in the default extension
; directory, You may specify an absolute path to the library file:
;
;   extension=/path/to/extension/mysqli.so
;
; Note : The syntax used in previous PHP versions ('extension=<ext>.so' and
; 'extension='php_<ext>.dll') is supported for legacy reasons and may be
; deprecated in a future PHP major version. So, when it is possible, please
; move to the new ('extension=<ext>) syntax.
;
; Notes for Windows environments :
;
; - Many DLL files are located in the ext/
;   extension folders as well as the separate PECL DLL download.
;   Be sure to appropriately set the extension_dir directive.
;
    ;extension=bz2
extension=curl
    ;extension=ffi
    ;extension=ftp
extension=fileinfo
extension=gd
extension=gettext
    ;extension=gmp
extension=intl
    ;extension=ldap
extension=mbstring
    ;extension=exif      ; Must be after mbstring as it depends on it
extension=mysqli
    ;extension=odbc
extension=openssl
    ;extension=pdo_firebird
extension=pdo_mysql
    ;extension=pdo_odbc
    ;extension=pdo_pgsql
    ;extension=pdo_sqlite
    ;extension=pgsql
    ;extension=shmop

; The MIBS data available in the PHP distribution must be installed.
; See https://www.php.net/manual/en/snmp.installation.php
    ;extension=snmp

    ;extension=soap
extension=sockets
    ;extension=sodium
    ;extension=sqlite3
    ;extension=tidy
    ;extension=xsl
    ;extension=zip

    ;zend_extension=opcache

(edited for better readability ...)

It runs very fine with full features, except some minor issues, because the original site has been built on a linux server and contains some characters in path descriptions, which are not allowed on windows.

Oh btw, I'm using the nginx server and MariaDB.

[yorkshire-pudding]

Should be a page under Advanced Installation with a link to this page from the basic install.
@quicksketch to confirm the list.

[schoenid]

Just to complete my installation settings for local hosting:
(replace example.com with your domain):

Web-Server

https access in nginx.conf:

    # HTTPS server
    #
    server {
        listen       127.0.0.1:443 ssl;
        server_name  example.com;
        root   <your-path>\www\backdrop-folder;
        index  index.php;

        ssl_certificate      <your-path>\cert.pem;
        ssl_certificate_key  <your-path>\key.pem;

        # ssl_session_cache    shared:SSL:1m;
        # ssl_session_timeout  5m;

        ssl_ciphers  HIGH:!aNULL:!MD5;
        #ssl_prefer_server_ciphers  on;

        location / {
            try_files $uri /index.php$is_args$args;
        }

        location ~ \.php {
            try_files $uri =404;
            fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+\.php)(/.+)$;
            include fastcgi_params;
            fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
            fastcgi_param SCRIPT_NAME $fastcgi_script_name;
            fastcgi_index index.php;
            fastcgi_pass 127.0.0.1:9123;
        }
    }

Starting CGI-Server (part of your PHP installation) from command line (Windows):
start php-cgi -b 127.0.0.1:9123 /MIN /B

Starting Web-Server from command line (Windows):

cd <your-path>\nginx
nginx.exe

The command window does not close and should be left open in the background, as long as nginx is running.

Stopping Web-Server from command line (Windows):
Open a new command line:

cd <your-path>\nginx
nginx -s stop

To stop the CGI-Server just close its windows (if open) or terminate its task in Task-Manager.

Backdrop settings.php as usual:

$settings['trusted_host_patterns'] = array(
  '^www\.example\.com$',
  '^example\.com$',
);

Windows hosts file:

Add to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

127.0.0.1 example.com # Test Sites
127.0.0.1 www.example.com # Test Sites

Site Certification:

A possibility for self hosted certs is https://github.com/FiloSottile/mkcert
You can download a windows binary from the realeases page.

To install the local root CA just use mkcert -install.

To create the cert files for your local backdrop installation, use:
mkcert -key-file key.pem -cert-file cert.pem example.com *.example.com

[schoenid]

In mean time I found that even the zip extension has to be activated in php.ini:
extension=zip
Otherwise updates will fail.