Workerman — High-Performance Async PHP Socket Framework

Introduction

Workerman enables PHP developers to build long-running network services using pure PHP, no C extensions required. It supports millions of concurrent connections and is commonly used for real-time chat, push notifications, and IoT gateways.

What Workerman Does

• Runs persistent PHP processes for high-performance network services
• Supports TCP, UDP, HTTP, and WebSocket protocols natively
• Handles high concurrency through event-driven non-blocking I/O
• Provides timer, signal handling, and process management APIs
• Works as a foundation for real-time applications and microservices

Architecture Overview

Workerman uses a multi-process model with a master process that forks worker processes. Each worker runs an event loop (using libevent, event, or a built-in select fallback) that handles socket I/O without blocking. Connections are distributed across workers by the OS kernel, and each worker can handle thousands of simultaneous connections.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Install via Composer with composer require workerman/workerman
• Start workers with php start.php start (use -d for daemon mode)
• Configure worker count with $worker->count = 4
• Set transport to SSL/TLS for encrypted connections
• Monitor processes with php start.php status

Key Features

• Zero C extension dependencies for basic usage
• Multi-process architecture with graceful reload
• Built-in HTTP and WebSocket server implementations
• Custom protocol support via simple interfaces
• Compatible with standard PHP libraries and Composer packages

Comparison with Similar Tools

• Swoole — C extension with coroutines; Workerman is pure PHP with event-driven callbacks
• ReactPHP — similar event-loop model; Workerman adds multi-process management built in
• Node.js — JavaScript event-driven runtime; Workerman offers the same model for PHP teams
• RoadRunner — Go-based process manager; Workerman stays fully within the PHP ecosystem
• Amphp — async PHP library; Workerman focuses on network server use cases specifically

FAQ

Q: Does Workerman require the Swoole extension? A: No. Workerman is pure PHP. It optionally uses the event or libevent extensions for better performance.

Q: Can Workerman run alongside PHP-FPM? A: Yes. Workerman runs as a separate process and can coexist with PHP-FPM on the same server.

Q: How many connections can Workerman handle? A: Workerman has been benchmarked handling over one million concurrent connections on a single server with appropriate OS tuning.

Q: Is Workerman suitable for production use? A: Yes. It is widely used in production for chat systems, game servers, and IoT platforms, particularly in the Chinese PHP ecosystem.

Sources

• https://github.com/walkor/workerman
• https://www.workerman.net/doc/workerman