Running PHP 5.6 with Apache on El Capitan

I wanted a local PHP setup closer to the production servers I worked with, without waiting on MAMP. El Capitan already shipped with Apache, so I used that with Homebrew’s PHP 5.6 and MySQL.

The easy-to-miss step is pointing Apache at Homebrew’s PHP module instead of Apple’s bundled copy.

Why not the built-in PHP?

Apple’s bundled PHP is outdated and locked to specific modules. Homebrew gives you:

• Control over PHP version and extensions
• Easy upgrades without waiting for macOS updates
• Access to the full PECL extension ecosystem
• Configuration that matches production Linux servers

Prerequisites

You need Homebrew. Install from brew.sh:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Installing MySQL and PHP 5.6

Install MySQL, PHP 5.6, and mcrypt (which many PHP frameworks require):

brew install mysql
brew install php56
brew install php56-mcrypt

Homebrew installs PHP to /usr/local/opt/php56 and puts the Apache module at /usr/local/opt/php56/libexec/apache2/libphp5.so.

Configuring Apache for Homebrew’s PHP

macOS’s Apache config lives in /private/etc/apache2/httpd.conf:

sudo nano /private/etc/apache2/httpd.conf

Uncomment the rewrite_module line:

-#LoadModule rewrite_module libexec/apache2/mod_rewrite.so
+LoadModule rewrite_module libexec/apache2/mod_rewrite.so

This enables URL rewriting (most PHP frameworks need it for clean URLs).

Replace the built-in php5_module line with the Homebrew version:

-#LoadModule php5_module libexec/apache2/libphp5.so
+LoadModule php5_module /usr/local/opt/php56/libexec/apache2/libphp5.so

Finding your php.ini

Homebrew’s PHP config is at /usr/local/etc/php/5.6/php.ini. Adjust upload_max_filesize, memory_limit, or timezone there.

To find the active php.ini path:

php --ini

Starting MySQL and Apache

Start MySQL:

mysql.server start

Auto-start on boot:

brew services start mysql

Start Apache (requires sudo for port 80):

sudo apachectl start

Restart after config changes:

sudo apachectl restart

Open http://localhost in your browser. You should see the “It works.” page.

VirtualHosts for local domains

VirtualHosts map custom domain names (like example.local) to specific directories. Cleaner than localhost/subfolder/ URLs.

Uncomment the VirtualHost include in /private/etc/apache2/httpd.conf:

 # Virtual hosts
-#Include /private/etc/apache2/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf
+Include /private/etc/apache2/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf

Edit the VirtualHost config:

sudo nano /private/etc/apache2/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf

Add your site:

<VirtualHost example.local:80>
    DocumentRoot "/Users/example/projects/cors"
    ServerName example.local
    ErrorLog "/private/var/log/apache2/example.local-error_log"
    CustomLog "/private/var/log/apache2/example.local-access_log" common
</VirtualHost>

<Directory /Users/example/projects/>
  Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
  AllowOverride All
  Require all granted
</Directory>

• DocumentRoot points to your project’s web root (for CakePHP, this might be webroot or public)
• ServerName matches the domain you want locally
• AllowOverride All lets .htaccess files work (needed for most PHP frameworks)
• Require all granted allows access to the directory

Adding the domain to your hosts file

Apache won’t respond to example.local unless your system resolves it locally:

sudo nano /etc/hosts

Add:

127.0.0.1  example.local

Restart Apache:

sudo apachectl restart

Visiting http://example.local should load your project.

Testing PHP

Create a test file in your DocumentRoot:

echo "<?php phpinfo();" > /Users/example/projects/cors/info.php

Visit http://example.local/info.php. You should see PHP’s configuration page showing version 5.6. Delete info.php after the check; it exposes configuration and environment details.

Common issues

“403 Forbidden”: Check the <Directory> permissions. Make sure Require all granted is set and the path matches your project directory.

PHP not executing: Verify LoadModule php5_module points to the Homebrew path, not the system path.

Changes not taking effect: Restart Apache after every config change: sudo apachectl restart

Why PHP 5.6 in 2016

Historical setup This guide targets macOS El Capitan in 2016. On a current macOS release, use brew install php rather than the retired php56 formula.

PHP 7 shipped in late 2015, but many frameworks and plugins weren’t compatible yet. PHP 5.6 was the safe choice for production work in mid-2016.

These days, I don’t run PHP locally at all. For this blog, a static site generator removed the database and server setup entirely.