KumbiaPHP: a simple and powerful PHP framework.

The development of applications for the web requires tools designed to shorten the coding times in like manner could not meet the deadlines. Especially when it comes to complex applications or educational projects where the premise is quality. With this in mind, I’ll talk to you today about KumbiaPHP.

KumbiaPHP is a simple and light PHP framework under the BSD license, that is, we can use it for our personal projects. The framework is used by many Spanish speaking people because it’s a Latin product. It has a documentation in English, in addition to current communication channels such as mailing lists and IRC.

Why KumbiaPHP? Here the reasons

Under the premise of shortening development times, KumbiaPHP is a framework with the characteristic of being “Zero Config”. In other words, after you unzip it, you can start working. It’s that simple.

Clearer, more natural codes with fewer errors thanks to Helpers and other patterns to reduce the use of other languages.

Another very favorable aspect is that the learning curve is very short.

The framework has as its main premises to be easy to learn, simple to use, open source and everything without sacrificing quality and robustness. Supports 4 database handlers such as Mysql, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and Oracle, which ensures that you can develop without worrying about the compatibility of your database.

Install KumbiaPHP

To install the framework in our favorite GNU/LINUX distribution, you need, logically, a web server and a user who can execute commands as root.

In this tutorial, I will use Ubuntu 18.04, but you can also follow these steps for its derivatives, and Linux Mint 19.

1. Installing Apache web server

First of all, you need a web server. KumbiaPHP supports the most popular servers like Apache and Nginx. I will use Apache for this tutorial.

Open a terminal and run:

:~$ sudo apt install apache2

Next, enable apache to boot into the system.

:~$ sudo systemctl enable apache2
:~$ sudo systemctl start apache2

Important to realize that you have to go to the web browser and access localhost to verify that everything is in order.

http://localhost

If you manage to see that page in your browser, apache was installed correctly.

2. Now PHP’s turn

KumbiaPHP requires at least PHP 5.4, which means that almost any supported distribution is perfect to run. Let’s get to it.

:~$ sudo apt install php7.0 php7.0-mysql libapache2-mod-php7.0 php7.0-zip php7.0-curl php7.0-gd

Now, check that PHP is working properly. Make a text file in /var/www/html/called test.php and put the following in it:

:~$ sudo nano /var/www/html/test.php

<?php
phpinfo();
?>

Then, try to access it from your browser. With this, you will know if PHP is being correctly interpreted. Go to the web browser.

3. Install MariaDB

Finally, install MariaDB:

:~$ sudo apt install mariadb-server

Configure it, using mysql_secure_installation:

:~$ sudo mysql_secure_installation

There you will define the root key and it will ask you some questions. Answer Y, N, Y, Y.

4.- Installing KumbiaPHP

Go to the download section and choose the latest version available.

Then decompress it and rename it to KumbiaPHP.

:~$ tar -xzvf Downloads/KumbiaPHP-master.tar.gz
:~$ mv KumbiaPHP-master/ KumbiaPHP

Next, change the owner of the Apache folder and assign permissions to it.

:~$ sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /var/www/html/
:~$ sudo chmod 755 -R /var/www/html/

Now move it to the apache folder, /var/www/html

:~$ mv KumbiaPHP/ /var/www/html/

The KumbiaPHP Framework uses a module for rewriting URLs making them more understandable and easier to remember in our applications. For this reason, you need to enable mod_rewrite module.

In the first place, run:

:~$ sudo a2enmod rewrite

Now, you must edit the configuration file of the enabled virtual host, to finish enabling the rewrite.

:~$ nano /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/000-default.conf

And at the end, add the following:

<Directory "DocumentRoot">
Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
AllowOverride All
Order allow,deny
Allow from all
</Directory>

Replace “DocumentRoot” with the full path. In my case, /var/www/html/

And finally, restart Apache.

:~$ sudo systemctl restart apache2

Now, go to your web browser and log in with localhost/KumbiaPHP.If you see this screen, then you have installed it correctly.

Like I said, it’s a Latin framework, but it’s easy to learn. Have a look at its documentation in English

In conclusion we can say that web development tools are to reduce coding times. KumbiaPHP stands as a solid proposal for personal work and serious projects.

Tell us more about yourself in the comments…are you a developer? have you used KumbiaPHP?

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