lightningcss-php / lightningcss

dev-main 2026-10-25 09:53 UTC

Requires

• php: ~8.3.0 || ~8.4.0 || ~8.5.0

Requires (Dev)

• nikic/php-parser: ^5.0
• phpstan/phpstan: ^2.1
• squizlabs/php_codesniffer: ^3.13

Apache-2.0

• Fojle Rabbi (Rabib)

• css
• minify
• stylesheet
• postcss
• lightningcss

Published on Packagist.org on 2026-10-25 12:57 UTC

Extension name: ext-lightningcss

Supports Zend Thread Safety (ZTS): ✅

Supports non-Thread Safe mode (NTS): ✅

Supported operating systems: no restrictions

README

Lightning CSS in-process for PHP: transform, minify, bundle, and generate source maps without installing Node.js, npm, or PostCSS.

Backed by a statically linked build of the spec-grade Lightning CSS engine (Rust, MPL-2.0).

Current status

Skeleton (v0.1.0 pre-release): multi-ABI build, Rust shim crate, symbol-isolated linking, PIE package manifest, and the base extension surface (Lightningcss\Exception, lightningcss.max_input_bytes INI). The CSS processing surface (transform, minify, bundle, source maps) is being implemented next; every capability will be proposed before landing.

Requirements

• PHP 8.3, 8.4, or 8.5 (development headers required for source builds)
• Rust toolchain >= 1.75 (managed via rustup)
• C compiler with C99 support (GCC or Clang)
• Linux (x86_64, aarch64)

Installation

From source

# Multi-ABI build (builds all installed PHP versions):
tools/build.sh

# Or single-version build via phpize:
phpize8.3
./configure --enable-lightningcss
make -j"$(nproc)"
# The built extension is in modules/lightningcss.so

See docs/installation.md for full prerequisites, configure options, and troubleshooting.

PIE / Composer

composer.json declares type: php-ext for PIE (PHP Installer for Extensions) support:

pie install lightningcss-php/lightningcss

Base surface

• Lightningcss\Exception: the base exception type every extension failure extends.
• lightningcss.max_input_bytes: INI setting bounding input stylesheet size (default 16777216 = 16 MiB). Configurable in php.ini or via ini_set().

Full options and contracts will be documented in docs/usage.md.

Security

See docs/security.md for the threat model, untrusted-input handling, and vulnerability reporting.

Licence

The extension code is licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the LICENSE file).

The vendored Lightning CSS engine is licensed under the Mozilla Public License, Version 2.0. Statically linked release artifacts record the exact upstream pin; see NOTICE for details.