blog: update FrankenPHP instructions

Author: stasadev

public/img/blog/2025/07/frankenphp-latency-distribution-health-check.png

@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 ---
 title: "Using FrankenPHP with DDEV"
 pubDate: 2025-07-03
-modifiedDate: 2025-11-27
-modifiedComment: The FrankenPHP add-on is now official.
+modifiedDate: 2025-12-30
+modifiedComment: Update FrankenPHP add-on instructions, remove deprecated content, update benchmark results.
 summary: Learn how to use FrankenPHP with DDEV through the official add-on or Debian packages. Includes installation steps, features, and performance benchmarks.
 author: Stas Zhuk
 featureImage:
@@ -20,16 +20,13 @@ The PHP ecosystem is changing fast, with tools like [FrankenPHP](https://franken
 
 FrankenPHP is now [officially supported](https://thephp.foundation/blog/2025/05/15/frankenphp/) by The PHP Foundation.
 
-This guide explains two ways to integrate FrankenPHP with DDEV:
-
-1. **Official DDEV add-on** (recommended): Run FrankenPHP as a separate service with full PHP extension support and flexibility
-2. **Debian packages**: Install FrankenPHP directly in the web container (PHP 8.4 only, limited features)
+This guide explains how FrankenPHP can be used with DDEV using [ddev/ddev-frankenphp](https://github.com/ddev/ddev-frankenphp) add-on.
 
 ### Generic web server
 
 This blog shows examples of the recently added [DDEV's generic web server](https://docs.ddev.com/en/stable/users/extend/customization-extendibility/#using-nodejs-as-ddevs-primary-web-server), which supports flexible configurations. It allows you to use any custom web server you want, including Node.js, Python, Ruby, etc.
 
-## DDEV FrankenPHP Add-on (Recommended)
+## DDEV FrankenPHP Add-on
 
 The [ddev/ddev-frankenphp](https://github.com/ddev/ddev-frankenphp) add-on is now officially maintained by the DDEV team! It has matured to production-ready status with full feature support.
 
@@ -40,11 +37,12 @@ ddev add-on get ddev/ddev-frankenphp
 ddev restart
 ```
 
-To add PHP extensions (see supported extensions [here](https://github.com/mlocati/docker-php-extension-installer?tab=readme-ov-file#supported-php-extensions)):
+Install pre-packaged extensions using the `php-zts-` prefix (see [supported extensions](https://pkg.henderkes.com/84/php-zts/packages?type=debian)):
 
 ```bash
-ddev dotenv set .ddev/.env.web --frankenphp-custom-extensions="redis memcached"
-ddev stop && ddev debug rebuild && ddev start
+# install mongodb and sqlsrv extensions
+ddev config --webimage-extra-packages="php-zts-mongodb,php-zts-sqlsrv"
+ddev restart
 ```
 
 ### ✨ Features:
@@ -53,83 +51,25 @@ ddev stop && ddev debug rebuild && ddev start
 - Install any PHP extension (Redis, Xdebug, Memcached, etc.)
 - Custom FrankenPHP options supported
 - Worker mode supported for maximum performance
-- Full debugging support: [`ddev xdebug`](https://docs.ddev.com/en/stable/users/usage/commands/#xdebug), [`ddev xhprof`](https://docs.ddev.com/en/stable/users/usage/commands/#xhprof), [`ddev xhgui`](https://docs.ddev.com/en/stable/users/usage/commands/#xhgui)
-
-Note: Initial `ddev start` takes longer due to manual extension compilation.
+- Full debugging support: [`ddev blackfire`](https://docs.ddev.com/en/stable/users/usage/commands/#blackfire), [`ddev xdebug`](https://docs.ddev.com/en/stable/users/usage/commands/#xdebug), [`ddev xhprof`](https://docs.ddev.com/en/stable/users/usage/commands/#xhprof), [`ddev xhgui`](https://docs.ddev.com/en/stable/users/usage/commands/#xhgui)
 
 If you want to suggest some feature or found a bug, feel free to [open an issue](https://github.com/ddev/ddev-frankenphp/issues).
 
-## Alternative: FrankenPHP via Debian Packages
-
-FrankenPHP can also be installed directly in the web container using Debian packages. This example from the [DDEV quickstart](https://docs.ddev.com/en/stable/users/quickstart/#generic-frankenphp) shows a setup for a Drupal 11 project where FrankenPHP runs as an extra daemon.
-
-### ⚙️ Installation:
-
-```bash
-export FRANKENPHP_SITENAME=my-frankenphp-site
-mkdir ${FRANKENPHP_SITENAME} && cd ${FRANKENPHP_SITENAME}
-ddev config --project-type=drupal11 --webserver-type=generic --docroot=web --php-version=8.4
-ddev start
-
-cat <<'EOF' > .ddev/config.frankenphp.yaml
-web_extra_daemons:
-  - name: "frankenphp"
-    command: "frankenphp php-server --listen=0.0.0.0:80 --root=\"/var/www/html/${DDEV_DOCROOT:-}\" -v -a"
-    directory: /var/www/html
-web_extra_exposed_ports:
-  - name: "frankenphp"
-    container_port: 80
-    http_port: 80
-    https_port: 443
-EOF
-
-cat <<'DOCKERFILEEND' >.ddev/web-build/Dockerfile.frankenphp
-RUN curl -fsSL https://key.henderkes.com/static-php.gpg -o /usr/share/keyrings/static-php.gpg && \
-    echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/static-php.gpg] https://deb.henderkes.com/ stable main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/static-php.list
-# Install FrankenPHP and extensions, see https://frankenphp.dev/docs/#deb-packages for details.
-# You can find the list of available extensions at https://deb.henderkes.com/pool/main/p/
-RUN (apt-get update || true) && DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get install -y -o Dpkg::Options::="--force-confnew" --no-install-recommends --no-install-suggests \
-    frankenphp \
-    php-zts-cli \
-    php-zts-gd \
-    php-zts-pdo-mysql
-# Make sure that 'php' command uses the ZTS version of PHP
-# and that the php.ini in use by FrankenPHP is the one from DDEV.
-RUN ln -sf /usr/bin/php-zts /usr/local/bin/php && \
-    ln -sf /etc/php/${DDEV_PHP_VERSION}/fpm/php.ini /etc/php-zts/php.ini
-DOCKERFILEEND
-
-ddev composer create-project drupal/recommended-project
-ddev composer require drush/drush
-ddev restart
-ddev drush site:install demo_umami --account-name=admin --account-pass=admin -y
-ddev launch
-# or automatically log in with
-ddev launch $(ddev drush uli)
-```
-
-### ⚠️ Limitations:
-
-- PHP 8.4 only (no version flexibility)
-- Cannot customize FrankenPHP options
-- Worker mode not supported
-- No debugging support (`ddev xdebug`, `ddev xhprof`, `ddev xhgui` do not work)
-
 ## Resources
 
 - [FrankenPHP documentation](https://frankenphp.dev/docs/)
 - [DDEV's generic web server](https://docs.ddev.com/en/stable/users/extend/customization-extendibility/#using-nodejs-as-ddevs-primary-web-server)
 - [FrankenPHP add-on](https://github.com/ddev/ddev-frankenphp)
-- [FrankenPHP quickstart](https://docs.ddev.com/en/stable/users/quickstart/#generic-frankenphp)
+- [FrankenPHP Static PHP Package Repository](https://debs.henderkes.com/)
 - [Hola FrankenPHP! Laravel Octane Servers Comparison: Pushing the Boundaries of Performance](https://medium.com/beyn-technology/hola-frankenphp-laravel-octane-servers-comparison-pushing-the-boundaries-of-performance-d3e7ad8e652c)
 
 ## Benchmarking
 
 Using [ddev-frankenphp-benchmark](https://github.com/stasadev/ddev-frankenphp-benchmark), I compared three setups:
 
 - `nginx-fpm`: DDEV's `nginx-fpm` web server with `php-fpm`
-- `generic-web`: DDEV's `generic` web server with FrankenPHP inside the `web` container (static binary)
-- `generic-addon`: DDEV's `generic` web server with FrankenPHP inside the `frankenphp` container (with `pdo_mysql` extension)
+- `apache-fpm`: DDEV's `apache-fpm`  web server with `php-fpm`
+- `frankenphp-addon`: DDEV's `generic` web server with `frankenphp`
 
 Summary:
 
@@ -142,14 +82,14 @@ Summary:
 ### Benchmarking Results
 
 <b>Software:</b><br>
-DDEV: v1.24.6<br>
+DDEV: v1.24.10<br>
 Mutagen: disabled<br>
 PHP: v8.4<br>
-Laravel: v12.19.3<br>
-FrankenPHP: v1.7.0<br>
-Docker Engine: v28.3.0<br>
+Laravel: v12.44.0<br>
+FrankenPHP: v1.11.1<br>
+Docker Engine: v29.1.3<br>
 Operating System: Manjaro Linux AMD64<br>
-Kernel Version: 6.12.35-1-MANJARO
+Kernel Version: 6.12.63-1-MANJARO
 
 <b>Hardware:</b><br>
 Intel i7 8750H (6 Core/12 Thread, 2.2 Ghz, Turbo 4.1 Ghz)<br>