Install the PHP Imagick extension

Note

All PHP versions include the GD extension, PHP’s officially supported image processing extension. WordPress and most other applications can use either GD or Imagick for image processing.

The PHP Imagick extension allows PHP code to use the ImageMagick library for image processing.

The Imagick extension supports PHP 5.6 through PHP 8.4. The Imagick extension is not yet supported on PHP 8.5

Install the Imagick Extension

Installing the extension involves the following steps:

1. Install build dependencies (packages that are required to build the extension).
2. Build the extension’s library file.
3. Enable the extension in the PHP configuration.

Note

You must be logged into your server as root to install PHP extensions.

Install build dependencies

Set environment variables for the package manager.

export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive

Install a compiler and other packages that are required for building PHP extensions.

sudo apt-get -y install gcc g++ make autoconf libc-dev pkg-config

Install additional packages that are required to build the Imagick extension.

sudo apt-get -y install libmagickwand-dev

Build the extension

The PECL install command compiles the extension’s .so library file.

php8.4

yes '' | sudo pecl8.4-sp install imagick

php8.3

yes '' | sudo pecl8.3-sp install imagick

php8.2

yes '' | sudo pecl8.2-sp install imagick

php8.1

yes '' | sudo pecl8.1-sp install imagick

php8.0

yes '' | sudo pecl8.0-sp install imagick

php7.4

yes '' | sudo pecl7.4-sp install imagick

php7.3

yes '' | sudo pecl7.3-sp install imagick

php7.2

yes '' | sudo pecl7.2-sp install imagick

php7.1

yes '' | sudo pecl7.1-sp install imagick

php7.0

yes '' | sudo pecl7.0-sp install imagick

php5.6

yes '' | sudo pecl5.6-sp install imagick

Enable the extension

Configure PHP to load the extension.

php8.4

sudo bash -c "echo extension=imagick.so > /etc/php8.4-sp/conf.d/imagick.ini"

php8.3

sudo bash -c "echo extension=imagick.so > /etc/php8.3-sp/conf.d/imagick.ini"

php8.2

sudo bash -c "echo extension=imagick.so > /etc/php8.2-sp/conf.d/imagick.ini"

php8.1

sudo bash -c "echo extension=imagick.so > /etc/php8.1-sp/conf.d/imagick.ini"

php8.0

sudo bash -c "echo extension=imagick.so > /etc/php8.0-sp/conf.d/imagick.ini"

php7.4

sudo bash -c "echo extension=imagick.so > /etc/php7.4-sp/conf.d/imagick.ini"

php7.3

sudo bash -c "echo extension=imagick.so > /etc/php7.3-sp/conf.d/imagick.ini"

php7.2

sudo bash -c "echo extension=imagick.so > /etc/php7.2-sp/conf.d/imagick.ini"

php7.1

sudo bash -c "echo extension=imagick.so > /etc/php7.1-sp/conf.d/imagick.ini"

php7.0

sudo bash -c "echo extension=imagick.so > /etc/php7.0-sp/conf.d/imagick.ini"

php5.6

sudo bash -c "echo extension=imagick.so > /etc/php5.6-sp/conf.d/imagick.ini"

Restart PHP-FPM.

php8.4

sudo service php8.4-fpm-sp restart

php8.3

sudo service php8.3-fpm-sp restart

php8.2

sudo service php8.2-fpm-sp restart

php8.1

sudo service php8.1-fpm-sp restart

php8.0

sudo service php8.0-fpm-sp restart

php7.4

sudo service php7.4-fpm-sp restart

php7.3

sudo service php7.3-fpm-sp restart

php7.2

sudo service php7.2-fpm-sp restart

php7.1

sudo service php7.1-fpm-sp restart

php7.0

sudo service php7.0-fpm-sp restart

php5.6

sudo service php5.6-fpm-sp restart

Verify the extension is enabled in PHP.

php8.4

php8.4-sp -i | grep imagick

php8.3

php8.3-sp -i | grep imagick

php8.2

php8.2-sp -i | grep imagick

php8.1

php8.1-sp -i | grep imagick

php8.0

php8.0-sp -i | grep imagick

php7.4

php7.4-sp -i | grep imagick

php7.3

php7.3-sp -i | grep imagick

php7.2

php7.2-sp -i | grep imagick

php7.1

php7.1-sp -i | grep imagick

php7.0

php7.0-sp -i | grep imagick

php5.6

php5.6-sp -i | grep imagick

If the extension is enabled, you will see output like the following.

/etc/phpX.Y-sp/conf.d/imagick.ini,
imagick
imagick module => enabled
imagick module version => 3.4.3RC1
imagick classes => Imagick, ImagickDraw, ImagickPixel, ImagickPixelIterator
Imagick compiled with ImageMagick version => ImageMagick 6.6.9-7 2016-06-01 Q16 http://www.imagemagick.org
Imagick using ImageMagick library version => ImageMagick 6.6.9-7 2016-06-01 Q16 http://www.imagemagick.org
imagick.locale_fix => 0 => 0
imagick.progress_monitor => 0 => 0
imagick.skip_version_check => 0 => 0

Uninstall the Imagick extension

Uninstalling the extension involves the following steps:

1. Disable the extension in the PHP configuration.
2. Remove the extension’s library file.

Disable the extension

Remove the extension’s configuration from PHP.

php8.4

sudo rm /etc/php8.4-sp/conf.d/imagick.ini

php8.3

sudo rm /etc/php8.3-sp/conf.d/imagick.ini

php8.2

sudo rm /etc/php8.2-sp/conf.d/imagick.ini

php8.1

sudo rm /etc/php8.1-sp/conf.d/imagick.ini

php8.0

sudo rm /etc/php8.0-sp/conf.d/imagick.ini

php7.4

sudo rm /etc/php7.4-sp/conf.d/imagick.ini

php7.3

sudo rm /etc/php7.3-sp/conf.d/imagick.ini

php7.2

sudo rm /etc/php7.2-sp/conf.d/imagick.ini

php7.1

sudo rm /etc/php7.1-sp/conf.d/imagick.ini

php7.0

sudo rm /etc/php7.0-sp/conf.d/imagick.ini

php5.6

sudo rm /etc/php5.6-sp/conf.d/imagick.ini

Restart PHP-FPM.

php8.4

sudo service php8.4-fpm-sp restart

php8.3

sudo service php8.3-fpm-sp restart

php8.2

sudo service php8.2-fpm-sp restart

php8.1

sudo service php8.1-fpm-sp restart

php8.0

sudo service php8.0-fpm-sp restart

php7.4

sudo service php7.4-fpm-sp restart

php7.3

sudo service php7.3-fpm-sp restart

php7.2

sudo service php7.2-fpm-sp restart

php7.1

sudo service php7.1-fpm-sp restart

php7.0

sudo service php7.0-fpm-sp restart

php5.6

sudo service php5.6-fpm-sp restart

Remove the extension

The PECL uninstall command removes the extension’s .so library file.

php8.4

sudo pecl8.4-sp uninstall imagick

php8.3

sudo pecl8.3-sp uninstall imagick

php8.2

sudo pecl8.2-sp uninstall imagick

php8.1

sudo pecl8.1-sp uninstall imagick

php8.0

sudo pecl8.0-sp uninstall imagick

php7.4

sudo pecl7.4-sp uninstall imagick

php7.3

sudo pecl7.3-sp uninstall imagick

php7.2

sudo pecl7.2-sp uninstall imagick

php7.1

sudo pecl7.1-sp uninstall imagick

php7.0

sudo pecl7.0-sp uninstall imagick

php5.6

sudo pecl5.6-sp uninstall imagick

Using Imagick with PDF files

Caution

ImageMagick was not designed to securely handle untrusted PDF files. Enabling PDF file handling as shown below is dangerous if any malicious PDF files are ever processed.

Attempting to work around ImageMagick’s PDF security issues by using Ghostscript directly is also dangerous because Ghostscript is also vulnerable to exploitation when processing malicious PDF files.

To allow ImageMagick to process PDF files, SSH into your server as root and edit the file:

/etc/ImageMagick-6/policy.xml

Locate the following line in the file:

/etc/ImageMagick-6/policy.xml

<policy domain="coder" rights="none" pattern="PDF" />;

Comment out this line by replacing it with the following:

/etc/ImageMagick-6/policy.xml

<!--<policy domain="coder" rights="none" pattern="PDF" />-->;

Finally, restart PHP.

php8.4

sudo service php8.4-fpm-sp restart

php8.3

sudo service php8.3-fpm-sp restart

php8.2

sudo service php8.2-fpm-sp restart

php8.1

sudo service php8.1-fpm-sp restart

php8.0

sudo service php8.0-fpm-sp restart

php7.4

sudo service php7.4-fpm-sp restart

php7.3

sudo service php7.3-fpm-sp restart

php7.2

sudo service php7.2-fpm-sp restart

php7.1

sudo service php7.1-fpm-sp restart

php7.0

sudo service php7.0-fpm-sp restart

php5.6

sudo service php5.6-fpm-sp restart