Blink: A High-Performance PHP Framework

You've likely heard of Lumen, Silex, and Slim. Now, meet Blink, a new PHP framework designed for high-performance applications demanding significant server resources. This article explores Blink's capabilities and demonstrates its use through a sample "Notejam" application.

Blink leverages the Swoole PHP extension to achieve its performance goals. Let's dive into the details.

Key Features:

• Performance Optimization: Blink utilizes Swoole for enhanced performance, making it ideal for resource-intensive applications.
• Installation: Installation is via Composer. Note: The current Swoole version requires PHP 5 (not compatible with PHP 7).
• Flexibility: While lacking default templating and database management, Blink seamlessly integrates with popular choices like Twig and Eloquent.
• Notejam Application Example: This article guides you through building a Notejam app showcasing user authentication, session management, and CRUD operations for notes and pads.
• Resource Efficiency: The combined power of Blink and Swoole minimizes server load by keeping application resources active throughout the application's lifecycle.
• Community Driven: As a relatively new framework, Blink welcomes community contributions to documentation and feature development.

Swoole Extension Installation:

Blink's performance relies on the Swoole extension. This guide uses PEAR on Ubuntu 14.04 with a LAMP setup (using Vaprobash; see the project's Vagrantfile for details). (Note: Swoole's current incompatibility with PHP 7 is a factor in this setup choice.)

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install php-pear php5-dev libcurl3-openssl-dev
sudo pecl install swoole

After installation, remember to add extension=swoole.so to your php.ini file. Verify the extension's loading with:

php -m | grep 'swoole'

(Current Swoole version: 1.7.22-alpha, incompatible with PHP 7; future versions aim to address this.)

Installing Blink:

Use Composer:

composer create-project --prefer-dist blink/seed

Start the server:

php blink server serve

Access the application at http://localhost:7788 (or adjust the port as described below).

Configuration:

While Blink doesn't offer command-line port specification, you can modify the port in src/config/server.php:

<?php return [
    'class' => '\blink\server\SwServer',
    'bootstrap' => require __DIR__ . '/../bootstrap.php',
    'host' => '0.0.0.0',
    'port' => 8080,
];

Remember to restart the server after making changes. The config directory also houses application and service configurations.

Building the Notejam App:

The Notejam app (available on Github) includes:

• Sign-in (with password reset)
• Sign-up
• Account settings (password change)
• Note and pad management

Integrating Twig (Templating Engine):

Blink doesn't include a default templating engine; we'll use Twig. Modify src/bootstrap.php and add src/bindings.php:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install php-pear php5-dev libcurl3-openssl-dev
sudo pecl install swoole

php -m | grep 'swoole'

Integrating Eloquent (Database Management):

For database interaction (users, notes, pads), we'll use Eloquent. Install via Composer:

composer create-project --prefer-dist blink/seed

Then, configure Eloquent in src/bindings.php:

php blink server serve

(Database migrations are handled via src/console/MigrateCommand.php and src/config/app.php.)

Routing, Controllers, and Views:

Routes are defined in src/http/routes.php. Controllers reside in src/http/controllers. Views use Twig templates. The article provides detailed examples of these components for the Notejam app's functionality (sign-up, sign-in, settings, note management). Middleware is used for authentication and authorization.

Sessions and Cookies:

Blink doesn't automatically handle PHP sessions; manual management (using the request object) is necessary.

Conclusion:

Blink, while still in early development, offers a compelling high-performance alternative. The community is encouraged to contribute to its growth and improvement.

The provided FAQs are already comprehensive and well-structured. No further modifications are needed.

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