Title: Run PHP frameworks in Playground
Published: July 15, 2026
Last modified: July 16, 2026

---

# Run PHP frameworks in Playground

## In this article

 * [What changes when you skip WordPress](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/guides/php-frameworks/?output_format=md#what-changes-when-you-skip-wordpress)
 * [Try a Symfony app](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/guides/php-frameworks/?output_format=md#try-a-symfony-app)
 * [Package the app as a ZIP](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/guides/php-frameworks/?output_format=md#package-the-app-as-a-zip)
 * [Keep the demo browser-friendly](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/guides/php-frameworks/?output_format=md#keep-the-demo-browser-friendly)

[ Back to top](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/guides/php-frameworks/?output_format=md#wp--skip-link--target)

WordPress Playground is also a browser-based PHP runtime. WordPress is the
 most
common app it boots, but a Blueprint can skip the WordPress download, write any 
PHP files into the virtual filesystem, and run a framework such as Symfony.

This guide shows the shape of that setup. Use it when you want a shareable demo,

a docs example, or a quick compatibility check for a PHP app that does not need 
a server, database, Node.js, Sass, or a local Composer install.

## 󠀁[What changes when you skip WordPress](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/guides/php-frameworks/?output_format=md#what-changes-when-you-skip-wordpress)󠁿

Set `preferredVersions.wp` to `false` in a Blueprint, or `wp="none"` on a
 `<php-
snippet>`. Playground still downloads PHP, mounts a writable filesystem, runs Blueprint
steps, and supports networking when `features.networking` is `true`. It just does
not download or boot WordPress.

That makes Playground useful for generic PHP examples:

 * PHP libraries that need a real filesystem.
 * Framework demos that can run behind `public/index.php`.
 * Documentation snippets that should execute in the browser.
 * Reproducible bug reports for PHP code that is not WordPress-specific.

## 󠀁[Try a Symfony app](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/guides/php-frameworks/?output_format=md#try-a-symfony-app)󠁿

The example below uses a Blueprint to download and unzip a bundled Symfony app
 
into `/app`. Then a `<php-snippet>` boots the Symfony kernel and renders the dashboard
route. The app’s Composer dependencies include the WordPress HTML API, so the snippet
can read the `<h1>` with `WP_HTML_Processor` without installing or booting WordPress.

Here is the complete embed:

    ```html
    <script type="module" src="https://playground.wordpress.net/php-code-snippet.js"></script>

    <script id="symfony-blueprint" type="application/json">
    {
      "features": {
        "networking": true
      },
      "steps": [
        {
          "step": "unzip",
          "zipFile": {
            "resource": "url",
            "url": "https://wordpress.github.io/blueprints/blueprints/symfony-package-radar/symfony-package-radar.zip?v=wp-php-toolkit-html-2026-06-09"
          },
          "extractToPath": "/app"
        }
      ]
    }
    </script>

    <php-snippet name="run-symfony.php" wp="none" blueprint="symfony-blueprint">
      <script type="application/x-php">
    <?php
    require '/app/symfony-package-radar/vendor/autoload.php';

    use App\Kernel;
    use Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Request;

    $kernel = new Kernel( 'prod', false );
    $request = Request::create( '/' );
    $response = $kernel->handle( $request );

    $page_title = get_first_h1_text( $response->getContent() );

    echo 'HTTP ' . $response->getStatusCode() . PHP_EOL;
    echo 'Symfony page: ' . $page_title . PHP_EOL;
    echo 'WordPress installed: ';
    echo file_exists( '/wordpress/wp-load.php' ) ? 'yes' : 'no';

    $kernel->terminate( $request, $response );

    /**
     * The app's Composer dependencies include the WordPress HTML API, so the
     * snippet can read the <h1> with WP_HTML_Processor without installing or
     * booting WordPress.
     */
    function get_first_h1_text( string $html ): string {
        $processor = WP_HTML_Processor::create_fragment( $html );
        if ( ! $processor->next_tag( 'H1' ) ) {
            return 'unknown';
        }

        $text = '';
        while ( $processor->next_token() ) {
            if ( 'H1' === $processor->get_tag() && $processor->is_tag_closer() ) {
                break;
            }
            if ( '#text' === $processor->get_token_type() ) {
                $text .= $processor->get_modifiable_text();
            }
        }

        return trim( $text );
    }
      </script>
      <script type="text/expected-output">
    HTTP 200
    Symfony page: Symfony Playground
    WordPress installed: no
      </script>
    </php-snippet>
    ```

The same app is also available as a full Playground page:

[Open the Symfony Package Radar demo](https://playground.wordpress.net/?blueprint-url=https%3A%2F%2Fwordpress.github.io%2Fblueprints%2Fblueprints%2Fsymfony-package-radar%2Fblueprint.json)

## 󠀁[Package the app as a ZIP](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/guides/php-frameworks/?output_format=md#package-the-app-as-a-zip)󠁿

For framework demos, prefer a ZIP that already contains `vendor/`. That keeps
 the
Playground startup path short and avoids asking every visitor to wait for Composer,
Git, and package registry downloads. The Symfony demo uses that path to bundle both
Symfony and a Composer-installed copy of the WordPress HTML API; it still does not
include a WordPress install.

For snippets or CLI runs, a small Blueprint can install the app into `/app` with

one step:

    ```language-json
    {
        "$schema": "https://playground.wordpress.net/blueprint-schema.json",
        "landingPage": "/symfony-package-radar/public/index.php",
        "preferredVersions": {
            "php": "8.4",
            "wp": false
        },
        "features": {
            "networking": true
        },
        "steps": [
            {
                "step": "unzip",
                "zipFile": {
                    "resource": "bundled",
                    "path": "./symfony-package-radar.zip"
                },
                "extractToPath": "/app"
            }
        ]
    }
    ```

Use `bundled` resources when the ZIP ships next to `blueprint.json`, or use a
 `
url` resource when the ZIP is hosted separately. See [Blueprint bundles](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/blueprints/bundles)
for packaging details.

For a full-page Playground website, use a Blueprint like the gallery demo. It
 adds
a tiny router at the Playground document root so the Symfony `public/` directory
can respond to browser requests.

## 󠀁[Keep the demo browser-friendly](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/guides/php-frameworks/?output_format=md#keep-the-demo-browser-friendly)󠁿

A Playground-hosted framework demo works best when it:

 * Does not require a long-running background process.
 * Stores generated files under the virtual filesystem.
 * Avoids native extensions that are not compiled into PHP.wasm.
 * Avoids frontend build steps at runtime.
 * Keeps network calls optional or resilient, because browsers may require CORS
   
   proxying for third-party services.

Those constraints still leave plenty of room for real framework behavior:
 controllers,
routing, dependency injection, templates, forms, HTTP clients, and plain PHP libraries
all work when their PHP dependencies are available.

First published

July 15, 2026

Last updated

July 16, 2026

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Changelog

[ See list of changes: Run PHP frameworks in Playground ](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/guides/php-frameworks/?output_format=md#)

[  Previous: PHP code snippets and embeds](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/guides/php-code-snippets/)

[  Next: Using the WordPress Playground Agent Skill](https://developer.wordpress.org/playground/handbook/guides/agent-skill-wp-playground/)