Easy Tutorial: Install ionCube Loader on Ubuntu 22.04

This guide intends to teach you how to install ionCube Loader on Ubuntu 22.04. ionCube gave developers tools to protect software written in the PHP programming language from being viewed, edited, and run on unlicensed computers. The tools compile the bytecode before encoding, eliminating the source code and reducing runtime overheads. A PHP extension called the ionCube Loader handles the reading and execution of encoded files at runtime. 

You can now follow the steps below provided by the Orcacore team to Install ionCube Loader on Ubuntu 22.04.

Steps To Install ionCube Loader on Ubuntu 22.04

To Install ionCube Loader on Ubuntu 22.04, log in to your server as a root user and follow the steps below. To do this, you can follow this guide on Initial Server Setup with Ubuntu 22.04.

Step 1 – Install Apache and PHP on Ubuntu 22.04

The first step is to install Apache and PHP. Update your local package index with the command below:

apt update

Then, use the command below to install Apache:

apt install apache2 -y

To install ionCube, you must have PHP 8.1 installed on your server. Ubuntu 22.04 ships with it use the command below to install PHP 8.1:

apt install php -y

Verify your PHP installation by checking its version:

php --version

Output
PHP 8.1.2-1ubuntu2.11 (cli) (built: Feb 22 2023 22:56:18) (NTS)
Copyright (c) The PHP Group
Zend Engine v4.1.2, Copyright (c) Zend Technologies
    with Zend OPcache v8.1.2-1ubuntu2.11, Copyright (c), by Zend Technologies

Note: If you are looking for the more recent version of PHP which is PHP 8.3, you can check this guide on Upgrade Default PHP to PHP 8.3 in Debian / Ubuntu.

Step 2 – Installation Steps of PHP ionCube Loader on Ubuntu 22.04

At this point, you can follow the steps below to Install ionCube Loader on Ubuntu 22.04.

Download ionCube Loader

Visit the ionCube Loader downloads page and get the latest version by using the following wget command:

wget https://downloads.ioncube.com/loader_downloads/ioncube_loaders_lin_x86-64.tar.gz

When your download is completed, extract your downloaded file with the following command:

tar xzf ioncube_loaders_lin_x86-64.tar.gz

Then, use the following command to list the content of the ionCube directory on Ubuntu 22.04:

ls ioncube

Output
ioncube_loader_lin_4.1.so     ioncube_loader_lin_5.6_ts.so
ioncube_loader_lin_4.2.so     ioncube_loader_lin_7.0.so
ioncube_loader_lin_4.3.so     ioncube_loader_lin_7.0_ts.so
ioncube_loader_lin_4.3_ts.so  ioncube_loader_lin_7.1.so
ioncube_loader_lin_4.4.so     ioncube_loader_lin_7.1_ts.so
ioncube_loader_lin_4.4_ts.so  ioncube_loader_lin_7.2.so
ioncube_loader_lin_5.0.so     ioncube_loader_lin_7.2_ts.so
ioncube_loader_lin_5.0_ts.so  ioncube_loader_lin_7.3.so
ioncube_loader_lin_5.1.so     ioncube_loader_lin_7.3_ts.so
ioncube_loader_lin_5.1_ts.so  ioncube_loader_lin_7.4.so
ioncube_loader_lin_5.2.so     ioncube_loader_lin_7.4_ts.so
ioncube_loader_lin_5.2_ts.so  ioncube_loader_lin_8.1.so
ioncube_loader_lin_5.3.so     ioncube_loader_lin_8.1_ts.so
ioncube_loader_lin_5.3_ts.so  LICENSE.txt
ioncube_loader_lin_5.4.so     loader-wizard.php
ioncube_loader_lin_5.4_ts.so  README.txt
ioncube_loader_lin_5.5.so     USER-GUIDE.pdf
ioncube_loader_lin_5.5_ts.so  USER-GUIDE.txt
ioncube_loader_lin_5.6.so

Enable ionCube Loader in PHP

At this point, you need to find the location of the extension directory. To do this, you can use the following command:

php -i | grep extension_dir

Output
extension_dir => /usr/lib/php/20210902 => /usr/lib/php/20210902

Next, copy the ionCube loader module from the ionCube directory that matches your PHP version to the PHP extension directory:

cp ioncube/ioncube_loader_lin_8.1.so /usr/lib/php/20210902

Then, you need to enable the ionCube loader by editing the php.ini file. You can use your favorite text editor, here we use the vi editor:

vi /etc/php/8.1/cli/php.ini

Add the following line at the end of the file:

zend_extension = /usr/lib/php/20210902/ioncube_loader_lin_8.1.so

When you are done, save and close the file.

Finally, restart Apache to apply the changes:

systemctl restart apache2

Verify the ionCube Loader PHP module on Ubuntu 22.04

At this point, you can verify your ionCube loader PHP module by checking the PHP version:

php -v

If everything is fine, you should get the following output:

Output
PHP 8.1.2-1ubuntu2.11 (cli) (built: Feb 22 2023 22:56:18) (NTS)
Copyright (c) The PHP Group
Zend Engine v4.1.2, Copyright (c) Zend Technologies
    with the ionCube PHP Loader v12.0.5, Copyright (c) 2002-2022, by ionCube Ltd.
    with Zend OPcache v8.1.2-1ubuntu2.11, Copyright (c), by Zend Technologies

Also, you can use the following command to verify that you Install ionCube Loader on Ubuntu 22.04:

php -m

Output
...
[Zend Modules]
Zend OPcache
the ionCube PHP Loader

The above output confirms that the PHP ionCube extension is loaded on your server.

Conclusion

By following the steps above you have learned to download and install ionCube loader on Ubuntu 22.04. Ensuring compatibility with your specific PHP version is essential, as is restarting the server to apply the changes. Overall, this process offers a balance between protecting your PHP code and maintaining a secure and functional server environment.

Hope you enjoy it. You may also interested in these articles:

Install and Configure Jenkins on Ubuntu 22.04

Check and Install Security Updates on Ubuntu 22.04

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