This set of tips is intended for people who would like to submit a PHP module or Zend extension that they have written into the PECL repository (for example, so end users can use pecl install yourextension).

• Write your package first, with a suite of .phpt tests in the tests directory.
• Pick a name for your package
• Ensure it is licensed correctly (PHP License, MIT, BSD, Apache etc. are all acceptable, but GPL or LGPL are not)
• Join the pecl-dev mailing list - https://pecl.php.net/support.php#lists
• Apply for a PECL account under your own name (don't use a 'team name') - https://pecl.php.net/account-request.php
  • Ideally reach out to #php.pecl on EFnet IRC first, or email the pecl-dev list - e.g. (“hi folks, I'd like to release X on PECL...”)
  • Introduce yourself, explain what your package does, why it does it, who will support it etc.
  • “Need a php.net account?” - only tick this if you want to put docs on php.net docs eventually
  • Once account request sent, follow up in #php.pecl on EFnet, so your account can be approved - there are a lot of “invalid” account requests, so its worth politely reaching out to make sure your request is not forgotten
• Use strict GCC flags - https://github.com/xdebug/xdebug/blob/master/config.m4#L36-L75
• Version constant in php_extname.h should be called PHP_EXTNAME_VERSION, e.g. PHP_MYGREATEXT_VERSION (PECL uploader checks this matches package.xml version)
• Create a package.xml - copy & edit from another package (from git/vcs repo, not a “release”)
  • Make sure that you update the maintainers section with your user, and that your user is only marked as lead (and not listed twice).
• Ensure you have tested at least against ZTS, NTS, for each PHP version you will support (in automated CI pipeline ideally!)

• Ensure your PHP_EXTNAME_VERSION contstant in php_extname.h is updated
• In package.xml
  • Copy the current release into a new changelog.release element
  • Update the current release section: date, time, version, stability (alpha, beta, stable), and notes
  • pecl package-validate to check everything looks good
• Run your tests (e.g. in CI)
• Recommended to create a tag in your VCS (e.g. git tag -s <version>) and sign it with a GPG key if you can
• Use pecl package to generate a release .tgz file
• Commit update to package.xml
• Login and upload the .tgz to https://pecl.php.net/release-upload.php