Docs · Getting started

Installation

Install via Composer for development; download a PHAR or static binary from GitHub Releases for deployment. Three install paths, one binary called opcua-cli.

opcua-cli is distributed in three forms, ordered by use case:

Form	Best for	Where
Composer package	PHP developers, project-local install	Packagist
PHAR	Single-file distribution, dev boxes	GitHub Releases / build it yourself
Static binary	Servers without PHP installed	GitHub Releases / build it yourself

Composer

The path most application developers will pick. Adds the CLI as a dev dependency of your PHP project, exposes vendor/bin/opcua-cli.

bash terminal — composer

composer require --dev php-opcua/opcua-cli

The runtime is whichever PHP you use for the project (≥ 8.2). opcua-cli's own composer.json only declares php, php-opcua/opcua-client and php-tui/php-tui; ext-openssl is pulled in transitively by the OPC UA stack but is not an explicit CLI-level requirement. After install, the CLI is at:

bash terminal — verify

vendor/bin/opcua-cli --version
# → opcua-cli 4.3.0

Add vendor/bin to $PATH if you want to invoke opcua-cli directly without the prefix.

PHAR

Single-file, self-contained, requires PHP 8.2+ on the host. Suitable for dev workstations that already have PHP available.

bash terminal — phar

# From GitHub Releases
curl -L https://github.com/php-opcua/opcua-cli/releases/latest/download/opcua-cli.phar \
    -o /usr/local/bin/opcua-cli
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/opcua-cli

opcua-cli --version

To build it from source, see Building · PHAR.

Static binary

A pre-compiled standalone executable bundling PHP + the OPC UA stack. Targets hosts that do not have PHP — operator workstations, field maintenance laptops, hardened servers.

Available on GitHub Releases for Linux x86_64, Linux aarch64, macOS (Intel + Apple Silicon), Windows x86_64.

bash terminal — static binary

# Linux x86_64
curl -L https://github.com/php-opcua/opcua-cli/releases/latest/download/opcua-cli-linux-x86_64 \
    -o /usr/local/bin/opcua-cli
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/opcua-cli

opcua-cli --version

To build it from source, see Building · Static binary.

Requirements

Form	Runtime requirement
Composer	PHP ≥ 8.2. `ext-openssl` is required transitively by `opcua-client` for any secured-channel use.
PHAR	PHP ≥ 8.2, `ext-phar`. `ext-openssl` transitively required for secured channels.
Static binary	OS only — modern Linux / macOS / Windows. The exact minimum kernel / OS version depends on how the binary was built; consult the release notes.

The Composer install brings these in transitively:

php-opcua/opcua-client — the OPC UA stack
psr/log — logging interfaces (Composer provides a null logger)
php-tui/php-tui — terminal-UI library for the explore command

No additional configuration. No system service to install.

Verify the install

bash terminal — smoke test

opcua-cli --version
opcua-cli --help

--version prints the running build's version string. --help prints the command catalogue and global options — your map of the tool's surface.

Updating

Form	Update command
Composer	`composer update php-opcua/opcua-cli`
PHAR	Re-download from GitHub Releases
Static binary	Re-download from GitHub Releases

The version-bump policy follows opcua-client — major and minor versions track the library. See the release notes for what changed.

Open First browse and run the canonical "hello, OPC UA" against any server.

Last updated · 2026-05-25

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