Connections

Named Connections

Define connections in config/opcua.php:

'connections' => [
    'default' => [
        'endpoint' => env('OPCUA_ENDPOINT', 'opc.tcp://localhost:4840'),
    ],
    'plc-line-1' => [
        'endpoint' => 'opc.tcp://10.0.0.10:4840',
        'username' => 'operator',
        'password' => 'pass123',
    ],
],

Connecting

// Default connection
$client = Opcua::connect();

// Named connection
$client = Opcua::connect('plc-line-1');

Getting a Connection Without Connecting (Managed Mode Only)

v4.0 breaking change: In direct mode, Opcua::connection() now returns an already-connected Client. The OpcUaClientInterface no longer exposes setter methods (setTimeout(), etc.), so there is no pre-connect configuration step. If you need to customise timeout or other settings, set them in config/opcua.php or pass inline config to connectTo().

In managed mode (session manager running), connection() returns a ManagedClient that still supports setter methods before the first operation.

// Direct mode — returns a connected Client (same as connect())
$client = Opcua::connection('plc-line-1');

// Managed mode — setter methods are still available
// $client = Opcua::connection('plc-line-1');
// $client->setTimeout(15.0);

Switching the Default

OPCUA_CONNECTION=plc-line-1

Ad-hoc Connections

Connect to endpoints not defined in config:

// Minimal
$client = Opcua::connectTo('opc.tcp://10.0.0.50:4840');

// With inline config
$client = Opcua::connectTo('opc.tcp://10.0.0.99:4840', [
    'username'        => 'operator',
    'password'        => 'secret',
    'security_policy' => 'Basic256Sha256',
    'security_mode'   => 'SignAndEncrypt',
]);

// With a name for later retrieval
$client = Opcua::connectTo('opc.tcp://10.0.0.99:4840', as: 'temp-plc');
$same = Opcua::connection('temp-plc');

Disconnecting

// Single connection
Opcua::disconnect('plc-line-1');

// Default connection
Opcua::disconnect();

// All connections (including ad-hoc)
Opcua::disconnectAll();

After disconnecting, the next call to connection() or connect() creates a fresh client.

Connection Caching

OpcuaManager caches client instances by name. Repeated calls to connection('plc-1') return the same instance:

$a = Opcua::connection('plc-1');
$b = Opcua::connection('plc-1');
assert($a === $b); // true

Calling disconnect() removes the cached instance.

Dependency Injection

The OpcuaManager is registered as a singleton and can be injected anywhere:

use PhpOpcua\LaravelOpcua\OpcuaManager;

class PlcController extends Controller
{
    public function read(OpcuaManager $opcua)
    {
        $client = $opcua->connect();
        $value = $client->read('ns=2;i=1001');
        $client->disconnect();

        return response()->json(['value' => $value->getValue()]);
    }
}

You can also resolve it from the container:

$manager = app(OpcuaManager::class);
// or
$manager = app('opcua');

Session Manager Auto-Detection

When creating a client, OpcuaManager checks for the daemon's Unix socket:

1. session_manager.enabled is true (default)
2. session_manager.socket_path file exists

If both conditions are met, a ManagedClient (daemon-proxied) is created. Otherwise, a direct Client is created. This is transparent — your application code doesn't change.

if (Opcua::isSessionManagerRunning()) {
    // ManagedClient — session persists across requests
} else {
    // Direct Client — new TCP connection per request
}

How Connection Configuration Works

When a connection is created, OpcuaManager applies configuration differently depending on the mode:

Direct Mode (configureBuilder)

A ClientBuilder is configured and then connect() is called, returning a fully connected Client. All settings are immutable after connection.

1. Security policy and mode
2. User credentials (username/password)
3. Client certificate and CA
4. User certificate
5. Timeout
6. Auto-retry
7. Batch size
8. Browse max depth
9. Trust store path and trust policy
10. Auto-accept and auto-accept-force
11. Auto-detect write type
12. Read metadata cache
13. Logger (explicit config or Laravel default)
14. Cache (explicit config or Laravel default)

Managed Mode (configureManagedClient)

A ManagedClient is created and setter methods are called. Settings can be adjusted after creation.

1. Security policy and mode
2. User credentials (username/password)
3. Client certificate and CA
4. User certificate
5. Timeout
6. Auto-retry
7. Batch size
8. Browse max depth
9. Logger (explicit config or Laravel default)
10. Cache (explicit config or Laravel default)