Description
Programs running on PHP 8.2 can create low-level network and Unix-domain socket connections. This runtime extension is used by custom clients, servers, local IPC tools, test harnesses, and protocol implementations that need more control than high-level HTTP libraries. It is dependency-only and has no separate launcher; PHP scripts call socket functions when enabled. Firewall exposure, remote endpoints, input validation, timeouts, and credentials matter because socket code can move arbitrary network data.