MAMP is a popular local development environment for macOS that includes Apache, MySQL, and PHP. However, one of the biggest pain points developers face is that macOS defaults to its system-installed PHP when running commands in the terminal. This becomes problematic when trying to use Composer, install dependencies, or run PHP scripts that require a specific MAMP PHP version. Without the proper setup, you might encounter compatibility errors, unexpected behaviors, or even broken projects due to version mismatches.

To avoid these issues, it is crucial to configure your terminal to use the correct MAMP PHP version as the default. By doing so, you ensure that your projects run on the expected PHP version and prevent conflicts with macOS’s built-in PHP. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the necessary steps to properly set MAMP’s PHP version in your terminal, whether for a temporary session or as a permanent configuration.

References:

• PHP Documentation
• MAMP

Table of Contents

Finding the Installed MAMP PHP Versions

MAMP installs multiple PHP versions, typically stored in:

/Applications/MAMP/bin/php/

To list available PHP versions, run:

ls /Applications/MAMP/bin/php/

Choose the version you need (e.g., php8.1.12).

Temporarily Set the MAMP PHP Version in Your Terminal

To use a specific MAMP PHP version for the current terminal session, run:

export PATH="/Applications/MAMP/bin/php/php8.1.12/bin:$PATH"

Replace php8.1.12 with your desired version.

Verify it worked by checking the PHP version:

php -v

Permanently Set the MAMP PHP Version as Default

To make this change permanent, add the export command to your shell configuration file.

For zsh (default shell in macOS Catalina and later):

echo 'export PATH="/Applications/MAMP/bin/php/php8.1.12/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

For bash (macOS Mojave and earlier):

echo 'export PATH="/Applications/MAMP/bin/php/php8.1.12/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bash_profile
source ~/.bash_profile

This ensures your terminal always uses the correct MAMP PHP version.

Confirming the Active PHP Version

Check which PHP version is currently being used:

which php

If the output is /Applications/MAMP/bin/php/php8.1.12/bin/php, your terminal is correctly configured.

Resolving Conflicts with Other PHP Installations

If another PHP version (e.g., from Homebrew or pyenv) overrides MAMP, check your PATH:

echo $PATH

If necessary, move MAMP’s PHP to the front:

export PATH="/Applications/MAMP/bin/php/php8.1.12/bin:$(echo $PATH)"

This ensures MAMP’s PHP version takes precedence over other installations.

Conclusion

Configuring your terminal to use the correct MAMP PHP version is essential for a smooth development workflow, especially when working with Composer and PHP scripts. Without the proper setup, you may encounter frustrating errors, version mismatches, and unexpected behavior that can slow down your development process. Ensuring that your terminal runs the correct PHP version eliminates these headaches and streamlines your workflow.

By following these steps, you can take full control of your development environment, ensuring compatibility and avoiding potential pitfalls. Whether you are setting up a temporary session or making the change permanent, configuring the correct MAMP PHP version properly will provide stability and consistency in your projects. Happy coding!