apt: What's the difference between “apt install php” and “apt install php-defaults”?

manpreet Best Answer 2 years ago

What's the difference between apt install php and apt install php-defaults?

In a first glimpse I would theorize that php should include everything default for a (latest) php program.

I ask this as a follow up to this question.

manpreet 2 years ago

The difference is that

apt install php-defaults

doesn’t work, because php-defaults is a source package, not a binary package.

A source package contains the source code and packaging descriptors used to build one or more binary packages. Source packages aren’t directly installable.