Hi Everyone,
I’m sharing a new update for the OpenEMR static binary project. I've just released a build targeting FreeBSD 15.0 (arm64/aarch64) that focuses on creating a "zero-dependency" portable distribution that can be easily integrated with the base system's Apache server.
Best,
Jmevorach
I’m sharing a new update for the OpenEMR static binary project. I've just released a build targeting FreeBSD 15.0 (arm64/aarch64) that focuses on creating a "zero-dependency" portable distribution that can be easily integrated with the base system's Apache server.
Technical Highlights:
- OpenEMR v7.0.4 + PHP 8.5: The core application has been updated, and the PHP runtime is compiled from source with the specific extension set required for OpenEMR (mysqli, openssl, gd, intl, etc.).
- Full Apache Integration: The repository now includes a dedicated apache/ setup with a pre-configured VirtualHost (httpd-openemr.conf) and a CGI wrapper. This allows OpenEMR to run under a standard httpd environment using the static php-cgi binary.
- Portable Library Bundling: To ensure the binaries work across different FreeBSD installations without dependency hell, the distribution includes a lib/ directory containing all necessary shared objects (libxml2, libiconv, openssl111 for compatibility, etc.).
- Smart Launcher: A custom openemr launcher script is included that automatically handles the LD_LIBRARY_PATH mapping for the bundled libraries.
Resources:
- Latest Release: freebsd15-php85-openemr-v7_0_4-arm64-12262025
- Implementation Details & Scripts: OpenEMR Static Binary Forge - FreeBSD Tree
For Testing on macOS:
For those developing on macOS, the project includes run-freebsd-apache.sh which uses QEMU to automate the entire lifecycle: booting a fresh FreeBSD VM, installing Apache via pkg, transferring the artifacts, and configuring the CGI environment. I’m interested in feedback regarding the library bundling approach and how well it performs on different FreeBSD hardware configurations.Best,
Jmevorach