Configure Imagick PHP Extension in App Service

3 minute read | By Edison Garcia

This blog explains how to configure Imagick PHP Extension in App Service Windows and the alternatives you have for App Service Linux.

Reference: Microsoft Q&A questions.

App Service Windows

Based on your PHP version and Platform (32/64 bits), get the latest php_imagick.dll from https://windows.php.net/downloads/pecl/releases/imagick/.

Since App Service Windows is running IIS as the webserver, you can select NTS (Non-Thread Safe). This is used when PHP runs on Fast CGI binary.

PHP 7.4

For this scenario php_imagick-3.7.0-7.4-nts-vc15-x64.zip was selected.

PHP extension

  1. Go to Kudu site browsing to https://yoursitename.scm.azurewebsites.net/DebugConsole
  2. Create a folder named imagick inside c:\home\site or D:\home\site (in any applicable scenario).

  3. Unzip the folder and copy all CORE_RL_* files to c:\home\site\imagick\ or d:\home\site\imagick\

    PHP extension

  4. Create two new folders ext and ini inside c:\home\site or d:\home\site (in any applicable scenario).

  5. Copy php_imagick.dll to c:\home\site\ext\ or d:\home\site\ext\

  6. Create a new file named extensions.ini inside c:\home\site\ini\ or d:\home\site\ini\ with the following content:

     extension=C:\home\site\ext\php_imagick.dll

  7. Create new file applicationHost.xdt file inside the c:\home\site or d:\home\site folder and copy the below configuration:

       <?xml version="1.0"?>
   <configuration xmlns:xdt="http://schemas.microsoft.com/XML-Document-Transform">
     <system.webServer>
       <runtime xdt:Transform="InsertIfMissing">
         <environmentVariables xdt:Transform="InsertIfMissing">
           <add name="PATH" value="%PATH%;c:\home\site\imagick" xdt:Locator="Match(name)" xdt:Transform="InsertIfMissing" />
         </environmentVariables>
       </runtime>
     </system.webServer>
   </configuration>

  8. Add the following App Settings in Azure Portal:

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    Note: Check if c or d drives applies to you.

    • MAGICK_CODER_MODULE_PATH = c:\home\site\imagick
    • MAGICK_HOME = c:\home\site\imagick
    • PHP_INI_SCAN_DIR = c:\home\site\ini
  9. If you create a info page, you should see the following results: 
       <?
   phpinfo();

    PHP extension

App Service Linux

PHP images are pre-build with imagick extension.

Note: Currently imagick is having compilation issues with PHP 8.x, recommend to use PHP 7.4 for now, for more information check this reference.

ImageMagick policies

ImageMagick best practices strongly encourages you to configure a security policy that suits your local environment. You can read more about these policies here.

Policies can be found on /etc/ImageMagick-6/policy.xml

If you desire to modify these policies on Azure App Service, the best option to accomplish this will be to use a startup script.

Here is an example for removing policies for ghostscript:

  #!/bin/bash
  #Removing ghostscript policies
  sed -i '/disable ghostscript format types/,+6d' /etc/ImageMagick-6/policy.xml 
  apt-get upgrade && apt-get install -y ghostscript
  apache2-foreground

Troubleshooting

ghostscript

  • Scenario: Uncaught ImagickException: attempt to perform an operation not allowed by the security policy.

      PHP Fatal error: Uncaught ImagickException: attempt to perform an operation not allowed by the security policy `PDF' @ error/constitute.c/IsCoderAuthorized/408 in
   /home/site/wwwroot/index.php:11\nStack trace:\n#0 /home/site/wwwroot/index.php(11): Imagick->readImage('random.pdf')\n#1 {main}\n thrown in
   /home/site/wwwroot/index.php on line 11

    Resolution: Add a custom startup script to modify existing policy with read and/or write or removing the policy, check steps above.

  • Scenario: PHP Fatal error: Uncaught ImagickException: FailedToExecuteCommand ‘gs’

      PHP Fatal error: Uncaught ImagickException: FailedToExecuteCommand `'gs' -sstdout=%stderr -dQUIET -dSAFER -dBATCH -dNOPAUSE -dNOPROMPT -dMaxBitmap=500000000 -dAlignToPixels=0 -dGridFitTT=2 '-sDEVICE=pngalpha' -dTextAlphaBits=4 -dGraphicsAlphaBits=4 '-r72x72' -dFirstPage=1 -dLastPage=1 '-sOutputFile=/tmp/magick-60nJzxfIQqHrXx%d' '-f/tmp/magick-60rZK5yQMK31K7' '-f/tmp/magick-60_Dsu584RGIyH'' (1) @ error/pdf.c/InvokePDFDelegate/291

    Resolution: Add a custom startup script to modify existing policy with apt-get upgrade && apt-get install -y ghostscript, check steps above.

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