Tutorials > PEAR > Introduction

1.1 What is PEAR and why should I use it?

PEAR is short for "PHP Extension and Application Repository" and is pronounced just like the fruit. PEAR is a structured library of open-sourced code for PHP users to use in their programs. The power of PEAR is in the time savings. By using the pre-build, well written code modules you will save time programming.

1.2 What this tutorial will show you

This tutorial is intended to quickly bring you up to speed on installing, configuring and using PEAR. First we will walk through all the steps necessary to get PEAR up and running on your web server. Next, we'll install a new PEAR package. Finally I'll explain the basics of using a PEAR package in your PHP code.

1.3 What you should already know

Before begining this tutorial you should know some basic system administration, have a working knowledge of PHP and a general knowledge of object oriented programming. I'll do my best to explain things as simply as possible.

1.4 Other useful information

The PEAR Homepage has a good FAQ as well as a list of all the PEAR packages currently available.

A great place to get PEAR support is the General PEAR mailing lists.