How to Install IonCube Loader on Ubuntu 25.10

IonCube Loader is required to run encrypted PHP files used by many premium CMS plugins and server applications. Installing it on Ubuntu 25.10 takes only a few steps.

Step 1: Update the System

Make sure your server packages are up to date:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Check Your PHP Version

You’ll need to know your current PHP version to download the right IonCube Loader:

php -v

Example output:

PHP 8.3.2 (cli) (built: Sep 10 2025 12:03:14)

If PHP isn’t installed, install it first:

sudo apt install php php-cli php-common php-dev php-pear -y

Step 3: Download IonCube Loader

Go to the /tmp directory and grab the latest version directly from IonCube’s servers:

cd /tmp
wget https://downloads.ioncube.com/loader_downloads/ioncube_loaders_lin_x86-64.tar.gz

Step 4: Extract the Archive

Unpack the tarball:

tar xzf ioncube_loaders_lin_x86-64.tar.gz

Then move into the folder:

cd ioncube

Step 5: Copy the Loader to PHP Extension Directory

Find your PHP extension directory:

php -i | grep extension_dir

Example output:

/usr/lib/php/20230831

Now copy the correct loader file (replace version number with your PHP version):

sudo cp ioncube_loader_lin_8.3.so /usr/lib/php/20230831/

Step 6: Enable IonCube Loader

Edit your PHP configuration file (usually php.ini):

sudo nano /etc/php/8.3/cli/php.ini

Add this line at the top:

zend_extension = /usr/lib/php/20230831/ioncube_loader_lin_8.3.so

Save and exit (Ctrl+O, Enter, Ctrl+X)

Step 7: Restart Your Web Server

If you’re using Apache:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

If you’re using Nginx with PHP-FPM:

sudo systemctl restart php8.3-fpm
sudo systemctl restart nginx

Step 8: Verify Installation

Run:

php -v

You should see:

PHP 8.3.2 (cli) (built: Sep 10 2025)
with the ionCube PHP Loader (enabled)

Optional Step: Cleanup

Remove unnecessary files to keep your system tidy:

sudo rm -rf /tmp/ioncube /tmp/ioncube_loaders_lin_x86-64.tar.gz

You now have IonCube Loader correctly installed and optimized for Ubuntu 25.10 ready for encrypted PHP applications to run smoothly.