sodium: Unable to initialize module

The error indicates a mismatch between the PHP API version of the sodium extension and the version of PHP installed in your XAMPP environment. Specifically:

• The sodium module is compiled with API=20190902 (PHP 7.4.x).
• Your XAMPP installation uses API=20220829 (PHP 8.2.x).

To resolve this, you need to ensure that the sodium.so file matches the PHP version installed in XAMPP. Here’s how to fix it:

1. Remove the Incompatible sodium.so

1. Navigate to the XAMPP extensions directory:

      cd /opt/lampp/lib/php/extensions/no-debug-non-zts-20220829/

2. Remove or rename the existing sodium.so:

      mv sodium.so sodium.so.bak

2. Recompile the Sodium Extension for PHP 8.2.x

Step 1: Install Required Dependencies

Ensure that the necessary development tools and libraries are installed:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y build-essential autoconf libtool libsodium-dev php-dev

Step 2: Download PHP Source Code

Download the exact PHP version source code (8.2.4 in your case):

wget https://www.php.net/distributions/php-8.2.4.tar.gz
tar -xvzf php-8.2.4.tar.gz
cd php-8.2.4/ext/sodium

Step 3: Compile the Sodium Extension

Run the following commands to compile the Sodium extension:

/opt/lampp/bin/phpize
./configure --with-php-config=/opt/lampp/bin/php-config
make
sudo make install

Step 4: Verify Compilation

After compilation, the sodium.so file will be installed in the correct XAMPP extension directory, typically /opt/lampp/lib/php/extensions/no-debug-non-zts-20220829/.

3. Enable the Sodium Extension in XAMPP

1. Open the XAMPP php.ini file:

      sudo nano /opt/lampp/etc/php.ini

2. Add the following line if it’s not already present:

      extension=sodium

3. Save and close the file (Ctrl + O, Enter, Ctrl + X).

4. Restart XAMPP

Restart XAMPP to load the newly compiled extension:

sudo /opt/lampp/lampp restart

5. Verify the Sodium Extension

1. Check if the Sodium extension is loaded:

      /opt/lampp/bin/php -m | grep sodium

2. Verify using phpinfo():

   • Create a file named phpinfo.php in XAMPP’s htdocs directory:

          echo "<?php phpinfo(); ?>" > /opt/lampp/htdocs/phpinfo.php

   • Access it in your browser:

          http://localhost/phpinfo.php

   • Look for a Sodium section.

6. Troubleshooting

• Error: Still Mismatched API Versions:
  Ensure that you are compiling the Sodium extension with the same PHP version as XAMPP. Verify the XAMPP PHP version with:

    /opt/lampp/bin/php -v

• Missing Compilation Tools:
  If phpize or other tools are missing, install them:

    sudo apt-get install php-dev

This process ensures that the sodium.so extension matches your XAMPP's PHP version and resolves the error. Let me know if you encounter any issues!