diff --git a/docs/guides/deploy-a-php-app.md b/docs/guides/deploy-a-php-app.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0b34a185
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/guides/deploy-a-php-app.md
@@ -0,0 +1,340 @@
+# Deploy a PHP Web Service on Datum Compute
+
+> Last verified: 2026-06-02 against the `hello-php` example and the live `kraft` / `datumctl compute` CLIs.
+> The complete, ready-to-deploy example for this guide lives in [`examples/hello-php/`](../../examples/hello-php/).
+
+This guide walks you through taking a PHP HTTP service from source code to a live, reachable instance on Datum compute. By the end you will have:
+
+- A PHP application packaged as a Unikraft unikernel image
+- The image published to the Unikraft Cloud metro registry
+- A running workload deployed with `datumctl compute deploy`
+- A verified HTTP response from your instance
+
+**What you need before starting:**
+
+- `kraft` (KraftKit) installed and authenticated to your Unikraft Cloud metro. The metro URL and token are supplied to `kraft cloud` commands; this guide assumes they are available as `$UKC_METRO` and `$UKC_TOKEN` in your shell.
+- `datumctl` installed with the compute plugin, authenticated to your Datum Cloud project.
+- Docker (with BuildKit) running locally.
+- PHP (for local development only — the build happens inside Docker).
+
+---
+
+## 1. Write the application
+
+Create a project directory and add one file. This is a router script for PHP's built-in web server — PHP invokes it for every request.
+
+**`server.php`**
+
+```php
+<?php
+header('Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8');
+
+$path = parse_url($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'] ?? '/', PHP_URL_PATH);
+
+if ($path === '/healthz') {
+    echo "ok\n";
+} else {
+    echo "Hello from Datum (PHP)\n";
+}
+```
+
+The service answers `/healthz` with `ok` and everything else with `Hello from Datum (PHP)`, and has no external dependencies. PHP's built-in server binds the address given on its command line (`0.0.0.0:8080`, set in the Kraftfile below) and prints its own boot marker to the console on start.
+
+---
+
+## 2. Build and publish the unikernel image with `kraft`
+
+### Why PHP ships the interpreter and its library closure
+
+Datum's Unikraft runtime uses an app-elfloader that loads your application as the unikernel entrypoint. Compiled languages (Go, Rust) ship a single fully static binary. PHP is different: the `php` CLI is a **dynamically linked** executable — it needs its loader (`/lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2`), a set of glibc shared libraries, and the libraries its bundled extensions link (e.g. `libssl`/`libcrypto`, `libxml2`, `libsqlite3`, `libcurl`). The rootfs ships the `php` binary, its extensions, the loader, and those shared libraries, and the unikernel runs on the same `base:latest` runtime as Go and Rust.
+
+There is one important constraint to get right. **The unikernel extracts its rootfs into an in-RAM filesystem at boot, so the image must stay small.** Copying the entire `/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu` directory overflows that RAM disk and the boot fails:
+
+```
+[libukcpio] ...: Failed to load content: No space left on device (28)
+[libposix_vfs_fstab] Failed to extract CPIO to /: -3
+```
+
+The fix is to ship **only the precise shared-library closure** the `php` binary and its bundled extensions actually need. The Dockerfile below computes that closure at build time with `ldd`.
+
+A plain `docker build` OCI image will NOT boot on the runtime. The image must be in the Unikraft Cloud format produced by `kraft`. The `Kraftfile` and `kraft cloud deploy` command handle this packaging.
+
+### Write the Dockerfile
+
+```dockerfile
+FROM php:8.3.14-cli-bookworm AS base
+
+# Stage the exact shared-library closure for the php binary + every bundled
+# extension .so. Walking ldd over each extension captures libraries the
+# extensions link (openssl, libxml2, libsodium, libargon2, ...) that a
+# hand-written list would miss. SONAME symlinks are preserved so the loader
+# resolves NEEDED entries.
+RUN set -eu; \
+    extdir="$(php -r 'echo ini_get("extension_dir");')"; \
+    mkdir -p /rootfs-libs; \
+    { \
+      ldd /usr/local/bin/php; \
+      for f in "$extdir"/*.so; do [ -e "$f" ] && ldd "$f"; done; \
+    } 2>/dev/null \
+      | awk '/=>/ {print $3}' \
+      | grep -E '^/(usr/)?lib' \
+      | sort -u > /tmp/sonames.txt; \
+    while read -r p; do \
+      [ -n "$p" ] || continue; \
+      real="$(readlink -f "$p")"; \
+      cp -a "$real" "/rootfs-libs/$(basename "$real")"; \
+      if [ "$(basename "$p")" != "$(basename "$real")" ]; then \
+        ln -sf "$(basename "$real")" "/rootfs-libs/$(basename "$p")"; \
+      fi; \
+    done < /tmp/sonames.txt; \
+    du -sh /rootfs-libs
+
+FROM scratch
+
+# The php CLI binary.
+COPY --from=base /usr/local/bin/php /usr/local/bin/php
+
+# The bundled extensions. Preserve the exact extension_dir path so PHP resolves
+# them without an explicit override.
+COPY --from=base /usr/local/lib/php /usr/local/lib/php
+
+# glibc dynamic loader (the program interpreter named in the php ELF header).
+COPY --from=base /lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 /lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2
+
+# The precise shared-library closure, under both default loader search paths so
+# NEEDED SONAMEs resolve without an ld.so.cache (intentionally not copied: it
+# references libraries we did not ship; the loader falls back to its default
+# trusted search paths, where these libraries live).
+COPY --from=base /rootfs-libs/ /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/
+COPY --from=base /rootfs-libs/ /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/
+
+COPY ./server.php /server.php
+```
+
+> **Note:** pin the interpreter patch version (`php:8.3.14-cli-bookworm`). The bundled extensions live under a version-specific `extension_dir` (e.g. `/usr/local/lib/php/extensions/no-debug-non-zts-<api-no>/`); copying the whole `/usr/local/lib/php` tree preserves that path so PHP finds them.
+
+### Write the Kraftfile
+
+```yaml
+spec: v0.6
+
+runtime: base:latest
+
+rootfs: ./Dockerfile
+
+cmd: ["/usr/local/bin/php", "-S", "0.0.0.0:8080", "/server.php"]
+```
+
+`runtime: base:latest` is the Unikraft Cloud app-elfloader runtime. The `cmd` runs PHP's built-in web server, which binds the literal `0.0.0.0:8080` and serves every request through `/server.php`. (`php -S` does not read `$PORT`, so the listen port is fixed here — keep it aligned with the workload port.)
+
+### Start a BuildKit daemon
+
+`kraft` uses BuildKit to build the rootfs. Start one if you don't already have one running:
+
+```sh
+docker run -d --name buildkit --privileged moby/buildkit:latest
+```
+
+### Build and publish with `kraft cloud deploy --no-start`
+
+Use `kraft` only to build and publish the image — you deploy the running workload with `datumctl compute` in the next step. The `--no-start` (`-S`) flag builds the unikernel package and pushes it to the metro registry **without** starting an instance. It pushes to `index.unikraft.io/datum/<name>`. The `-M` flag sets the memory allocation in MiB and is required — use at least `1024`.
+
+```sh
+export KRAFTKIT_NO_CHECK_UPDATES=true
+
+kraft cloud --metro "$UKC_METRO" --token "$UKC_TOKEN" \
+  --buildkit-host docker-container://buildkit \
+  deploy --no-start -M 1024 --name hello-php \
+  --runtime base:latest --rootfs ./Dockerfile .
+```
+
+After this command completes, your image is available at `index.unikraft.io/datum/hello-php:latest`, ready for Datum compute to deploy.
+
+---
+
+## 3. Deploy on Datum compute
+
+You have two options: a manifest file (recommended for repeatability) or flags.
+
+### Option A — manifest file (recommended)
+
+Create `workload.yaml`:
+
+```yaml
+apiVersion: compute.datumapis.com/v1alpha
+kind: Workload
+metadata:
+  name: hello-php
+  labels:
+    app: hello-php
+spec:
+  template:
+    metadata:
+      labels:
+        app: hello-php
+    spec:
+      runtime:
+        resources:
+          instanceType: datumcloud/d1-standard-2
+        sandbox:
+          containers:
+            - name: app
+              image: index.unikraft.io/datum/hello-php:latest
+              ports:
+                - name: http
+                  port: 8080
+                  protocol: TCP
+      networkInterfaces:
+        - network:
+            name: default
+  placements:
+    - name: default
+      cityCodes:
+        - DFW
+      scaleSettings:
+        minReplicas: 1
+        instanceManagementPolicy: OrderedReady
+```
+
+Deploy it:
+
+```sh
+datumctl compute deploy -f workload.yaml -y
+```
+
+### Option B — flags
+
+```sh
+datumctl compute deploy hello-php \
+  --image=index.unikraft.io/datum/hello-php:latest \
+  --city=DFW \
+  --port=8080 \
+  --min=1
+```
+
+Both forms create (or update) the workload. The `--city` flag accepts one or more city codes; `DFW` targets the US Central region.
+
+---
+
+## 4. Verify the instance is running
+
+List instances and watch for the status to reach `Running`:
+
+```sh
+datumctl compute instances --workload=hello-php
+```
+
+A healthy instance shows `Ready: true` and `Running`. The `EXTERNAL IP` column is populated once the instance is live.
+
+For a detailed view of a single instance, including conditions and any failure reason:
+
+```sh
+datumctl compute instances describe <instance-name>
+```
+
+Once the instance is `Running`, curl the external endpoint. UKC fronts the service with TLS on port 443 and redirects plain HTTP on port 80:
+
+```sh
+# Get the external IP or hostname from the instance list, then:
+curl https://<EXTERNAL-IP>/
+# -> Hello from Datum (PHP)
+
+curl https://<EXTERNAL-IP>/healthz
+# -> ok
+```
+
+Use `-k` if the TLS certificate is self-signed in your metro:
+
+```sh
+curl -k https://<EXTERNAL-IP>/
+```
+
+---
+
+## 5. Update the workload
+
+To deploy a new version, rebuild and publish the image (repeating step 2), then redeploy. Using the manifest:
+
+```sh
+kraft cloud --metro "$UKC_METRO" --token "$UKC_TOKEN" \
+  --buildkit-host docker-container://buildkit \
+  deploy --no-start -M 1024 --name hello-php \
+  --runtime base:latest --rootfs ./Dockerfile .
+
+datumctl compute deploy -f workload.yaml -y
+```
+
+Or with flags:
+
+```sh
+datumctl compute deploy hello-php \
+  --image=index.unikraft.io/datum/hello-php:latest \
+  --city=DFW \
+  --port=8080
+```
+
+Watch the rollout progress:
+
+```sh
+datumctl compute rollout hello-php
+```
+
+---
+
+## 6. Clean up
+
+```sh
+# Delete the workload and all its instances.
+datumctl compute destroy hello-php -y
+
+# Stop the local BuildKit daemon.
+docker rm -f buildkit
+```
+
+---
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### The image fails to boot: "No space left on device"
+
+```
+[libukcpio] ...: Failed to load content: No space left on device (28)
+[libposix_vfs_fstab] Failed to extract CPIO to /: -3
+```
+
+The rootfs is too large for the unikernel's in-RAM filesystem. This happens if you copy the whole `/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu` directory instead of the trimmed library closure. Use the `ldd`-driven closure in the Dockerfile above, and avoid copying static archives or bulk you don't use.
+
+### The application fails with a missing shared library
+
+If the console shows a library-not-found error at boot, an extension's dependency is missing from the closure. Re-run `ldd` over the relevant extension `.so` in PHP's `extension_dir` and confirm each dependency lands in `/rootfs-libs`. If you add a **PECL/third-party extension**, it ships its own `.so` with its own library dependencies — those must be present in the rootfs too.
+
+### Instance shows `Ready` but the endpoint doesn't respond
+
+If an instance reports `Ready` but a `curl` to its endpoint hangs or fails, the unikernel may not have booted cleanly. The unikernel console is the source of truth — read it directly:
+
+```sh
+kraft cloud --metro "$UKC_METRO" --token "$UKC_TOKEN" \
+  instance logs <ukc-instance-name>
+```
+
+A healthy boot prints PHP's `PHP <ver> Development Server (http://0.0.0.0:8080) started` line. A boot error (the rootfs-size or missing-library cases above) appears here. The `<ukc-instance-name>` appears in the instance's details from `datumctl compute instances describe <instance-name>`.
+
+### Image pull failures on the instance
+
+`datumctl compute instances describe <instance-name>` reports a condition with reason `ImageUnavailable` when the platform cannot pull the image. Confirm:
+
+- The image was pushed to `index.unikraft.io/datum/<name>` (the metro registry), not to an external container registry like GHCR or Docker Hub. The platform pulls from the UKC metro registry.
+- The `kraft cloud deploy` command completed without errors and printed the image reference.
+- The image name in `workload.yaml` matches exactly what `kraft cloud deploy` reported, including the `latest` tag.
+
+### Instance is stuck and not progressing
+
+```sh
+datumctl compute instances describe <instance-name>
+```
+
+Look at the conditions in the output. Common states:
+
+- `QuotaGranted: False` — compute quota has not been provisioned for the project. Contact your platform operator.
+- `Programmed: False` — the instance has not been scheduled to a node yet. This is normal for a few seconds after deploy; if it persists, check that the city code in your workload matches an available location.
+- `Ready: False, reason: SchedulingGatesPresent` — a scheduling prerequisite (such as a network) has not been satisfied. Confirm your project has a `default` Network resource provisioned.
diff --git a/examples/hello-php/.gitignore b/examples/hello-php/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..840bb308
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/hello-php/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+# Build artifacts produced locally by kraft; not committed.
+.unikraft/
diff --git a/examples/hello-php/Dockerfile b/examples/hello-php/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..46949694
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/hello-php/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+# Dynamically-linked glibc PHP runtime proof.
+#
+# Like the CPython proof (and unlike the static-PIE Go/Rust proofs), the PHP CLI
+# is a dynamically-linked glibc ELF: it needs its dynamic loader
+# (/lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2) and a set of glibc shared objects at runtime,
+# plus the shared libraries that its bundled extensions (the *.so files in PHP's
+# extension_dir) link against (e.g. libssl/libcrypto, libxml2, libz, libargon2,
+# libsodium). The bet, already proven for Python: the base:latest app-elfloader
+# runs a dynamic ELF when the loader and every needed .so are present in the
+# rootfs. So we ship them all -- but only the precise closure.
+#
+# IMPORTANT -- rootfs size matters: the unikernel extracts its rootfs into an
+# in-RAM filesystem at boot. Shipping the WHOLE /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu
+# directory overflows that RAM disk and the boot FAILS with:
+#   [libukcpio] ...: Failed to load content: No space left on device (28)
+#   [libposix_vfs_fstab] Failed to extract CPIO to /: -3
+# So we copy ONLY the precise shared-library closure the php binary and its
+# bundled extensions actually need, computed at build time by walking ldd.
+#
+# Stage 1 is the upstream PHP CLI image pinned to an exact patch version. The
+# closure is computed by walking ldd over /usr/local/bin/php AND every bundled
+# extension *.so in extension_dir, then staging each needed library plus its
+# SONAME symlink into /rootfs-libs. Stage 2 is a FROM scratch rootfs holding the
+# php binary, the extensions dir (at its exact extension_dir path so PHP finds
+# them), the glibc loader, and just that library closure.
+FROM php:8.3.14-cli-bookworm AS base
+
+# Build the exact shared-library closure for the php binary + every bundled
+# extension .so. Walking ldd over each extension captures libraries the
+# extensions link (e.g. libssl/libcrypto via openssl, libxml2 via dom/xml,
+# libsodium, libargon2) that a hand-written list would miss. SONAME symlinks are
+# preserved so the loader resolves NEEDED entries; real targets are copied
+# alongside.
+RUN set -eu; \
+    extdir="$(php -r 'echo ini_get("extension_dir");')"; \
+    echo "extension_dir=$extdir"; \
+    mkdir -p /rootfs-libs; \
+    { \
+      ldd /usr/local/bin/php; \
+      for f in "$extdir"/*.so; do [ -e "$f" ] && ldd "$f"; done; \
+    } 2>/dev/null \
+      | awk '/=>/ {print $3}' \
+      | grep -E '^/(usr/)?lib' \
+      | sort -u > /tmp/sonames.txt; \
+    while read -r p; do \
+      [ -n "$p" ] || continue; \
+      real="$(readlink -f "$p")"; \
+      cp -a "$real" "/rootfs-libs/$(basename "$real")"; \
+      if [ "$(basename "$p")" != "$(basename "$real")" ]; then \
+        ln -sf "$(basename "$real")" "/rootfs-libs/$(basename "$p")"; \
+      fi; \
+    done < /tmp/sonames.txt; \
+    echo "=== staged library closure ==="; ls -la /rootfs-libs; \
+    echo "=== closure size ==="; du -sh /rootfs-libs
+
+# Record the php binary's direct ldd closure + ELF shape in the build log.
+RUN echo "=== ldd /usr/local/bin/php ===" && ldd /usr/local/bin/php && \
+    echo "=== file php ===" && file /usr/local/bin/php
+
+FROM scratch
+
+# The php CLI binary.
+COPY --from=base /usr/local/bin/php /usr/local/bin/php
+
+# The bundled extension .so files. Preserve the EXACT extension_dir path so PHP
+# resolves them without an explicit -d extension_dir override. For 8.3 CLI this
+# is /usr/local/lib/php/extensions/no-debug-non-zts-<api-no>/.
+COPY --from=base /usr/local/lib/php /usr/local/lib/php
+
+# glibc dynamic loader (the program interpreter named in the php ELF header).
+COPY --from=base /lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 /lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2
+
+# The precise shared-library closure, staged in stage 1. We place it under BOTH
+# default loader search paths (/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu and /usr/lib/...) so NEEDED
+# SONAMEs resolve without an ld.so.cache. (ld.so.cache is intentionally NOT
+# copied: it references libraries we did not ship; the loader falls back to the
+# default trusted search paths, where these libraries live.)
+COPY --from=base /rootfs-libs/ /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/
+COPY --from=base /rootfs-libs/ /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/
+
+COPY ./server.php /server.php
diff --git a/examples/hello-php/Kraftfile b/examples/hello-php/Kraftfile
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..87b1776d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/hello-php/Kraftfile
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+# Kraftfile for the dynamically-linked glibc PHP runtime proof.
+#
+# Like the CPython proof (and unlike the static-PIE Go/Rust proofs), the rootfs
+# ships the php CLI binary, its bundled extensions, the glibc dynamic loader,
+# and the glibc shared-library closure. The bet, proven for Python: base:latest
+# (app-elfloader) runs a dynamic ELF when the loader + every needed .so is
+# present in the rootfs. `rootfs: ./Dockerfile` makes kraft build that rootfs
+# from the multi-stage Dockerfile.
+#
+# The cmd runs PHP's built-in web server, which binds the literal 0.0.0.0:8080
+# (php -S does not read $PORT), serving every request through /server.php.
+#
+# Build/push (push-only, do not start):
+#   kraft cloud --metro <metro>/v1 --token <token> \
+#     --buildkit-host docker-container://buildkit \
+#     deploy --no-start -M 1024 --name hello-php \
+#     --runtime base:latest --rootfs ./Dockerfile .
+spec: v0.6
+
+runtime: base:latest
+
+rootfs: ./Dockerfile
+
+cmd: ["/usr/local/bin/php", "-S", "0.0.0.0:8080", "/server.php"]
diff --git a/examples/hello-php/README.md b/examples/hello-php/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7263a69e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/hello-php/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+# hello-php
+
+A minimal PHP HTTP service packaged as a Unikraft unikernel and deployed on
+Datum compute. It responds `Hello from Datum (PHP)` on `/` and `ok` on
+`/healthz`, served by PHP's built-in web server on `0.0.0.0:8080`. No
+third-party dependencies — just the stock `php` CLI and its bundled extensions.
+
+This is the runnable companion to the step-by-step guide:
+[Deploy a PHP Web Service on Datum Compute](../../docs/guides/deploy-a-php-app.md).
+
+## How this differs from hello-go / hello-rust
+
+The Go and Rust examples ship a single fully static **PIE** binary with no
+interpreter — the app *is* the unikernel entrypoint. The PHP CLI is different
+(and identical in shape to `hello-python`): it is a **dynamically-linked glibc
+ELF** that needs its dynamic loader (`/lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2`) and a set of
+glibc shared objects at runtime, plus the libraries its bundled extensions link
+against.
+
+This example proves that the `base:latest` app-elfloader runtime **does** boot a
+dynamic glibc executable, provided the loader and every needed `.so` are present
+in the rootfs (the same `base:latest` runtime as Go/Rust/Python).
+
+Two things are load-bearing in the `Dockerfile`:
+
+1. **Ship the loader + the shared-library closure.** The rootfs includes the
+   `php` binary, its bundled extensions (`extension_dir`), the glibc loader, and
+   the closure of shared libraries that the binary *and* every bundled
+   extension link at runtime (e.g. `libssl`/`libcrypto`, `libxml2`, `libz`,
+   `libsodium`, `libargon2`). The closure is computed at build time by walking
+   `ldd` over the `php` binary and each extension `*.so`.
+2. **Ship ONLY that closure, not the whole `/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu`.** The
+   unikernel extracts its rootfs into an in-RAM filesystem at boot. Copying the
+   entire glibc lib directory overflows that RAM disk and the boot **fails**
+   with `[libukcpio] ...: No space left on device (28)` /
+   `[libposix_vfs_fstab] Failed to extract CPIO to /: -3`. The trimmed closure
+   boots in tens of milliseconds.
+
+The PHP patch version is pinned (`php:8.3.14-cli-bookworm`) so the copied
+extensions match the `php` binary's extension API.
+
+## Files
+
+- `server.php` — the router script for PHP's built-in web server.
+- `Dockerfile` — multi-stage build; stage 1 stages the exact shared-library
+  closure, stage 2 is a `FROM scratch` rootfs with the `php` binary, its
+  extensions, the loader, and that closure.
+- `Kraftfile` — runs `php -S 0.0.0.0:8080 /server.php` on `base:latest`.
+- `workload.yaml` — the Datum compute Workload manifest.
+
+## Quick start
+
+```sh
+# 1. Build and publish the image (kraft builds + pushes; it does not run it).
+#    -M 1024: PHP needs more memory than the static Go/Rust binaries.
+kraft cloud --metro "$UKC_METRO" --token "$UKC_TOKEN" \
+  --buildkit-host docker-container://buildkit \
+  deploy --no-start -M 1024 --name hello-php \
+  --runtime base:latest --rootfs ./Dockerfile .
+
+# 2. Deploy on Datum compute.
+datumctl compute deploy -f workload.yaml -y
+
+# 3. Verify.
+datumctl compute instances --workload=hello-php
+curl -k https://<EXTERNAL-IP>/          # -> Hello from Datum (PHP)
+curl -k https://<EXTERNAL-IP>/healthz   # -> ok
+```
+
+A healthy boot prints PHP's own
+`PHP 8.3.x Development Server (http://0.0.0.0:8080) started` line on the
+unikernel console (`kraft cloud instance logs <ukc-instance-name>`). `php -S`
+binds the literal `0.0.0.0:8080`, so the workload port must be `8080` to match.
diff --git a/examples/hello-php/server.php b/examples/hello-php/server.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8075cb01
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/hello-php/server.php
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+<?php
+// Router script for PHP's built-in web server (php -S 0.0.0.0:8080 server.php).
+// PHP invokes this script for every request; route on the request path.
+//   /healthz      -> "ok"
+//   anything else -> "Hello from Datum (PHP)"
+// PHP's built-in server prints its own boot marker to the console on start:
+//   "PHP <ver> Development Server (http://0.0.0.0:8080) started"
+// so no extra startup print is required here.
+
+header('Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8');
+
+$path = parse_url($_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'] ?? '/', PHP_URL_PATH);
+
+if ($path === '/healthz') {
+    echo "ok\n";
+} else {
+    echo "Hello from Datum (PHP)\n";
+}
diff --git a/examples/hello-php/workload.yaml b/examples/hello-php/workload.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a08666f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/hello-php/workload.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+apiVersion: compute.datumapis.com/v1alpha
+kind: Workload
+metadata:
+  name: hello-php
+  labels:
+    app: hello-php
+spec:
+  template:
+    metadata:
+      labels:
+        app: hello-php
+    spec:
+      runtime:
+        resources:
+          instanceType: datumcloud/d1-standard-2
+        sandbox:
+          containers:
+            - name: app
+              image: index.unikraft.io/datum/hello-php:latest
+              ports:
+                - name: http
+                  port: 8080
+                  protocol: TCP
+      networkInterfaces:
+        - network:
+            name: default
+  placements:
+    - name: default
+      cityCodes:
+        - DFW
+      scaleSettings:
+        minReplicas: 1
+        instanceManagementPolicy: OrderedReady