The Challenges of Implementing Argon2i in Pure PHP

Many users have encountered the issue of installing the libosodium extension while setting up Magento 2.4.2 on Ubuntu Linux with XAMPP.

The common challenge is finding clear instructions for installing the extension specifically for XAMPP's PHP version, rather than the system PHP (/user/bin/php).

If you’re facing this problem, you’re not alone. Many have different solutions but found the guidance lacking when it comes to configuring XAMPP-specific PHP extensions.

Adevole

This error occurs with Magento 2.4.2 when PHP does not include the Sodium PHP extension. The Sodium extension is required for secure password hashing and encryption functionalities in Magento, and its absence can lead to issues during installation or runtime. Without the Sodium extension, Magento may fail to initialize properly, resulting in errors related to missing cryptographic functionalities.

Ensuring that the Sodium extension is correctly installed and enabled in your PHP configuration is crucial for a smooth Magento setup and operation. To resolve this issue, you will need to install the Sodium extension and ensure it is properly configured in your PHP environment. Check your PHP configuration files and verify that the extension is listed and loaded correctly. Re

You can check if this extension is installed with

php -i | grep sodium
sodium support => enabled
libsodium headers version => 1.0.16

To resolve this issue, install or activate the Sodium PHP extension. This step is essential for enabling the cryptographic functionalities required by Magento 2.4.2.

For XAMPP, you need to add (or uncomment) the relevant line in the php.ini file. This will enable the necessary configuration for the Sodium PHP extension.

extension=sodium;

Or

sudo apt install php-libsodium

To install the Sodium PHP extension on Ubuntu, use the command sudo apt install php-libsodium. This command installs the php-libsodium package, which provides the Sodium extension needed for cryptographic operations. Running this command requires superuser (root) privileges, which is why sudo is used. After installation, you may need to restart your web server for the changes to take effect.

Important: Magento 2.4 supports PHP version 7.4.