native:install silently swallows SSL errors — "Failed to fetch versions manifest" hides the real cause

[GustavoSimao]

What were you trying to do?

Running php artisan native:install to set up NativePHP Mobile in my Laravel project.

What happened?

The installer failed with the generic message "Failed to fetch versions manifest from: https://bin.nativephp.com/main/versions.json".

The actual error is:
cURL error 60: SSL certificate OpenSSL verify result: unable to get local issuer certificate

PHP installed via WinGet does not configure curl.cainfo/openssl.cafile in php.ini, but native:install does not detect this — it swallows the exception and shows a message that gives no indication of how to fix the problem.

How to reproduce the bug

1. Install PHP 8.4 via WinGet (leaves curl.cainfo and openssl.cafile empty in php.ini)
2. laravel new test && cd test
3. composer require nativephp/mobile
4. php artisan native:install

Result: "Failed to fetch versions manifest" with no indication that the problem is SSL.

Debug Output

php artisan native:debug

+--------------------+---------------+
| Package Version | 3.3.6 |
| PHP Version (Host) | 8.4.20 |
| OS | Windows |
| OS Version | 10.0 |
| Embedded PHP | Not installed |
+--------------------+---------------+

+----------------+--------------------------------------+
| Android Studio | Not found |
| Gradle | Not found |
| Java | java version "25.0.2" 2026-01-20 LTS |
+----------------+--------------------------------------+

Which operating systems have you seen this occur on?

Windows

Which platforms were you trying to build for?

Android (Emulator)

Notes

The error is in InstallCommand.php, method fetchVersionsManifest():

try {
$this->versionsManifest = json_decode(
(new Client)->get($versionsUrl)->getBody()->getContents(),
true
);
} catch (RequestException $e) {
error("Failed to fetch versions manifest from: {$versionsUrl}");
}

The exception $e is swallowed. It should either show the real error message
or detect that curl.cainfo is not configured and instruct the user to fix it.

Workaround: add to php.ini:
curl.cainfo = "C:\path\to\cacert.pem"
openssl.cafile = "C:\path\to\cacert.pem"

[Karthik2630]

Environment Details

Operating System:

• Windows 11 (Version 10.0.26200.8655)

PHP:

• PHP 8.3.31 (CLI)
• NTS Visual C++ 2019 x64
• OpenSSL Enabled
• cURL Enabled
• ZIP Enabled

Java:

• Java 18.0.2.1

Laravel:

• Laravel Installer 5.8.5

NativePHP:

• nativephp/mobile v3.3.6
• Installed via Composer

Issue Encountered:

When running:

php artisan native:install -vvv

Output:

Failed to fetch versions manifest from:
https://bin.nativephp.com/main/versions.json

PHP 8.3 binaries not available

However:

1. The installation completes successfully.
2. Android project is created successfully.
3. The manifest URL is accessible from both browser and PHP.

Verification:

Running:

php -r "echo file_get_contents('https://bin.nativephp.com/main/versions.json');"

returns valid JSON.

The manifest contains:

"8.3": {
"php_version": "8.3.31",
"android": [
"https://bin.nativephp.com/main/8.3/android/android-3.1.0-php8.3.31.zip"
]
}

This confirms that PHP 8.3 binaries do exist and are publicly available.

Observation:

• NativePHP package version: 3.3.6
• Manifest reports: "nativephp_version": "3.1.0"

Question:

Why does NativePHP Mobile v3.3.6 report:

"Failed to fetch versions manifest"
and
"PHP 8.3 binaries not available"

when the manifest is accessible and PHP 8.3 binaries are listed in the manifest?

Is this a known issue, version mismatch, or bug in NativePHP Mobile 3.3.6 on Windows?