Cleaning Up Moosh and PHP Dependencies on Moodle Servers
Why Removing a PPA-Installed Moosh Requires Care
Moosh is commonly installed via the third-party PPA:
ppa:zabuch/ppa
This repository often introduces non-default PHP versions (e.g. 8.3 or 8.4) and related extensions. On production systems, those packages may:
- Replace Ubuntu’s default PHP version
- Change CLI PHP independently of FPM
- Affect Apache or Nginx PHP handlers
- Introduce dependency conflicts during system upgrades
Removing Moosh incorrectly can leave your server in a mixed package state.
This guide covers clean removal, package downgrade, and post-removal validation.
Applies to:
- Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
- Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
Assess Current Package State
Before changing anything, confirm what is installed from the PPA.
List Moosh and PHP packages
dpkg -l | grep -E "moosh|php8\.[34]"
Check package origin
apt-cache policy moosh
apt-cache policy php8.3
Look for:
500 http://ppa.launchpad.net/zabuch/ppa
This confirms packages are sourced from the PPA.
Identify reverse dependencies
Before removing PHP versions:
apt-cache rdepends php8.3
This shows what depends on that package.
Always check reverse dependencies before purging PHP. Removing the wrong version can break active FPM pools or Apache modules.
Recommended Method: Use ppa-purge
ppa-purge does two important things:
- Removes packages installed from the PPA
- Downgrades them back to official Ubuntu repository versions
Install if needed:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ppa-purge -y
Run purge:
sudo ppa-purge ppa:zabuch/ppa
This:
- Removes Moosh
- Downgrades PHP packages
- Cleans repository configuration
Manual Removal (If ppa-purge Is Not Available)
If you must remove manually, follow this order carefully.
1. Remove Moosh Only
sudo apt-get remove --purge moosh -y
2. Remove the PPA Repository
sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:zabuch/ppa -y
sudo apt-get update
3. Reinstall Ubuntu Default PHP (If Required)
Check Ubuntu’s default PHP version:
apt-cache policy php
Reinstall:
sudo apt-get install --reinstall php php-cli php-fpm -y
4. Clean Residual Packages
sudo apt-get autoremove --purge -y
sudo apt-get clean
Post-Removal Validation
Do not assume success after package removal.
1. Confirm Moosh Is Removed
which moosh
dpkg -l | grep moosh
Both should return no results.
2. Confirm PPA Files Are Gone
ls /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ | grep zabuch
If files remain:
sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/zabuch-ubuntu-ppa-*.list
sudo apt-get update
3. Validate PHP Across All Contexts
Check CLI:
php -v
Check FPM service:
systemctl status php8.1-fpm
Check active sockets:
ls /run/php/
If using Apache:
apachectl -M | grep php
If using Nginx:
Inspect your site config:
fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php8.1-fpm.sock;
Ensure the socket matches the installed PHP version.
CLI PHP, FPM PHP, and web server PHP can differ. Validate all three to avoid silent breakage.
Handling Common Failure Scenarios
Web Application Returns 502
Likely cause:
- FPM service removed or wrong socket configured
Fix:
sudo systemctl restart php8.1-fpm
sudo systemctl restart nginx
Broken Dependencies After Removal
Repair package state:
sudo apt-get -f install
sudo dpkg --configure -a
System Still Pulling from PPA
Confirm no PPA entries remain:
grep -R "zabuch" /etc/apt/
Remove any remaining references and run:
sudo apt-get update
When Not to Remove the PPA
Do not remove the PPA if:
- You intentionally rely on PHP versions not available in Ubuntu repositories
- Other applications depend on packages exclusively provided by that PPA
- You are mid-upgrade between Ubuntu releases
In those cases, isolate Moosh removal only.
Further thoughts…
Removing Moosh is straightforward. Removing a PPA that alters your PHP stack is not.
Before purging:
- Check package origin
- Inspect reverse dependencies
- Confirm active PHP services
- Validate web server configuration
- Test application endpoints after changes
On production systems, take a snapshot or backup first. A 5-minute precaution is cheaper than debugging a broken PHP-FPM stack under pressure.