Integrating Claude in a PHP app is simpler than it looks, but doing it right for production requires avoiding a few pitfalls.
Minimal client
No official PHP SDK but guzzlehttp/guzzle is enough.
Prompt caching
Reduces costs up to 90% on repeated prompts. 5-minute TTL.
Streaming
Essential for good UX.
Tool use
Give Claude the ability to call PHP functions.
Security
Never ship the API key to the client. Always proxy server-side.