Hi guys! Sorry that this is post without code attempt examples and so on I have just a simple question Should I use phar-format of my plugins if I'm not going to distribute them? It there any benefits of using plugins on production server in phars instead of php-sources?
Yes, and yes. There are indeed benefits. The main reason, is because when they are in zip format, they can only be loaded with Developer Tools. Running the plugins with developer tools (at least as far as I know, and have experienced), can be slower. So I would indeed recommend running them in phar format. Plus, when in phar format, the plugins are easier and quicker to install.
In a nutshell: Use PHAR when you're distributing it for deployment, and source when you're developing, and want people to easily see your code. Unless it's a development server, you're probably going to want to use an archived version of the plugin. You might also want to check out this StackOverflow question: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3521484/advantages-of-phar-archives-in-php
@PEMapModder's NOWHERE framework might make versioning of phar files easier by generating a new plugin.yml every time.
