PHP xDebug on Linux/Mac and phpStorm

xdebug-on-linux.md

Install and Configure xDebug 🪲 on Linux for PhpStorm 🐘

• Assuming that you have already installed php and apache
• Install xDebug php extension

# Arch Linux , Manjaro
sudo pacman -Sy xdebug

# Ubuntu 16.04,18.04
sudo apt-get install php-xdebug

• Edit your xdebug.ini
• Your xdebug.ini file path (according to your php version) should look like this
  • /etc/php/7.1/mods-available/xdebug.ini
• Add these lines without modifying exiting

zend_extension=xdebug.so
xdebug.mode=debug
xdebug.client_port = 9000
xdebug.idekey = PHPSTORM
xdebug.show_error_trace = 1
xdebug.file_link_format = phpstorm://open?%f:%l
xdebug.max_nesting_level=1000

• Restart the apache server to reflect changes

sudo service apache2 restart

• Configure phpStorm

• Go through - Settings >> Languages & Frameworks >> PHP >> Debug

• Check that 'Debug port' is the same you have in your xdebug.ini. In our case it was 9000.

• Save and close the Settings Dialog

• Start debugging

• Create some breakpoints in your project

• Make sure those breakpoints gets executed when your visit your website in browser.

• Start listener by clicking on the telephone 📞 button on top toolbar

• If you can't find telephone button; then go through menus - Run -> Start listening for PHP Debug Connections

• In your browser access your project url like this

http://localdomain.test/?XDEBUG_SESSION_START=1

• OR use bookmarks

• OR use chrome extension

• You should see a popup window in PhpStorm , click Accept connection

• Done, enjoy debugging !!!

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Disable xdebug

sudo phpdismod xdebug

Enable xdebug back

sudo phpenmod xdebug

Disable xdebug for commandline only

sudo phpdismod -s cli xdebug

xdebug-on-mac.md

Install and Configure xDebug 🪲 on MacOS for PhpStorm 🐘

⚠️ This guide only applies to Homebrew v1.6+

• Check your version brew --version before proceeding

• Assuming that you have already installed php and apache via Homebrew v1.6+

• Install xDebug php extension

pecl channel-update pecl.php.net
pecl clear-cache

# If you have php v5.6
pecl install xdebug-2.5.5
# If you have php v7.x
pecl install xdebug

pecl clear-cache

• Edit your ext-xdebug.ini
• Your ext-xdebug.ini file path should look like this (depends on php version installed)
  • /usr/local/etc/php/7.1/conf.d/ext-xdebug.ini
• Add these lines by overwriting exiting

;zend_extension="/usr/local/Cellar/[email protected]/7.1.21/pecl/20160303/xdebug.so"
zend_extension="xdebug.so"
xdebug.mode=debug
xdebug.client_port = 9000
xdebug.idekey = PHPSTORM
xdebug.show_error_trace = 1
xdebug.file_link_format = phpstorm://open?%f:%l
xdebug.max_nesting_level=1000

• Update your php.ini

• When installing xdebug extension using pecl, it also updates our php.ini file, but we don't need that.

• Find your php.ini file, file path should look like this (depends on php version installed)

  • /usr/local/etc/php/7.1/php.ini

• Remove any occurrence of zend_extension="xdebug.so" from this file

• Restart the apache server to reflect changes

sudo apachectl -k restart

• Configure phpStorm

• Go through - Settings >> Languages & Frameworks >> PHP >> Debug

• Check that 'Debug port' is the same you have in your ext-xdebug.ini. In our case it was 9000.

• Save and close the Settings Dialog

• Start debugging

• Create some breakpoints in your project

• Make sure those breakpoints gets executed when your visit your website in browser.

• Start listener by clicking on the telephone 📞 button on top toolbar

• If you can't find telephone button; then go through menus - Run -> Start listening for PHP Debug Connections

• In your browser access your project url like this

http://localdomain.test/?XDEBUG_SESSION_START=1

• OR use bookmarks

• OR use chrome extension

• You should see a popup window in PhpStorm , click Accept connection

• Done, enjoy debugging !!!