This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Shariful Ehasan
Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a favorite among PHP developers because it’s lightweight, customizable, and packed with extensions that can supercharge your workflow. Whether you’re building a simple website or a complex Laravel application, the right extensions can make coding faster, cleaner, and more enjoyable. Here are five must-have VS Code extensions for PHP development that will boost your productivity and make your code shine.
1. PHP Intelephense
What it does: PHP Intelephense is a powerful extension that provides intelligent code completion, real-time error checking, and navigation features like “go to definition” and “find references.” It’s like having a smart assistant that understands your PHP code.
Why it’s great: It speeds up coding with accurate suggestions for functions, classes, and variables, even in large projects. It also highlights syntax errors as you type, helping you catch mistakes early. The free version is solid, but the paid version ($12 lifetime license) adds advanced features like symbol renaming.
Pro tip: Disable VS Code’s built-in PHP suggestions to avoid duplicate completions. In settings.json, add: "php.suggest.basic": false.
2. PHP Debug
What it does: This extension integrates Xdebug into VS Code, allowing you to set breakpoints, inspect variables, and step through your PHP code to find and fix bugs.
Why it’s great: Debugging with var_dump() or die() is a hassle. PHP Debug lets you pause execution, check variable values, and trace your code’s flow right in the editor. It’s a game-changer for troubleshooting complex logic in frameworks like Laravel or Symfony.
Pro tip: Ensure Xdebug is installed on your server and configure the php.validate.executablePath in VS Code to point to your PHP executable.
3. PHP CS Fixer
What it does: PHP CS Fixer automatically formats your PHP code to follow standards like PSR-2 or PSR-12, ensuring consistency and readability.
Why it’s great: Clean, standardized code is easier to read and maintain, especially in team projects. This extension can format your code on save, fixing things like indentation, spacing, and brace placement automatically.
Pro tip: Install PHP CS Fixer globally via Composer (composer global require friendsofphp/php-cs-fixer) and enable format-on-save in VS Code: "editor.formatOnSave": true.
4. Laravel Blade Snippets
What it does: For Laravel developers, this extension provides snippets and auto-completion for Blade templates, Laravel’s templating engine.
Why it’s great: It speeds up writing Blade views with shortcuts for common directives like @foreach, @if, and @section. It also includes syntax highlighting and formatting, making your templates easier to work with.
Pro tip: Combine this with the Laravel Artisan extension to run Artisan commands directly from VS Code for a seamless Laravel workflow.
5. PHP DocBlocker
What it does: PHP DocBlocker simplifies adding PHPDoc comments to your functions, classes, and properties, generating documentation blocks with a single keypress.
Why it’s great: Well-documented code is crucial for collaboration and maintenance. This extension auto-generates @param, @return, and other tags, saving you time and ensuring your code is clear to others (or your future self!).
Pro tip: Press /** above a function and hit Enter to let PHP DocBlocker generate a complete docblock template.
Wrapping Up
These five extensions PHP Intelephense, PHP Debug, PHP CS Fixer, Laravel Blade Snippets, and PHP DocBlocker turn VS Code into a powerhouse for PHP development. They help you write cleaner code, debug faster, and streamline your workflow, whether you’re working on vanilla PHP or a Laravel project. Install them from the VS Code Marketplace, tweak their settings to fit your needs, and watch your productivity soar. Happy coding!
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Shariful Ehasan