Quick Start
You have installed PHP Debugger. This is everything else — which, in most cases, is nothing at all.
1. Load it
If you installed the interpreter — the build with the debugger compiled in, which is what the installer and the Docker images give you by default — there is nothing to load. Skip to step 3.
If you installed the extension, one line in php.ini:
zend_extension=php_debugger.so
It has to be zend_extension, not extension.
2. Delete everything else
Debugging is on by default and starts with every request, so the settings you may be used to are unnecessary. Remove them if they are already there:
php_debugger.mode(orxdebug.mode) — alreadydebugphp_debugger.start_with_request(orxdebug.start_with_request) — alreadyyes- any line loading Xdebug, such as
zend_extension=xdebug.so— PHP Debugger takes its place, and loading both will not work
There is no trigger to set and no environment variable to remember.
3. Check where it connects
The debugger connects out to your editor. Two settings decide where:
| Setting | Default |
|---|---|
php_debugger.client_host | localhost |
php_debugger.client_port | 9003 |
Those are right when your editor and your code run on the same machine. They are
not right from inside a container, where localhost is the container itself — see
Docker for the setup that fixes it, or
connecting to a client for the rest of
the connection settings.
4. Set a breakpoint
Start your editor listening on port 9003, set a breakpoint, and run your code.
The debugger connects, pauses, and hands you the session.
See IDE Support for PhpStorm, VS Code and other IDEs.
Next steps
- Starting the debugger — if you need something other than the defaults
- Breakpoints and step debugging