Top 10 VS Code Extensions for PHP Developers

If you’re working in PHP, here are the 10 best VS Code extensions that will supercharge your development experience. These tools help with debugging, code quality, IntelliSense, Laravel development, and much more.

1. PHP Intelephense (by Ben Mewburn)

One of the most powerful PHP extensions. It provides:

1. Intelligent code completion (IntelliSense)
2. Go-to-definition
3. Symbol searching
4. Refactoring support
5. Function signature help

👉 Must-have for every PHP developer.

2. PHP Debug (Xdebug Integration)

Integrates Xdebug with VS Code.
It allows you to:

1. Set breakpoints
2. Step through code
3. Inspect variables
4. Evaluate expressions

Perfect for finding and fixing bugs quickly.

3. PHP Tools for VS Code

A full-featured PHP extension that includes:

1. Debugging
2. Linting and error checking
3. Unit testing support
4. Code formatting
5. Smart refactoring

This extension makes VS Code feel like a professional PHP IDE.

4. Laravel Blade Formatter

Even though it focuses on Blade templates, it’s essential for Laravel developers.
It automatically formats your Blade files and ensures consistency in your template syntax.

5. Prettier – Code Formatter

Prettier makes your code look clean and readable by automatically formatting it according to standard rules.
It supports PHP, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and many other languages.

6. Laravel Artisan

Run Artisan commands directly from VS Code — no need to switch to the terminal.
You can:

1. Generate controllers, models, and migrations
2. Run migrations
3. Clear cache

It’s a huge time-saver for Laravel projects.

7. Laravel Snippets

Provides code snippets for common Laravel syntax — routes, controllers, Blade directives, etc.
Helps you write code faster with fewer typos.

8. PHP Namespace Resolver

Automatically imports and organizes namespaces.
You can:

1. Import classes easily
2. Sort and clean up your “use” statements

A small but powerful tool for clean code management.

9. Path Intellisense

Adds autocomplete for file paths in your code.
When you type /, it shows matching files and directories — great for including files or linking assets.

10. DotENV

Syntax highlighting and validation for .env files.
Helps you manage environment variables safely and easily — especially in Laravel or other frameworks.