Php Development Tools

PHP Development Tools

PHP is a server-side scripting language. It is used to create dynamic web pages, and it powers the vast majority of websites. It’s also easy to learn, which makes it a good choice for beginners.

PHP development tools can make your job easier by giving you access to a wide range of features and functionality that are not available in the base language.

Php Development Tools

1. PHPStorm

If you’re developing projects using several third-party applications and using large codebases, PHPStorm is the best choice for you. The tool offers the code editing environment.

The Java-based lightweight IDE supports PHP coding frameworks including Laravel, Yii, and Zend. Furthermore, the PHP development tool supports popular Content Management Systems such as WordPress and Drupal. 

Pros

• The background code indexing connects the code together and catches common errors.
• The in-built terminal allows you to run code management tools and pre-processing directly from the editor. 
• Cross-platform support allows running the software on any operating platform.  

Cons

• Operates slowly in machines with lower than 16 GB RAM. 
• A rigid project-based structure prevents from taking throwaway notes or performing quick edits.

2. Zend Studio

Google. Microsoft. StrikeIron. These are some of the giants that use Zend Studio.

The PHP development tool can deploy PHP applications on any server and offers stunning speed. Zend Studio is compatible with PHP 7.

Pros

• Offers fast coding along with an intelligent code editor. 
• Integrates with Zend Debugger, X-ray, and Xdebug.
• Offers PHP profiling and debugging both independently and with the Zend Server.
• Supports all the leading programming languages including PHP, JavaScript, C, and C++.
• Offers interoperability with GitHub, Git, SVN, and CVS.

Cons

• The PHP development tool has a steep learning curve and huge documentation.
• The plug-ins are expensive.

3. PHP Debug Bar

Source

PHP Debug Bar allows you to display profiling data from multiple web applications. The development tool comes with two parts — the main DebugBar and data collectors and the render. 

The development tool works on the data collector architecture. Furthermore, the tool allows you to save your requests and reopen them.

Pros

• Inspects monitor networks and CSS elements.
• You can create customized collectors and view the collectors in the bar.
• Supports leading programming languages including Java, PHP, and Ruby. 
• Offers an in-built data collector for standard PHP highlights.
• Can handle AJAX requests with ease.
• Offers detailed documentation. 

Cons

• Incompatible with PHP versions lower than 5.5.

4. CodeLobster

If you’re searching for an IDE to modernize and streamline the development process, CodeLobster is the perfect choice for you. The PHP development tool supports all the leading PHP frameworks including Laravel, EmberJS, and CodeIgniter.

The developers offer CodeLobster at a price of $39.95 per feature.

Pros

• In-built PHP debugger validates the code locally.
• Offers an auto-complete feature for PHP arguments, characters, tags, functions, and attributes. Thus, you won’t need to remember anything during coding.
• Autocompletes DOM elements, keywords, and their respective properties.
• Supports all leading platforms including Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. Furthermore, among these top eight PHP development tools, CodeLobster supports all the major programming languages such as JavaScript, CSS, and HTML as well.

Cons

• The user interface is outdated.
• Doesn’t showcase larger data items in their entirety.

Also read: Identifying the Best Web Development Framework for Your Business Needs

5. AWS Cloud9

AWS Cloud9 offers a pre-configured environment to allow developers to start coding right away. Furthermore, if you want to build a server less application and write, debug, and run code in a browser, AWS Cloud9 is the perfect tool for you.

The web services unit of Amazon.com has created the Integrated Development Environment (IDE). The app comes equipped with an in-built code editor, debugger, and terminal. 

Pros

• Offers a real-time language analysis, image editor, and debugger.
• Offers real-time input tracking and a shareable development environment. 
• The collaborative coding feature allows developers to code along with their colleagues.
• Offers supported tooling for over 40 programming languages including PHP, JavaScript, Python, Node.js, and C++.
• Offers file revision history to help you see all the changes you made.

Cons

• Doesn’t support language debugging other than PHP.
• Doesn’t sync with file storage services such as Google Drive and Dropbox.

6. Netbeans

A free, lightweight, open-source, and cross-platform IDE for PHP applications. That’s Netbeans for you. The PHP development tool supports several languages other than English such as Russian, Japanese, Brazilian, Chinese, and Portuguese.

The tool was originally built for Java development.

Pros

• Offers a Netbeans profiler, intelligent code completion, and a visual debugger.
• Offers sturdy project management, code templates, efficient refactoring, and getter setter generation.
• Compatible with all the leading PHP frameworks such as WordPress, Zend, Symfony 2, Smarty, CakePHP, and FuelPHP.
• Excellent for testing and debugging code. 
• Allows you to run server-based applications with ease.

Cons

• Takes up lots of space. Furthermore, the IDE runs slow on computers with i3 processors.
• Compilation and execution performance is slower when compared to other IDEs. 

7. Aptana Studio

Aptana Studio is the perfect choice for you if you want to build dynamic web applications. The PHP development tool integrates with several server-side and client-side applications that use technologies such as PHP, HTML5, Python, and many others.

The tool upholds the command-line interface and debuggers and makes them more advanced for PHP website development. 

Pros

• Offers IDE, FTP, and SFTP customization. Furthermore, code assistant allows you to write programs in different languages including JavaScript and CSS.
• Integrates with JavaScript and AJAX popular libraries. 
• Supports information availability from all leading internet browsers such as Firefox, Opera, and Safari.
• Allows you to build and test web applications in one environment. 
• Offers a deployment wizard, an integrated debugger, an integrated terminal, and code help.

Cons

• Aptana Studio among all he PHP development tools is heavy and can get stuck when several apps are working simultaneously. 

8. Eclipse

If you’re searching for a tool that offers a wide range of plugins to make coding easier, Eclipse is your best shot. Developed by IBM, the PHP development tool is customizable. Furthermore, the tool supports both GUI and non-GUI applications.

The tool offers both the PHP and Java environment as standards. 

Pros

• Offers code templates, code assistance, code restructuring, code formatting and navigation, and syntax highlighting. The feature helps you to write better code with ease.
• Supports all the leading programming languages such as JavaScript, COBOL, Ruby, C, C++, and Python.
• Auto-completion which helps you save a lot of time.
• A wide range of plugins including code formatter plugins and unit testing plugins.
• Offers multiple language support too.
• The user interface is simple and easy to use. 
• Offers detailed documentation and an active community. Thus, any time you have an issue, there’s an answer. 

Cons

• Doesn’t offer an in-built code replacement feature.
• Intellisense feature can hang at times.

A PHP developer’s skills should match their salary

A PHP developer salary ranges from $29,040 to $91,508 a year on average. If you’re going to pay someone that much, you must make sure they have the necessary skills and knowledge. 

In this article, you have learnt about the top eight PHP development tools a developer must have knowledge of:

•  PHPStorm
• Zend Studio
• PHP Debug Bar
• CodeLobster
• AWS Cloud9
• Netbeans
• Aptana Studio
• Eclipse

The knowledge will help you make informed decisions

php mobile app development tools

1. Zend StudioMost websites are written in PHP version 7. Zend Studio is suitable for PHP 7 and is used by most developers for the same. The specialty of Zend Studio is that it has optimal speed. You can write and debug code using Zend Studio and Zend Debugger without spending any extra time.It integrates X-ray, Xdebug, and Zend Debugger and debugs PHP scripts. It is a comprehensive PHP IDE, and it comes with an advanced set of features that are capable of deploying applications on various servers, including the ones in the cloud.  In fact, developers also have an option to use Eclipse plugins and extend Zend Studio.Some unique points of Zend Studio:
   • Allows to code better with an intelligent code editor
   • Allows debugging and profiling (independently or with Zend server)
   • Leverage interoperability: Git, GitHub, CVS, and SVN
   • Deployment becomes easy and PHP apps can be deployed to private and public clouds
   • DPI scaling and other resolution capabilities of HiDiPi displays
   Additional specialties:
   • It supports various languages like PHP, Visual Basic, JavaScript, C, C++, and C#
   • It supports various platforms like Microsoft Windows, Linux, and macOS
2. Code LobsterCodelobster PHP IDE is an IDE created by Codeobster software firm. The web developer community considers this it’s favorite among all the PHP development tools. You might have heard about PHP frameworks like Laravel, CodeIgniter (our PHP developers love this), CakePHP, Joomla, Drupal, and Symfony. Codelobster supports all these, and this is one of the contributing factors in its popularity.The web development process can be complicated if it wasn’t for CodeLobster’s quality of simplifying and organizing it.  Another thing that developers find useful is that it has implemented auto-complete features of tags for languages like JavaScript, HyperText Markup Language, Cascading Style Sheets, and the names of arguments, functions, and attributes. This means there is no fear of forgetting them.The developers can also validate their code locally using its internal PHP debugger. Apart from all this, this tool also automatically detects the current settings of the server and configures the required files, making it easier for you to use the free debugger.Some unique points of CodeLobster:
   • The PHP debugger contains all the information like when you get while debugging a compiled language
   • Helps in finding the root cause of complex, difficult, and simple bugs
   • Plugins for many popular frameworks like WordPress, Joomla, and Magento
   • Autocompleting of keywords, DOM elements & their properties
   Additional specialties:
   • It supports languages like PHP, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS
   • Supported Platforms: Windows, Fedora, Linux, Ubuntu, Debian, Mac OS, Mint
   • Supported Content Management Systems: Drupal, WordPress, Magento, and Joomla
3. Sublime Text 3It is one of the most classy and sturdy text editors for the PHP developers out there. It has the classiness of the Sublime and sturdiness of PHP. It has extraordinary designs and feature-rich functionalities that make it a favorite source code editors amongst the developer community.Apart from this, it is extremely lightweight and supports OS X, Windows, and Linux.  Sublime Text 3 is not an PHP IDE but you can install certain plugins/packages and can make it a suitable editor for developing different PHP apps. Some of the most important packages for this are xDebug client-CodeBug, Sublime PHP companion,  Simple PHPUnit, CodIntel, and PHPDoc.It is a customizable text editor with a custom UI toolkit, you can use it to climb across symbols, words, or lines using appropriate key shortcuts.Some unique points of Sublime Text:
   • Allows multiple sections so that one can make over 10 changes at one time
   • Allows interacting with many lines at once and change variable names and other attributes
   • Supports split editing
   • Has instant project switch feature
   • Effective command palette
   • It has a distraction-free mode
   • Many plugin API and packages
   Additional Specialties:
   • It supports almost all the popular programming languages
   • Supported platforms: Windows, Mac OS, and Linux
4. NetBeansNetBeans is a PHP IDE initially created as open-source by Sun Microsystems and was later held by Oracle. It is now moving to Apache and is called Apache NetBeans. It was originally developed for Java development and was sluggish, but the current version is more supportive of  PHP development services and is also much faster. It boasts of being downloaded 18+ million times and having one of the largest communities of developers operational on an open-source integrated development environment.Netbeans is considered the best software for PHP development as it supports building large-scale web apps and offers a range of languages like English, simplified Chinese, Japanese, Brazilian, Russian, and Portuguese. Apart from this, it has incredible support resources for the popular PHP frameworks like Zend, Smarty Doctrine, and Symfony2.  Further, it uses Laravel-IDE-helper to support Laravel and enable support for other frameworks like FuelPHP, CakePHP, Yii, and WordPress Content Management System.The top features of NetBeans like getter setter generation, efficient project management, smart code completion and editing, quick fixes, hints, code templates, and refactoring are the reason why it is so popular.Debugging is also very efficient when it comes to NetBeans. The developers can use a command line or xDebug together locally and remotely. Moreover, NetBeans also takes into account JavaScript, HTML, and CSS and supports web development. NetBeans is a one such PHP IDE that comes with SSG support and has Git support.Some unique points of NetBeans:
   • Code folding and formatting
   • Smart code completion and editing
   • Rectangular selection
   • Getter Setter generation
   • Helps write bug-free code
   • Rapid user interface development
   • Try/catch code completion
   • Code navigation
   • Syntax highlighting
   Additional Specialties:
   • It supports multiple languages like PHP, JavaScript, C, C++, and HTML5
   • Platforms supported: Windows, Linux, macOS, and Solaris
5. AWS Cloud 9AWS Cloud 9 is a cloud based PHP IDE. You can code, execute, and debug your code using just your browser. It is a complete solution and consists of a code editor, debugger, and terminal. The best part is that all you need is an internet-connected machine to use it, your location doesn’t matter at all.This open-source cloud PHP IDE is not just for PHP or web application development, it basically provides a development environment for hundreds of programming languages like C, C++, JavaScript, and Python. It has prepackaged development tools and environments that the PHP developers can use to start coding immediately and develop web applications with features like live preview and browser compatibility testing.The developers collaborate with their colleagues with collaborative coding or programming features. This means that developers can share their development environment with their peers and fellow developers. It also allows them to pair a program with colleagues or team members and track real-time inputs.The best part about using Cloud  9 is that it enables you to create and execute serverless apps, define resources, and debug remotely. Building a serverless application is effortless and they can code in their browser with no issues.Some unique points of AWS Cloud9:
   • Carry out real-time language analysis
   • Marking or tabbing file management
   • The debugging process is integrated
   • Iterate your code directly
   • Allows access to AWS services
   • Built-in image-editor
   • Reformatting code
   Additional Specialties
   • It supports languages like PHP, JavaScript, C, C++, and HTML5
   • Supported platforms: Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Solaris
6. PHPDebugbarYou can guess it right from the name, so no points for guessing. PHPDebugbaris a PHP debugger and it can execute with any project and displays data from a variety of web apps. There are two parts to this PHP development tool viz.  mainDebugBar object with data collectors and the renderer. Data collectors collect specific data A StandardDebugBar consists of a prepackaged built-in set of collectors.Again, it is not only for PHP language even if the name might connote so. You can catch JavaSCript and HTML bugs using this. Another feature of PHPDebugbar is that it can inspect CSS elements, check the JavaScript, and monitor a network.It has become a really impressive open-source solution as it offers more features than developers expect from it. If you are planning for profiling of data from any web application, this can be one of the best options.Some unique points of PHPDebugbar:
   • It has a clean, fast, and user-friendly interface
   • Network traffic can be monitored
   • It can also handle AJAX requests
   • Log & debug directly to Debugbar
   • You can save and reopen previous requests
   • Consists of generic and well-known data collector libraries
   • Application config and Preview config
   Additional Specialties:    
   • It supports languages like PHP, Ruby, .Net, and Java
   • Supported PHP versions: PHP 5.5 & above
7. EclipseYou will find this name on every list with the title ‘Best tools for PHP development’. It is the best tool for PHP projects, and it ranks in the top PHP IDEs and PHP development tools as well.It is free to use an open-source platform that can be used if you follow the terms of the project license Eclipse Public License 2.0. Eclipse IDE has been updated to require Java 11 as a minimum version for running. However, if you want to compile, any version, as usual, can be used.You will have the freedom to choose from a broad range of plugins, and it will make it easier to develop as well as simplify the complex PHP code. You can also customize and extend this PHP IDE for PHP development tools to address the needs of the project. You can run and execute both GUI and non-GUI applications. It is a cross-platform PHP text editor and is ideal for large-scale PHP projects.Some unique points of Eclipse:
   • Highlighting Syntax
   • Recently embedded Node.JS that will help you work outside the box. This is for LSP-based toolings
   • It has the updated Windows dark theme GTK light theme
   • The documentation is extensive and you will find answers to all your queries
   • The community is also very active and you may inquire there as well
   • Code templates and code formatting
   • Allows to navigate code
   • It allows unit testing
   Additional Specialties:
   • It supports languages like ABAP, Ada, C, C++, Haskell, COBOL, D, JavaScript, Fortran, Java, Julia, Perl, Lua, NATURAL, PHP, Prolog, Ruby, Python, R, Lasso, Rust, Scala, Groovy, Scheme, Clojure, and Erlang
   • Supported Platforms: Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and Solaris

Frequently Asked Questions

What is PHP and what is it used for?

PHP stands for “Hypertext Preprocessor” (it is a recursive acronym) which earlier meant Personal Home Pages. PHP is a server-side scripting language that is embedded in HTML. It is used to develop static or dynamic websites or web applications. This is because PHP is great to manage dynamic content, databases, session tracking, even build entire e-commerce sites.

Which software is used for PHP programming?

Different types of software can be used for PHP programming; however, there is one tool that is being used by most web developers. NetBeans (an open-source PHP IDE) has over 18M downloads and is the PHP tool or PHP IDE of choice for 800K developers worldwide.

Which are the most commonly used programming tools?

The most basic coding or programming tools are a source code editor (also called text editor) and a compiler or interpreter. These are used ubiquitously and continuously. There are other tools like debugger and profiler which are used more or less, depending on the language, development methodology, and individual engineer, often used for a discrete task.

Which is the best web development tool?

There are various web development tools, and here, we have enlisted some of the most popular and widely used PHP tools for web development.

• TypeScript
• Sketch
• NPM
• Bootstrap
• Visual Studio Code
• JQuery
• GitHub
• Sublime Text

Conclusion

So, these were the top 7 PHP development tools that you can use for your web applications or website projects. These PHP development tools are only some of the many tools that are available in the market. The best part about these is that most of them are open-source and have great features like syntax highlighting to debugging.

We hope this article has been helpful to you. Also, feel free to bookmark it as we will keep adding more PHP development tools to the list once we explore. We have developed over 300 PHP projects including Veebo that is a Virtual party app and One-8 that is a leading Transportation Management App

Conclusion

Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

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