Debugging with Xdebug

Xdebug is a PHP extension enabling real step-debugging in your editor — setting breakpoints and inspecting variables at the exact moment something goes wrong, rather than sprinkling var_dump() calls everywhere.

; php.ini
zend_extension=xdebug
xdebug.mode=debug
xdebug.client_port=9003

Once installed and configured, VS Code or PhpStorm connects to it automatically when you start a debugging session — set a breakpoint, run the page, and execution pauses exactly there.