php has a testing server by default (not fit for production): php -S localhost:8000 router.php https://www.php.net/manual/en/features.commandline.webserver.php Other than that, to run php command line straight from VSCode use "Code Runner": https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=formulahendry.code-runner it works really well. if you want to get off of Xampp, try docker / docker compose. if you're having issues with your PHP binary, that's a problem on your system, not VSCode. Answer from barrel_of_noodles on reddit.com
Devsense
community.devsense.com › d › 742-launch-built-in-server-home-page
Launch built-in server, home page - PHP Tools Community Forum | DEVSENSE
December 18, 2022 - Welcome to our community forum. This is an open discussion forum where we try to help and guide you through using Devsense's PHP Tools software. We're here to help!
Visual Studio Code
code.visualstudio.com › docs › languages › php
PHP in Visual Studio Code
November 3, 2021 - You can search for PHP extensions from within VS Code in the Extensions view (⇧⌘X (Windows, Linux Ctrl+Shift+X)) then filter the extensions dropdown list by typing 'php'. To disable the built-in PHP smart completions in favor of suggestions from an installed PHP extension, uncheck PHP > Suggest: Basic, which sets php.suggest.basic Open in VS Code Open in VS Code Insiders to false in your settings.json file.
Getting Visual Studio Code to recognise my PHP installation - PHP - SitePoint Forums | Web Development & Design Community
For several days I have been trying to install PHP. It is version 8.1.2. I download the zip file from www.php.net. Unpack the zip file to where I want it, and open the php folder. No matter which .exe file I click to open, the installation will not start. The closest I get to the installation ... More on sitepoint.com
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February 5, 2022debugging - How to run or debug php on Visual Studio Code (VSCode) - Stack Overflow
AND I remembered that I need to ... is not running without activation a script. VS Code doesn't do that. It is up to you. I assume that in your case you should "hook" a debugger to the desired PHP script and start excecution of that script. 2023-03-04T08:46:29.07Z+00:00 ... There is now a handy guide for configuring PHP debugging in Visual Studio Code at ... More on stackoverflow.com
How to customize Visual Studio to php development?
In fact, I was confusing my VS for Mac community edition with the Visual Studio Code that is a different app. So my Visual Studio will never be like Dreamweaver. I will use it to C# and for PHP I am back to Blue Fish. ... I'm guessing you are looking to run a live LAMP Stack simulation on Windows. More on learn.microsoft.com
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PHP not found in VS Code - Stack Overflow
I'm trying to learn PHP and am encountering some issues early on. When I setup my basic file, then select PHP serve project, I receive a message at the bottom right of the screen saying PHP not fo... More on stackoverflow.com
How do I debug PHP in VS Code?
Install the PHP Debug extension, configure XDebug in php.ini, and set up launch.json. Use breakpoints and press F5 to start debugging.
wpwebinfotech.com
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How To Run PHP In Visual Studio Code?
What’s the best way to format PHP code?
Use PHP Intelephense or PHP-CS-Fixer with editor.formatOnSave enabled. Configure rules in .php-cs-fixer.php for consistent styling.
wpwebinfotech.com
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How To Run PHP In Visual Studio Code?
How do I enable error reporting in VS Code?
Add these lines to your PHP file or php.ini: error_reporting(E_ALL); ini_set('display_errors', 1);. Ensure your php.ini has display_errors = On for development.
wpwebinfotech.com
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How To Run PHP In Visual Studio Code?
Videos
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/vscode › is there a "simple" way of running php soely through visual studio code?
r/vscode on Reddit: Is There A "simple" way of running PHP soely through Visual Studio Code?
April 1, 2024 -
So I've been using XAAMP to run PHP on my laptop and it works as it should. But it requires me to use a URL and then find the projects within the htdocs folder. I was wondering if there was something like Live Server that I could activate from Visual Studio and have it appear in the Web Browser.
I've done google searches on this already and it led me to download php extensions like php server and the php debugger extension.
However, I am a bit confused by these and what they do and I'm not sure if this is supposed to perform in a similar way that live server performs.
I've ran into issues though in getting VS Code to use the correct environmental variable. It keeps throwing an error that says the binaries couldn't be found or executed even though I have the path set in the json file to the folder holding the PHP related code.
I'm a bit confused and I'm also curious about whether or not what I'm trying to do is achievable or not.
Top answer 1 of 2
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php has a testing server by default (not fit for production): php -S localhost:8000 router.php https://www.php.net/manual/en/features.commandline.webserver.php Other than that, to run php command line straight from VSCode use "Code Runner": https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=formulahendry.code-runner it works really well. if you want to get off of Xampp, try docker / docker compose. if you're having issues with your PHP binary, that's a problem on your system, not VSCode.
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PHP Server extension https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=brapifra.phpserver
SitePoint
sitepoint.com › php
Getting Visual Studio Code to recognise my PHP installation - PHP - SitePoint Forums | Web Development & Design Community
February 5, 2022 - For several days I have been trying to install PHP. It is version 8.1.2. I download the zip file from www.php.net. Unpack the zip file to where I want it, and open the php folder. No matter which .exe file I click to ope…
DigitalOcean
digitalocean.com › community › tutorials › how-to-set-up-visual-studio-code-for-php-projects
How To Set Up Visual Studio Code (VS Code) for PHP Development | DigitalOcean
May 28, 2021 - Visual Studio Code is a lightweight yet powerful code editor that can be customized to suit the needs of most developers. In this guide, you learned how to install and configure the PHP Intelephense extension for extra support while working on PHP projects, how to import and create new projects within VS Code, and how to customize the editor appearance for a more comfortable coding experience.
Top answer 1 of 11
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Debugging PHP with VSCode using the vscode-php-debug extension
VSCode can now support debugging PHP projects through the marketplace extension vscode-php-debug.
This extension uses XDebug in the background, and allows you to use breakpoints, watches, stack traces and the like:
Installation is straightforward from within VSCode: Summon the command line with F1 and then type ext install php-debug
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As far as I read about it today, you can't debug anything else than node.js, JavaScript and TypeScript at the moment, but they said they want to add new languages which you can debug. The editor is still in development. Nevertheless, I don't think there will be a php debugger in the future since php is serverside, so you can't debug it on your client alone.
If you want to debug php, I can recommend xDebug.
Updated:
Now, it is possible to debug with VS code. You need to install XDebug and php-debug extension for VScode.
Visual Studio Code
code.visualstudio.com › docs › getstarted › getting-started
Tutorial: Get started with Visual Studio Code
1 week ago - In this tutorial, you learn about the key features of Visual Studio Code to help you get started quickly. You learn about the different components of the user interface, use an AI agent to build a web app, and explore how to enhance your setup with extensions. You also learn about configuring VS Code settings, using source control, and running and debugging your code.
WPWeb Infotech
wpwebinfotech.com › wpweb infotech › blog › php › run php in visual studio code: easy setup & debugging tips
How To Run PHP In Visual Studio Code?
December 30, 2025 - Learn how to run PHP in Visual Studio Code with this step-by-step guide. Set up a local server, debug with XDebug, and optimize your workflow.
Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › answers › questions › 908531 › how-to-customize-visual-studio-to-php-development
How to customize Visual Studio to php development? - Microsoft Q&A
Open your PHP file in Visual Studio Code and 'Click to run Live Server'.
Quora
quora.com › How-do-you-run-a-PHP-script-from-within-Visual-Studio-Code-VS-code-without-debugging-it
How to run a PHP script from within Visual Studio Code (VS code) without debugging it - Quora
Answer: There is a much easier way to run PHP, no configuration needed: 1. Install the Code Runner Extension 2. Open the PHP code file in Text Editoruse shortcut [code ]Ctrl+Alt+N[/code]or press [code ]F1[/code] and then select/type [code ]Run ...
GitHub
docs.github.com › en › codespaces › setting-up-your-project-for-codespaces › adding-a-dev-container-configuration › setting-up-your-php-project-for-codespaces
Setting up a PHP project for GitHub Codespaces - GitHub Docs
This guide shows you how to set up an example PHP project in GitHub Codespaces using the Visual Studio Code web client.
Tighten
tighten.com › insights › configure-vscode-to-debug-phpunit-tests-with-xdebug
Debugging: Configure VS Code + XDebug + PHPUnit | Tighten
October 19, 2017 - Almost all of the resources I have come across for using Xdebug cover the first use case, via the browser. However, I want to use it in the terminal by running PHPUnit tests. After many hours of stumbling around, I found the configuration that works to use Xdebug Remote Debugging with one of the more popular editors out today, Visual Studio Code.
Ask Ubuntu
askubuntu.com › questions › 1398969 › how-to-run-php-code-in-vscode-in-ubuntu-20-04-when-it-was-installed-with-xampp
lamp - How to run php code in VSCode in Ubuntu 20.04, when it was installed with XAMPP server? - Ask Ubuntu
March 23, 2022 - I want to execute php files on VSCode (php was installed with XAMPP server), so I find the executable path of my php with whereis php, after this I got: php: /opt/lampp/bin/php , so on VSCode settings.json file I added:
Microsoft
devblogs.microsoft.com › dev blogs › visual studio blog › php in visual studio
PHP in Visual Studio - Visual Studio Blog
November 3, 2022 - Place a breakpoint F9 and hit F5 to run the project and start debugging. The server which is configured in the project (by default it’s PHP’s built-in Web server) will run and a browser opens.
Devsense
community.devsense.com › d › 501-tutorial-for-php-tools-with-vs-code
tutorial for PHP Tools with VS Code? - PHP Tools Community Forum | DEVSENSE
December 30, 2021 - Welcome to our community forum. This is an open discussion forum where we try to help and guide you through using Devsense's PHP Tools software. We're here to help!
AWS Builder Center
builder.aws.com › content › 39cIeNIW9Q8mOkmchg12alsy1bz › how-to-run-php-in-visual-studio-code-step-by-step-guide
How to Run PHP in Visual Studio Code: Step-by-Step Guide
February 13, 2026 - Connect with builders who understand your journey. Share solutions, influence AWS product development, and access useful content that accelerates your growth. Your community starts here.
Top answer 1 of 13
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Go to the PHP Server extension setting. There you have to add the path for:
PHP Config Path: C:\xampp\php\php.ini
PHP Path: C:\xampp\php\php.exe
[Make sure to add your installed folder, if you have installed xampp in another drive, you need to give that specific location.]
My settings:
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Go to File->Preferences->settings->User settings tab->extensions->from the drop down select php->on the right pane under PHP › Validate: Executable Path select edit in settings.json.
Then set the path as your case may be for a XAMPP user who installed XAMPP on c drive you will have:
"php.validate.executablePath": "c:\\xampp\\php\\php.exe"
If PHP is installed in your system independently or by other means simply set the path of your php.exe file like below:
"php.validate.executablePath": "C://path.to.your.php.folder//php.exe"
Found this solution from php not found visual studio.
Quirkweb Studios
quirkwebstudios.co.ke › home › blogs › web development › how to run php in visual studio code
How To Run PHP In Visual Studio Code - Quirkweb Studios
January 5, 2026 - Open the integrated terminal in Visual Studio Code by clicking View > Terminal or pressing Ctrl + ` . In the terminal, navigate to the directory containing your PHP file. Run the PHP script by typing the following command and pressing Enter:
Essential IT
essential-it.com › home › how to set up a php development environment in visual studio code
How to Set Up a PHP Development Environment in Visual Studio Code | Essential IT
May 6, 2025 - Open the Run and Debug view (Ctrl+Shift+D). Click on ‘create a launch.json file‘. Select ‘PHP‘ from the environment options. VS Code will generate a launch.json file with default settings.
Visual Studio Marketplace
marketplace.visualstudio.com › items
PHP Tools for Visual Studio Code
Extension for Visual Studio Code - All-in-One PHP support - IntelliSense, Debug, Formatter, Code Lenses, Code Fixes, Linting, Refactoring, PHPUnit Tests, Web Server, and more.