Best PHP Development Tools in 2024

We have mentioned the top 12 list of the best PHP development tools to help you to develop PHP projects!

It has become crucial for any business to have a website or online presence on the internet. Whether you have a startup or a successful business, your website needs to perform well on Google page. We know it is challenging to make a position in the competitive market. But, with an Atlanta web developer, you can create an engaging and appealing website for your business.

However, among all these, PHP development is the most preferred choice among developers and entrepreneurs to build scalable websites. According to W3Techs's data, PHP is the known server-side programming language for 78.9 websites developed worldwide. It means 8 out of 10 websites you visit on the internet are created by using PHP.

PHP language includes detailed documentation, advanced security, firm support, and other well-supported structures. However, experts have developed PHP development tools to enhance programming efficiency to make PHP work easy. Currently, the internet is flooded with various PHP tools, so choosing the best among them is challenging. Therefore, we compiled the best PHP development tools that grab the attention of developers.

Popular PHP development tool for Developers in 2024

The following PHP development tool will help the developer to build innovative, engaging, and feature-rich PHP projects.

1. Code Lobster

Codeobster firms create Codelobster. These tools are favorite among the developer community among all the PHP development tools. Any developer is familiar with PHP frameworks like CakePHP, Joomla, Drupal, Laravel, and Symfony. The Code Lobster supports all this and contributes to its popularity.

However, the web development process can be challenging if it was not for Code Lobster's quality of simplifying and organizing it. Also, with Code Lobster, there is no requirement to remember a function's name, tags, or attributes because it has to autocomplete features that will implement all these for HTML, PHP, CSS, and JavaScript.

Specialties

• Support different languages like PHP, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• Support content management systems like Drupal, WordPress, Magento, and Joomla.
• Support other platforms like Windows, Linux, Ubuntu, Mac, OS, and Mint.

Features

• Syntax highlighting
• Code Validator
• SQL manager
• Function parameters display

2. Cloud9

Sometimes the developer doesn't want to download and install a different integrated development environment. So, for those PHP developers, there is Cloud9 - an online PHP. The Cloud9 tool enables you to write, run, debug and test the code without installing it on the local device. It helps the developer start the project immediately without installing and configuring files, SDKs, and plugins.

It is an open-source cloud IDE that offers a development environment for various programming languages like C, C++, JavaScipt, and Python. This tool comes with an online solid code editor, PHP debugger, and terminal with pre-authorized across to AWS services. Cloud9 comes with pre-packaged extensions, so if you use out-of-box plugins, it enables you to start working on new projects immediately.

Specialties

• Support languages like javascript, C, C++, HTML5, and PHP.
• Support other platforms like Windows, Mac, OS, Linus, and Solaris

Features

• Integrated debugger
• Carry out real-time language analysis
• Enable access to AWS services
• The debugging process is integrated

3. Sublime Text

Sublime text is one of PHP developers' most widely used text editors. IDE is not actual; thus, you can convert it into a decent editor for writing PHP applications by implementing specific plugins. However, this cross-platform source code editor supports multiple programming languages natively.

However, with its feature-rich functions and distinctive looks, the developer community considers the text editor the most excellent Web development IDE for PHP programming. Its foremost configurable text editor comes with a UI toolkit that enables you to navigate among symbols, lines, and words using valuable shortcuts.

Specialties

• Support almost all languages
• Support different platforms like Linux, Mac OS, and Windows

Features

• Effective command palette
• Allows interaction with many lines simultaneously and changes variable names and other attributes.
• Many plugin API and packages
• Support spilled editing

4. PHP Storm

With the nature of being lightweight, PHP storm is the most common choice for other PHP development tools. This PHP IDE works well with PHP frameworks like Zend Framework, laravel, CakePHP, Symfony, and other popular content management systems like Drupal, WordPress, and Magento. However, this IDE will provide IDE support for major front-end technologies like CSS, JavaScript, HTML5, etc., while supporting the code refactoring, unit testing, and debugging.

Besides, it empowers developers to integrate with databases, remote deployment, composer, command line tools, version control system, rest client, and many other tools.

Specialties

• Supported platforms like Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows
• Supported languages like PHP, Visual basics, C, C++, C#, and JavaScript

Features

• Native encoding support
• Code- rearranger
• Support extension with other valuable plugins like VimEditor
• Code completion

5. Apache NetBeans

We can bet that every developer should be heard about this PHP development tool. It is a trendy and integrated development environment IDE for developing and designing web applications. The tools include various features like database tools, git, SVN, code hinting, etc., used in developing software using PHP.

Previously, NetBeans is used for Java development, but its current version of the PHP development tool is lightweight, quick, and supportive. It boasts of being downloaded 18+ million times and has the largest developers community in an open-source integrated development environment.

Specialties

• Language supported: PHP, JavaScript,C, C++ and HTML5
• Platform supported: macOS, Solaris, Linx, and Windows

Features

• Code navigation
• Code folding and formatting
• Getter setter generation
• Helps with bug-free code
• Syntax highlighting

6. PHPUnit

PHPUnit is the dede-facto testing framework for PHP web developers. The developers can write unit tests for PHP web apps efficiently. It is derived from the popular JUnit, a popular testing framework for Java Programming.

The application code is divided into smaller groups or units in unit testing. After that, each unit is tested individually with different test cases. Unit testing helps that each part of the web application is working correctly. This PHP development tool will provide efficiency, stability, and work with every codebase. User can write test in any way it prefers.

Specialties

• Supported by all popular PHP web frameworks and IDEs like Zend Framework, CakePHP, PHP storm, and many more.

Features

• Debugging
• Latest refactored code validation
• Enables in determining code coverage
• From scratch write test cases according to the requirement

7. Aptana Studio

It is an open-source PHP development tool that integrates several client-side and server-side web technologies like HTML5, Python, Ruby, Ruby on Rails, and more. Aptana Studio supports a command-line interface and debuggers, making it easier for PHP app developers.

It enables PHP developers to build and test web applications in a unified environment. However, Aptana Studio comes with SFTP, FTP, and IDE customization and includes various attractive features to enhance the coder's productivity.

Specialties

• Supported platforms: Windows, Linus, Mac OSX, and plugin for Eclipse.
• Supported languages like PHP, Ajax, HTML, JavaScript, and Ruby on Rails.

Features

• IDE customization
• Support latest HTML5 specifications
• Git integration and in-built terminal
• Set breakpoints, inspect variables, and control execution

8. Zend Studio

Almost all websites are written in PHP version 7. Zend Studio is appropriate for PHP 7 and is used by most developers. Developers can write and debug code using Zend studio and Zend debugger without spending extra time. It connects with X-ray, Xdebu, Zend Debugger, and debugs PHP scripts.

This PHP development tool has advanced features that can potentially deploy applications on different servers, including the ones in the cloud. The developers also have the choice to use Eclipse plugins and extend Zend studio.

Specialties

• Support various languages like PHP, JavaScript, C, C++, C#, and Visual basics.
• Platform supported like Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Features

• Docker support
• Quick performance in the validation
• Indexing and searching PHP code
• Enable to code better with an intelligent code editor

9. Eclipse

It is another highly Eclipse PHP development tool used by developers. It is a complete development tool that will provide all the liberty to select from a wide range of plugins. Developing and simplifying PHP code using this tool is easy, and duck soap. It is idle for large-size PHP projects and enables you to customize and extend the IDE to address the needs of a website development project.

It brings forth the support for both GUI and non - GUI web application; this PHP development tool will work with any web server that supports PHP.

Specialties

• Platform supported like Microsoft Windows, Mac OS Linux, and Solaris
• Language supported C, C++, Haskell, Javascript, Java, Julia, Natural, PHP, Scheme, and Erlang

Features

• Code navigation
• Content assist
• Syntax highlighting
• Code templates

10. PhPDebugbar

PHP Debug Bar enables you to show profiling data from various web applications. However, this development tool comes in two parts, i.e., foremost DebugBar and data collectors and renders. The development tool will work on data collector architecture. Additionally, it allows you to save your request and reopen them.

Specialties

• PHP version supported: PHP 5.5 and above

• Supported language: Ruby, Net, Java, and PHP

• Monitor network traffic

• Fast and easy-to-use interface

• Manage AJAX requests

• Fast and easy interface

11. Xdebug - Debugging tool

Xdebug is a PHP extension that provides a range of features to improve the PHP development experience. Additionally, Xdebug enhances PHP's error reporting capabilities with enhanced var_dump() and stack traces for Notices, Warnings, Errors, and Exceptions, highlighting the code path leading to the error 2.

Specialities:

• Set Breakpoints in PHP code to gain insight into knowing about code’s status during runtime.
• Xdebug Provides profiling to analyze the performance of your PHP application.
• It also shows code average analysis.
• Xdebug has tight integration with IDEs

12. Behat - BDD Testing tool

Behat is a Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) testing tool for PHP. It is an open source framework. BDD is an agile software development methodology that boosts communication between developers, QA (Quality Assurance) professionals, and non-technical stakeholders. It uses gherkin syntax to create testable scenarios.

Specialities:

• Focuses on collaboration between developers, testers, and stakeholders
• BDD uses human-readable language called Gherkin syntax
• BDD is derivative of test-driven development (TDD)
• Open source BDD framework for PHP

Conclusion

Here are the ten best PHP development tools we mentioned. Here are fully packed with excellent features and capabilities that enable PHP developers to create websites quickly and easily. If you are planning to build a business website along with mobile application and do not know where to begin, consult with our app development team.

Also Read: Best IDE for Web Development Project in 2022