Table of Content:
- Introduction
- Top 10 PHP Development Tools for Web Developers!
- Zend Studio
- Sublime Text 3
- Eclipse
- AWS Cloud 9
- Code Lobster
- PHP Storm
- NetBeans
- PHPDebugbar
- Scriptcase
- Retrace
- Conclusion
1. Introduction
PHP is one of the fast scripting languages that is universal with web development. WordPress practices the language as its main interface for developers to improve the platform. It’s comparatively simple to study and is well maintained by the development agreement.
While PHP benefits developers to build web applications swiftly, there are no development conditions connected with the language. On the contrary, a development background like Visual Studio from Microsoft has several features prepared from installation. It has features for coding, debugging and deploying ready for developers to use immediately.
However, whenever there is a mention of PHP, people often wonder the reason behind its massive popularity among developers and businesses, thus I have been working through several posts to find why PHP is most preferred among experts, and one of the posts by eTatvasoft has caught my attention, as they have not just explained how to hire PHP developers in India but what are the best PHP development tools that we need to take into consideration.
Also, they have explained tools such as PHPStorm, ScriptCase, NetBeans, Sublime Text, and Aptana Studio for professional web development. However, the main issue is determining which one is the best PHP IDE that is saturated with multiple features and functionalities utilising PHP programming support.
There are several packages and supporting tools for PHP. But, they manage to be disseminated and piecemeal. This can create difficulties for developers regarding enhancing their practical tool chest. This post will help you to understand the popular tools that developers can reference when they require to establish their PHP development into a project.
After going through various PHP tools, we have created the list of the 10 best Open Source PHP Development Tools that work perfectly. Let’s explore the PHP tools and determine which one is the best for you.
2. Top 10 PHP Development Tools for Web Developers!
2.1 Zend Studio
Well, a lot of websites are created in PHP version 7. Zend Studio is best for PHP 7 and developers also use this PHP tool for the same purpose. The pursuit of Zend Studio is that it has an optimal pace. You can create and debug code utilising Zend Studio and Zend Debugger without using any additional time.
It combines X-ray, Xdebug, and Zend Debugger and debugs PHP scripts. It is a complete PHP IDE, and it arises with an excellent set of features that are competent for using applications on different servers, including the ones in the rack. Developers also have a prospect to practice with Eclipse plugins and elongate Zend Studio.
2.2 Sublime Text 3
This one is the most classy and resolute text editor for PHP developers. It consists of the classiness of the Sublime and the sturdiness of PHP. It has excellent ideas and feature-rich functions that present as a favourite source code editor for the developer community.
Besides, it is remarkably lightweight and helps OS X, Windows, and Linux. It is not a PHP IDE but you can establish some plugins/packages and can deliver a proper editor for developing various PHP apps.
A few of the most well-known packages for this are xDebug client-CodeBug, Sublime PHP guide, Simple PHPUnit, CodIntel, and PHPDoc.
It is one of the best customizable text editors that have a custom UI toolkit, you can practice it to scale across symbols, information, or lines utilising proper key shortcuts.
2.3 Eclipse
Eclipse is a famous PHP tool – one of the purposes why it exceeds our list of top PHP development tools. As it is a completely advanced tool, it is the generally utilised integrated development environment (IDE) that PHP propositions.
The most astonishing element of this tool is that it assists some of the most widespread operating systems, such as Windows, macOS, and Linux. Some tools that are given by Eclipse make it more apparent to develop and analyse complex PHP applications.
With Eclipse, you have the privilege to pick from an enormously extensive array of plugins. It also helps GUI and non-GUI apps. This PHP tool enables the users to practice some of those particular plugins that will assist in increasing and customizing the IDE to match the necessities of the project.
2.4 AWS Cloud 9
While operating in the cloud, you can perpetually choose to practice the modern IDE as it supports the developers to interpret or facilitate the app development utilising PHP. With AWS Cloud 9, you have the opportunity to practice more than one extensively used web technologies that involve PHP.
The developers can record, debug, perform and work PHP code over any web browser. AWS Cloud 9 is a PHP development tool that gives you the knowledge of composing web apps in PHP, which are not reliant on servers.
You can experience cloud-based PHP development managing AWS Cloud 9 as it gives several features, like code end, debugging and code hinting.
2.5 Code Lobster
One of the greatest conveyable IDEs for PHP is Code Lobster. It presents huge assistance to an extensive variety of modern PHP frameworks and constant CMSes. Some of the most reliable CMS frameworks such as:
- Drupal
- CodeIgniter
- Joomla
- CakePHP
- Symfony
- Magento
- WordPress
With Codelobster, programmers can instantly create customized web applications in PHP including beneficial features, like autocomplete, syntax highlights, SQL directors, code validators, etc.
Presently, PHP developers can have a huge number of exceptional features by preferring to update to the professional version of this.
2.6 PHP Storm
Jet Brains is the one who created this cutting-edge IDE. Like the largest of the other development devices for PHP, this would enable you to blend with a wide variety of PHP web frameworks and CMS.
These PHP frameworks combine Laravel, Magento, Joomla, Zend, WordPress, and so on. With PHPStorm, now users can operate with an immense amount of web technologies and even relational databases that are extensively utilised.
Promptly, the developers can expedite the custom web application development method by taking in features like command-line tools, REST client, writer and report control system.
2.7 NetBeans
NetBeans is a PHP IDE originally designed as open-source and afterwards supported by Oracle. It is now going to Apache and is named Apache NetBeans.
It was basically produced for Java development and was slow, but the modern version is supportive of PHP development assistance and is also much quicker.
It is known for installing over 18 million times and becoming one of the biggest associations of developers operational on an OS integrated development environment.
You can generate high scale web apps utilising NetBeans, and it also maintains a variety of languages such as English, Chinese, Japanese, Brazilian, Russian, Portuguese, and others.
Moreover, it has amazing provision support for the famous PHP frameworks such as Zend, Smarty Doctrine, and Symfony2. Besides, it practices Laravel-IDE-helper to help Laravel and facilitate maintenance for other frameworks such as FuelPHP, CakePHP, Yii, and WordPress CMS.
2.8 PHPDebugbar
It is quite evident from the name of what work this tool does. PHPDebugbaris a PHP debugger and it can perform with any type of project and presents data from a diversity of web apps.
There are two components of this PHP development tool. The mainDebugBar purpose is with data collectors and the renderer. Data collectors gather particular data, a StandardDebugBar contains a prepackaged built-in collection of collectors.
Also, it is not solely for the PHP language though it’s name might suggest so. You can find JavaSCript and HTML bugs practising this. Another characteristic of PHPDebugbar is that it can examine CSS components, moderate JavaScript, and observe a network.
It is an awesome open-source solution that gives more characteristics than developers require from it. If you are preparing for the profiling of data from any web app, then this might be the one for you.
2.9 Scriptcase
This is one of the most beneficial PHP development tools if you are intending to build web-enabled apps. It assists in creating connections with databases and making reports.
With this software, you can change from model to production stage quickly. Since the price is too expensive, it might not be the most useful and proper choice for small businesses. However, it is the most suitable option for mid-tier companies.
Few features of Scriptcase involve simple connectivity with significant database generators, generating plans, including pivot reports, building interactive records while shipping common formats, which involve PDF and XLS.
2.10 Retrace
With Retrace, developers make all the essential tools that they require within one-stop and this occurs from exceeding the regular application performance monitoring (APM).
At first, it was anticipated just for Java and .NET, however now, it will be available to cover PHP as well. The enhanced log and error tracing characteristic of Retrace execute it differently among others.
This PHP development tool is a moderator and supports teams with diagnosing, repairing and stimulating application execution.
3. Conclusion
The above listed are some of the most impressive PHP development tools. Although some of them are compelled to be sturdy, some are open-source IDE’s that cause combination with other PHP frameworks and CMS.
Some break complicated app development methods and explain those. After that, some are OS and can be operated over any browser of your preference.
With this broad diversity of choice and as per your business requirements, you can pick one that suits your requirements.