Hypertext Preprocessor, commonly known as PHP, happens to be one of the most widely used server-side scripting languages for developing web applications and websites. Renowned names like Facebook and WordPress are powered by PHP. The reasons for its popularity can be attributed to the following goodies PHP offers:
- Open-source and easy-to-us
- Comprehensive documentation
- Multiple ready-to-use scripts
- Strong community support
- Well-supported frameworks
However,
to leverage this technology to the fullest and simplify tasks, PHP developers
utilize certain tools that enhance programming efficiency and minimize
development errors. PHP development tools provide a conducive IDE (Integrated
Development Environment) that enhances the productivity of PHP Website
Development.
The
market currently is overflooded with PHP tools. Therefore, it becomes immensely
difficult for a PHP App Development Company to pick the
perfect set of tools that will fulfill their project needs. This blog enlists
the best PHP development tools along with their offerings. A quick read will
help you to choose the most befitting tool for your PHP development project.
Top PHP Development tools
PHPStorm, created and promoted by JetBrains, is one of the most
standard IDEs for PHP developers. It is lightweight, smooth, and speedy. This
tool works easily with popular PHP frameworks like Laravel, Symfony, Zend
Framework, CakePHP, Yii, etc. as well as with contemporary Content Management
Systems like WordPress, Drupal, and Magento. Besides PHP, this tool supports
JavaScript, C, C#, Visual Basic and C++ languages; and platforms such as Linux,
Windows, and Mac OS X. This enterprise-grade IDE charges a license price for
specialized developers, but is offered for free to students and teachers so
that they can start open-source projects. Tech giants like Wikipedia, Yahoo,
Cisco, Salesforce, and Expedia possess PHPStorm IDE licenses.
Features:
- Code-rearranging, code completion, zero-configuration, and debugging
- Support for Native ZenCoding and extension with numerous other handy plugins such as the VimEditor.
Functions:
- Provides live editing support for the leading front-end technologies like JavaScript, HTML5, CSS, TypeScript, Sass, CoffeeScript, Stylus, Less, etc.
- It supports code refactoring, debugging, and unit testing
- Enables PHP developers to integrate with version control systems, databases, remote deployment, composer, vagrant, rest clients, command-line tools, etc.
- Coming to debugging, PHPStorm works with Xdebug and Zend Debugger locally as well as remotely.
Cloud 9
This
open-source cloud IDE offers a development eco-system for PHP and numerous
other programming languages like HTML5, JavaScript, C++, C, Python, etc. It
supports platforms like Mac OS, Solaris, Linux, etc.
Features:
- Code reformatting, real-time language analysis, and tabbed file management.
- Availability of a wide range of themes
- In-built image editor for cropping, rotating, and resizing images
- An in-built terminal that allows one to view the command output from the server.
- Integrated debugger for setting a breakpoint
- Adjustable panels via drag and drop function
- Support for keyboard shortcuts resulting in easy access
Functions:
- With Cloud 9, one can write, run and debug the code using any browser. Developers can work from any location using a machine connected to the internet.
- It facilitates the creation of serverless apps, allowing the tasks of defining resources, executing serverless applications, and remote debugging.
- Its ability to pair programs and track all real-time inputs; enables one to share their development eco-system with peers.
Zend Studio
This
commercial PHP IDE supports most of the latest PHP versions, specifically PHP
7, and platforms like Linux, Windows, and OS X. This tool boasts of an
instinctive UI and provides most of the latest functionalities that are needed
to quicken PHP web development. Zend
Studio is being used by
high-profile firms like BNP Paribas Credit Suisse, DHL, and Agilent
Technologies.
Features:
- Support for PHP 7 express migration and effortless integration with the Zend server
- A sharp code editor supporting JavaScript, PHP, CSS, and HTML
- Speedier performance while indexing, validating, and searching for the PHP code
- Support for Git Flow, Docker, and the Eclipse plugin environment
- Integration with Z-Ray
- Debugging with Zend Debugger and Xdebug
- Deployment sustenance including cloud support for Microsoft Azure and Amazon AWS.
Functions:
- Enables developers to effortlessly organize the PHP app on more than one server.
- Provides developers the flexibility to write and debug the code without having to spare additional effort or time for these tasks.
- Provides support for mobile app development at the peak of live PHP applications and server system backend, for simplifying the task of harmonizing the current websites and web apps with mobile-based applications.
Eclipse
Eclipse is a cross-platform PHP editor and one of the top PHP
development tools. It is a perfect pick for large-scale PHP projects. It
supports multiple languages – C, C++, Ada, ABAP, COBOL, Haskell, Fortran,
JavaScript, D, Julia, Java, NATURAL, Ruby, Python, Scheme, Groovy, Erlang,
Clojure, Prolong, Lasso, Scala, etc. - and platforms like Linux, Windows,
Solaris, and Mac OS.
Features:
- It provides one with a ready-made code template and automatically validates the syntax.
- It supports code refactoring – enhancing the code’s internal structure.
- It enables remote project management
Functions:
- Allows one to choose from a wide range of plugins, easing out the tasks of developing and simplifying the complex PHP code.
- Helps in customizing and extending the IDE for fulfilling project requirements.
- Supports GUI as well as non-GUI applications.
Codelobster
Codelobster is an Integrated Development Environment that eases out
and modernizes the PHP development processes. Its users do not need to worry
about remembering the names of functions, attributes, tags, and arguments; as
these are enabled through auto-complete functions. It supports languages like
PHP, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS and platforms such as Windows, Linux, Ubuntu,
Fedora, Mac OS, Linux, and Mint.
Additionally, it offers exceptional plugins that enable it to function smoothly
with myriad technologies like Drupal, Joomla, Twig, JQuery, CodeIgniter,
Symfony, Node.js, VueJS, AngularJS, Laravel, Magento, BackboneJS, CakePHP,
EmberJS, Phalcon, and Yii.
Offerings:
- It is an internal, free PHP debugger that enables validating the code locally.
- It auto-detects the existing server settings followed by configuring the related files and allowing one to utilize the debugger.
- It has the ability to highlight pairs of square brackets and helps in organizing files into the project.
- This tool displays a popup list comprising variables and constants.
- It allows one to hide code blocks that are presently not being used and to collapse the code for viewing it in detail.
Netbeans
Netbeans, packed with a rich set of features is quite popular in
the realm of PHP Development Services. It supports several languages like
English, Russian, Japanese, Portuguese, Brazilian, and simplified Chinese. Its
recent version is lightweight and speedier, and specifically facilitates
building PHP-based Web Applications with the most recent PHP versions. This
tool is apt for large-scale web app development projects and works with most
trending PHP frameworks such as Symfony2, Zend, FuelPHP, CakePHP, Smarty, and
WordPress CMS. It supports PHP, HTML5, C, C++, and JavaScript languages and
Windows, Linux, MacOS and Solaris platforms.
Features:
- Getter and setter generation, quick fixes, code templates, hints, and refactoring.
- Code folding and formatting; rectangular selection
- Smart code completion and try/catch code completion
- Syntax highlighter
DreamWeaver
This
popular tool assists one in creating, publishing, and managing websites. A
website developed using DreamWeaver can be deployed to any web server.
Offerings:
- Ability to create dynamic websites that fits the screen sizes of different devices
- Availability of ready-to-use layouts for website development and a built-in HTML validator for code validation.
- Workspace customization capabilities
Aptana Studio
Aptana Studio is an open-source PHP development tool used to integrate
with multiple client-side and server-side web technologies like PHP, CSS3,
Python, RoR, HTML5, Ruby, etc. It is a high-performing and productive PHP IDE.
Features:
- Supports the most recent HTML5 specifications
- Collaborates with peers using actions like pull, push and merge
- IDE customization and Git integration capabilities
- The ability to set breakpoints, inspecting variables, and controlling the execution
Functions:
- Eases out PHP app development by supporting the debuggers and CLI
- Enables programmers to develop and test PHP apps within a single environment
- Leverages the flexibilities of Eclipse and also possesses detailed information on the range of support for each element of the popular browsers.
Final Verdict:
I
hope this blog has given you clear visibility of the popular PHP tools used for
web development and will
guide you through selecting the right set of tools for your upcoming project.
To know more about our other core technologies, refer to
links below:
React Native App Development Company
Angular App Development Company
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