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Merge pull request #8 from php-debugger/install-options
add install options pages
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‎docs/getting-started/docker.mdx‎

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## Next steps
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- [More install options](./install-options.md) — prebuilt binaries, package
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managers, and building from source
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- [More install options](./install-options/index.md) — PIE, prebuilt binaries,
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and building from source
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- [Configuration](./configuration.md) — the settings you can change

‎docs/getting-started/install-options.md‎

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‎docs/getting-started/install-options/binaries.mdx‎

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---
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title: Prebuilt binaries
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---
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import ConsoleSample from '@site/src/components/ConsoleSample';
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Every release ships ready-built binaries on the
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[Releases page](https://github.com/php-debugger/php-debugger/releases): a complete
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PHP **interpreter** with the debugger compiled in, and the **extension** on its own.
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Nothing is compiled on your machine, and no installer is involved — you download a
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file and put it somewhere.
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The catch is that you pick the right file yourself. Get it wrong and PHP either
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refuses to load the extension or fails to start.
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## Work out what you need
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Three things have to match your PHP: the **minor version**, the **thread safety**,
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and your **platform**.
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```bash
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php -v # 8.4.x -> you want the php8.4 files
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php -i | grep "Thread Safety" # disabled -> nts, enabled -> ts
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php-config --extension-dir # where the extension has to go
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```
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`Thread Safety => disabled` means you want the `nts` files, which is what a normal
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CLI or PHP-FPM build is. `enabled` means `ts`.
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## File names
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Builds are published for PHP 8.2 to 8.5, thread-safe and not, on Linux, macOS and
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Windows, for both `arm64` and `x86_64`:
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| What | File |
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| --- | --- |
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| Interpreter | `php-php8.4-nts-linux-arm64` |
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| Interpreter (Windows) | `php-php8.4-nts-windows-x64.exe` |
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| Extension | `php-debugger-php8.4-nts-linux-arm64.so` |
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| Extension (Windows) | `php_php-debugger-php8.4-nts-windows-x64.dll` |
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Swap `8.4` for your PHP version, `nts` for `ts` if your build is thread-safe, and
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the platform for yours — `linux`, `macos` or `windows`, with `arm64` or `x86_64`
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(`x64` on Windows).
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## The interpreter
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A single self-contained file. Download it, make it executable, and run it:
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```bash
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curl -fsSL -o php-debugger \
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https://github.com/php-debugger/php-debugger/releases/latest/download/php-php8.4-nts-linux-arm64
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chmod +x php-debugger
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./php-debugger -v
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```
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<ConsoleSample>{`PHP 8.4.23 (cli) (built: Jul 2 2026 20:39:24) (NTS)
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Copyright (c) The PHP Group
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Zend Engine v4.4.23, Copyright (c) Zend Technologies
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with PHP Debugger v__VERSION__, Copyright (c) 2002-2026, by Derick Rethans`}</ConsoleSample>
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Put it on your PATH if you want it to be the `php` you run. Nothing needs
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enabling — the debugger is compiled in, debugging is on by default, and every
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request starts a session.
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## The extension
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Download the `.so` into your extension directory, then load it from `php.ini`:
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```bash
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curl -fsSL -o "$(php-config --extension-dir)/php_debugger.so" \
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https://github.com/php-debugger/php-debugger/releases/latest/download/php-debugger-php8.4-nts-linux-arm64.so
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```
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```ini
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zend_extension=php_debugger.so
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```
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It must be `zend_extension`, not `extension` — the debugger hooks into the engine
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and has to be registered as a Zend extension. Check it loaded:
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<ConsoleSample>{`$ php -v
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...
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with PHP Debugger v__VERSION__, Copyright (c) 2002-2026, by Derick Rethans`}</ConsoleSample>
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If PHP starts but the debugger is missing, or you get a "Zend Extension build ID"
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mismatch, the file does not match your PHP — check the version and thread safety
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again.
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:::note[On macOS]
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A file downloaded through a **browser** is quarantined, and Gatekeeper will refuse
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to run it. Downloading with `curl` as shown avoids that. If you did use a browser,
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clear the flag once:
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```bash
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xattr -d com.apple.quarantine ./php-debugger
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```
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:::
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## Staying up to date
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There is nothing to update these for you — download the newer file and replace the
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old one. The [installer](../installation.mdx) does this with `php-debugger update`
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if you would rather not track releases yourself.

‎docs/getting-started/install-options/from-source.mdx‎

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---
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title: Building from source
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---
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import ConsoleSample from '@site/src/components/ConsoleSample';
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:::warning[Try something else first]
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Every other option on this page gives you a build that has already been tested on
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the platform you are running. Building from source is the right answer when
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nothing else covers your platform, or when you are changing the debugger's code —
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not as a default.
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:::
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You can build either the **extension** on its own, which is the ordinary case, or a
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complete **PHP interpreter** with the debugger compiled into it.
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This page covers Linux and macOS. Windows uses a different toolchain and has its
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own page: [Building on Windows](./windows.mdx).
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Requires PHP 8.2 to 8.5. The build refuses to configure outside that range.
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## The extension
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You need PHP's development headers and a build toolchain: a compiler, `make`,
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`autoconf` and `libtool`. On Debian and Ubuntu that is `build-essential`,
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`autoconf`, `libtool` and `php-dev`; on Alpine you also need `linux-headers`,
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because the build uses `linux/rtnetlink.h`.
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```bash
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git clone https://github.com/php-debugger/php-debugger.git
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cd php-debugger
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phpize
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./configure --enable-php-debugger
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make -j$(nproc)
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```
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That leaves `modules/php_debugger.so`. Try it without installing anything:
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```bash
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php -d zend_extension=$PWD/modules/php_debugger.so -v
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```
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<ConsoleSample>{`PHP 8.4.23 (cli) (built: Jul 2 2026 20:39:24) (NTS)
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Copyright (c) The PHP Group
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Zend Engine v4.4.23, Copyright (c) Zend Technologies
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with Zend OPcache v8.4.23, Copyright (c), by Zend Technologies
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with PHP Debugger v__VERSION__, Copyright (c) 2002-2026, by Derick Rethans`}</ConsoleSample>
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To keep it, copy the file into your extension directory and load it from
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`php.ini`:
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```bash
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cp modules/php_debugger.so "$(php-config --extension-dir)/"
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```
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```ini
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zend_extension=php_debugger.so
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```
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Always `zend_extension`, never `extension` — the debugger hooks into the engine
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and has to be registered as a Zend extension.
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`phpize` uses whichever PHP is first on your PATH. If you have several installed,
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point the build at the right one with `./configure --with-php-config=/path/to/php-config`.
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## The interpreter
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Building PHP itself with the debugger linked in is what the prebuilt interpreter
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binaries and the Docker images are. You compile it as part of PHP rather than
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against it:
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```bash
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git clone --depth=1 --branch=PHP-8.4 https://github.com/php/php-src.git
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git clone https://github.com/php-debugger/php-debugger.git
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cp -r php-debugger php-src/ext/php_debugger
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mkdir -p php-src/m4 && cp php-debugger/m4/*.m4 php-src/m4/
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cd php-src
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./buildconf --force
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./configure --enable-php-debugger # plus whatever else you need
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make -j$(nproc)
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```
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The result is `sapi/cli/php`, with the debugger reported by `php -v` and no
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extension to enable. The `./configure` line above is the minimum; a PHP you intend
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to actually use will want the usual complement of extensions and SAPIs.
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## If the build fails
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- **`not supported. Need a PHP version >= 8.0.0 and < 8.7.0`** — `phpize` picked up
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a PHP outside the supported range. Check `php-config --version`.
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- **`rtnetlink.h` not found** — install your distribution's kernel headers
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(`apk add linux-headers` on Alpine).
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- **PHP starts without the debugger** — you loaded it with `extension=` instead of
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`zend_extension=`.

‎docs/getting-started/install-options/index.md‎

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---
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title: More install options
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---
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There is more than one way to get PHP Debugger onto a machine. They differ in how
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much work they are and in what you end up with — either a **self-contained PHP
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interpreter** with the debugger compiled in, or the **extension** loaded into a
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PHP you already have.
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If you have no particular reason to choose, use the [installer](../installation.mdx).
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| Option | Installs | Good for |
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| --- | --- | --- |
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| **[Installer](../installation.mdx)** | Either | Almost everyone. One command, and it can undo itself. |
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| **[Docker](../docker.mdx)** | Either | Containerised projects. |
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| **[PIE](./pie.mdx)** | Extension | Keeping the PHP you have, managed by a standard tool. |
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| **[Prebuilt binaries](./binaries.mdx)** | Either | No build tools, no installer — just a file to download. |
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| **[From source](./from-source.mdx)** | Either | A platform nothing else covers, or local changes to the code. |
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| **[From source on Windows](./windows.mdx)** | Either | The same, on Windows, where the toolchain differs. |
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## Which one gives me what
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The **interpreter** is a complete PHP with the debugger built into it. Nothing to
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enable, and it cannot be accidentally unloaded. The trade-off is that it replaces
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the `php` you run.
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The **extension** leaves your existing PHP in place and loads the debugger into
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it. That keeps whatever else you had configured, at the cost of a `zend_extension`
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line and matching a build to your exact PHP.
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## Notes before you pick
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- **Building from source is a last resort.** Every other option gives you a tested
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build. Reach for it when nothing else covers your platform, or when you are
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changing the code.
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- **The extension has to match your PHP exactly** — same minor version, same thread
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safety, same architecture. The installer and PIE work that out for you; with
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prebuilt binaries you match it yourself.
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- **Only the installer knows how to undo itself.** It backs up what it replaced and
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restores it on `uninstall`. The other routes leave you to reverse them by hand.

‎docs/getting-started/install-options/pie.mdx‎

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---
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title: PIE
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---
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import ConsoleSample from '@site/src/components/ConsoleSample';
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[PIE](https://github.com/php/pie) — the PHP Installer for Extensions, from the PHP
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Foundation — is the standard way to install PHP extensions. It compiles the
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debugger against the PHP you already have and enables it for you.
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This installs the **extension**, not the interpreter. Your existing PHP stays
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exactly where it is.
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## Before you start
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PIE builds the extension on your machine, so you need a working build toolchain:
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a compiler, `make`, `autoconf`, `libtool`, and `unzip`. Most systems used for
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development already have these.
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## 1. Get PIE
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Skip this if you already have it. Full instructions are in the
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[PIE documentation](https://github.com/php/pie#installation); the short version is
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to download the phar and put it on your PATH:
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```bash
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curl -fsSL https://github.com/php/pie/releases/latest/download/pie.phar \
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-o /usr/local/bin/pie
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chmod +x /usr/local/bin/pie
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```
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## 2. Install the debugger
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```bash
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pie install php-debugger/php-debugger
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```
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PIE resolves the latest release, compiles it against your PHP, installs the
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resulting `php_debugger.so` into your extension directory, and enables it. If
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build tools are missing it will tell you which ones, and `--auto-install-build-tools`
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lets it install them for you.
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## 3. Check it worked
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<ConsoleSample>{`$ php -v
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PHP 8.4.23 (cli) (built: Jul 2 2026 20:39:24) (NTS)
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Copyright (c) The PHP Group
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Zend Engine v4.4.23, Copyright (c) Zend Technologies
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with Zend OPcache v8.4.23, Copyright (c), by Zend Technologies
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with PHP Debugger v__VERSION__, Copyright (c) 2002-2026, by Derick Rethans`}</ConsoleSample>
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The defaults need no configuration: debugging is on, every request starts a
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session, and the debugger connects on port 9003 whenever your IDE is listening.
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## Updating and removing
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`pie install` again to move to a newer release. To remove the extension, delete
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the `.ini` file PIE wrote and the `php_debugger.so` it installed —
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`php --ini` and `php-config --extension-dir` will tell you where both live.
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:::note[Want something that undoes itself?]
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The [installer](../installation.mdx) backs up whatever it replaces and restores it
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on `php-debugger uninstall`, which PIE does not do.
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:::

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