IntelliJ IDEA 2020.1 Help

Browser debugging extensions

In order to start debugging, you first need to activate the debugger engine on the server. To do this, you need to set a special GET/POST or COOKIE parameter (see the Xdebug and Zend Debugger official documentation for details). While you can do it manually, it is more convenient to use a browser extension, which lets you enable the debugger with a single click.

The following table lists the available debugging extensions.

Chrome

Firefox

Internet Explorer

Safari

Opera

Xdebug

Xdebug Helper

Xdebug Helper or Xdebug-ext

PhpStorm bookmarklets generator

Xdebug Toggler

Xdebug launcher

Zend Debugger

zDebug or Zend Debugger Toolbar

Zend Debugger Toolbar

Z-Ray for Zend Server version 7 or later. PhpStorm bookmarklets generator otherwise.

Configure Xdebug Helper for Chrome

  1. Install the Xdebug helper extension for Chrome from the Chrome Web Store.

  2. In IntelliJ IDEA, enable listening to incoming debug connections by either clicking the Start Listening for PHP Debug Connections button on the toolbar or selecting Run | Start Listening for PHP Debug Connections

  3. Initiate connection from the browser side. Click the Xdebug Helper icon on the browser toolbar to initiate a debugging, profiling or tracing session:

    Xdebug helper in Chrome
  4. As a rule, no further configuration is required. If necessary, you can explore additional settings by right-clicking the Xdebug Helper icon and choosing Options from the context menu.

    Xdebug helper settings

Configure Zend Debugger Toolbar for Firefox

  1. Install Zend Debugger Toolbar.

  2. In IntelliJ IDEA, enable listening to incoming debug connections by either clicking the Start Listening for PHP Debug Connections button on the toolbar or selecting Run | Start Listening for PHP Debug Connections

  3. In the browser, click the Zend Debugger icon on the toolbar and select Settings. Make sure that Autodetect is selected, and the Broadcasting port value matches the value set for Settings broadcasting port on the Debug page in IntelliJ IDEA.

    Zend debugger extension in Firefox
  4. Initiate connection from the browser side. Click the Zend Debugger icon on the browser toolbar to initiate a debugging or profiling session:

    Zend debugger extension settings
Last modified: 15 April 2020