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Using the Image in Your IDE

You don't need PHP installed locally to get full IDE support. Use the ByJG Docker PHP images to get:

  • Code completion and IntelliSense
  • XDebug debugging
  • PHPUnit test running
  • Multiple PHP versions without conflicts

PHPStorm / IntelliJ IDEA​

Setup Instructions​

Step 1: Open CLI Interpreter Settings​

Navigate to File → Settings → Languages & Frameworks → PHP

Click the ellipsis (...) beside the "CLI Interpreter" field.

PHPStorm Settings

Step 2: Add Docker-based Interpreter​

Click Add (+) → From Docker, Vagrant, VM, WSL...

Add Interpreter

Step 3: Configure Docker Image​

  1. Select your Docker server (or create one with New)
  2. Choose Docker as the remote type
  3. Enter the image name: byjg/php:8.3-cli (or your preferred version)
  4. Click OK

Configure Image

tip

Make sure Docker is running and properly configured in PHPStorm before proceeding.

Step 4: Verify Configuration​

You should see:

  • PHP version detected
  • XDebug extension loaded
  • Other installed extensions

Optional: Uncheck "Visible only for this project" to use this interpreter across all projects.

Verify Configuration

Step 5: Select Interpreter for Your Project​

Back in the PHP settings, select your newly created interpreter from the dropdown.

Select Interpreter

Features Available​

With this setup, you get:

✅ Code Completion - Full IntelliSense for PHP functions and classes ✅ XDebug Integration - Set breakpoints and debug your code ✅ PHPUnit Support - Run and debug tests directly from IDE ✅ Code Inspections - Real-time code quality checks ✅ Multiple PHP Versions - Switch between PHP versions per project

Using Multiple PHP Versions​

Repeat the setup process for each PHP version you need:

byjg/php:8.3-cli
byjg/php:8.2-cli
byjg/php:7.4-cli

Then switch between them in your project settings as needed.

VS Code​

For VS Code setup with these Docker images, see the official PHP Docker extension documentation.