Turn Your IDE Into a Powerhouse for Laravel Development With These Plugins for PhpStorm

In this part, I will cover the plugins that I use and recommend for your PhpStorm installation.

If you are new to PhpStorm it can be daunting to get familiar with all the controls an IDE throws at you, but for a PHP/Laravel project, the added productivity is so much worth it.

You can follow this video guide to get you started https://laracasts.com/series/how-to-be-awesome-in-phpstorm

Open “File | Settings | Plugins” (jetbrains://PhpStorm/settings?name=Plugins)

I recommend disabling anything not on the list unless you have a good understanding that you need that.

Recommended bundled plugins:

• Database Tools and SQL
• Docker
• HTML Tools
• Javascript and Typescript
• Javascript Debugger
• Javascript Intention Power Pack
• Node.js
• TSLint
• Vue.js (if it’s your frontend tool)
• DQL
• Ini
• Markdown
• PHP Architecture
• Shell Script
• YAML
• OpenAPI Specifications
• CSS
• Sass
• W3C Validators
• Blade
• Git
• GitHub
• Command Line Tool
• EditorConfig
• File Watchers
• IntelliLang
• PHPStan Support
• Shared Project Indexes
• Terminal

Next, go to the “Marketplace” tab to search and install the following:

• .env files support
• .ignore
• Emmet Everywhere
• GitToolBox
• IntelliVue (if it’s your frontend tool)
• JSTestDriver Plugin
• Laravel — key plugin
• Laravel Idea — key plugin
• NEON Support
• Nginx Configuration
• Php Inspections (EA Extended) — key plugin

Extra plugins

• Kubernetes — if you’re going to deal with Kubernetes clusters
• Terraform and HCL — if you work with Terraform infrastructure as code
• Key Promoter X — will help you with remembering the correct hotkeys over time and make you more productive

Next I recommend going to “File | Settings | Editor | Inspections” (jetbrains://PhpStorm/settings?name=Editor — Inspections)

Find the “PHP” folder and tick the checkbox to enable all.

When working with code if you find any inspection too annoying or not required, just disable it via the “Alt + Enter” dialog.

Or you can fix them with a couple of key presses

In the next article, we will explore must-have composer packages for Laravel developers that boost your levels even more.

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