Xdebug is a popular tool for debugging PHP code, enabling developers to monitor application behavior, analyze errors, and optimize performance. One of the key configuration directives of Xdebug is xdebug.default_enable.

What is xdebug.default_enable?

The xdebug.default_enable directive determines whether Xdebug will be active for all scripts without the need for explicit activation in individual scripts. This directive is part of the php.ini configuration file, and its value is typically Boolean (0 or 1).

• Value 1: Xdebug will be active for all scripts. This setting is suitable for development environments where it is important to have Xdebug constantly available for debugging.

• Value 0: Xdebug will not be automatically active but can be enabled in specific ways, such as through GET, POST, COOKIE parameters, or via the specific HTTP header XDEBUG_SESSION_START.

Recommended settings for development environments

For development environments, it is usually recommended to set xdebug.default_enable to 1. This allows easy and continuous monitoring of application behavior and immediate display of issues without the need for additional configuration or interventions.

Settings for production environments

In production servers, it is advisable to set xdebug.default_enable to 0. Xdebug significantly affects application performance, and its constant activation could lead to slowdowns. For production debugging, Xdebug can be temporarily enabled using special HTTP headers or parameters.

How to set xdebug.default_enable

To change the value of xdebug.default_enable, you need to edit the php.ini configuration file. The following steps show how to do this:

1. Open the php.ini file in your text editor.
2. Find the line containing xdebug.default_enable.
3. Modify the value according to your needs (1 to enable, 0 to disable).
4. Save the file and restart your web server or PHP-FPM service for the changes to take effect.

Proper setting of xdebug.default_enable is crucial for efficient development and debugging of PHP applications. Developers should choose the values of this directive considering the environment in which the application runs to maximize performance while retaining the ability to debug code.