How to enable Step Debugger on PHP on a Plesk server?

Question

• How to enable XDebug's Step Debugger on PHP on a Plesk server?

Answer

Warning: The following set of instructions include the restart of a service. Consider restarting during maintenance hours to minimize downtime.

1. Log into Plesk

2. Ensure that XDebug as an extension is enabled at Tools & Settings > PHP Settings > PHP version (e.g. 8.3).

3. Add the XDebug configuration to the 50-xdebug.ini file. It's located at /opt/plesk/php/<php_version>/etc/php.d/50-xdebug.ini. Common configuration include:

   ; Enable xdebug extension module
   zend_extension=xdebug.so
   xdebug.mode=debug,develop
   xdebug.client_host=127.0.0.1
   xdebug.client_port="9003"

4. Restart PHP service:

   # systemctl restart plesk-php83-fpm

   Note: Change the number in case it's a different PHP version.