How to install Xdebug using the command line

Introduction

The Xdebug extension provides the following features:

• Stack and function traces in error messages with:
  • Full parameter display for user-defined functions
  • Function name, file name, and line indications
  • Support for member functions
• Memory allocation
• Protection for infinite recursions

Xdebug also provides:

• Profiling information for PHP scripts
• Code coverage analysis
• Capabilities to debug your scripts interactively with a debug client

Installation Procedure

1. Login to the server via SSH or the WHM / Terminal interface as the root user
2. Call the PECL command line for your desired PHP version.
   

   /opt/cpanel/ea-phpXX/root/usr/bin/pecl

   Note: Replace XX with the PHP version you want to install Xdebug on.
3. Run the PECL install command:

   /opt/cpanel/ea-phpXX/root/usr/bin/pecl install xdebug

4. Confirm the extension is installed:

   /opt/cpanel/ea-phpXX/root/usr/bin/php -m | grep xdebug

5. If Xebug  is installed, only Xdebug should return:
   

   [root@server ~]# /opt/cpanel/ea-php81/root/usr/bin/php -m | grep xdebug
   xdebug 

6. Now that Xdebug is installed, Apache and PHP-FPM must be restarted:

   /scripts/restartsrv_httpd

   /scripts/restartsrv_apache_php_fpm