Use PHPStan to Ensure Code Quality in Your Project

1 Introduction

PHPStan is a powerful static analysis tool for PHP that checks your code for potential errors without executing it. By using PHPStan, you can catch bugs early in the development process, improve the overall quality of your code, and ensure your project is more stable and maintainable.

2 Installation

You can install PHPStan via Composer by run the following command in your project’s root directory:

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composer require --dev phpstan/phpstan

Alternatively, if you prefer not to use composer, you can download the phar file directly from PHPStan’s official github and use that to run the tool.

3 Basic Usage

Once PHPStan is installed, you can start analyzing your codebase with a simple command. Assuming your code is located in a folder called src-folder, use the following command:

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vendor/bin/phpstan analyse src-folder

This will trigger PHPStan to scan the directory for potential issues and report any problems it finds. If there are errors or warnings, PHPStan will display them in the console, helping you identify where the issues are.

You can find more options from PHPStan document site

4 Configuration

To customize how PHPStan analyzes your project, you can create a configuration file called phpstan.neon. This file allows you to adjust various settings, such as the strictness of the analysis or which directories to scan.

Here’s a simple example of a phpstan.neon file:

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parameters:
    level: 5
    paths:
        - src

• level: Specifies the analysis level from 0 (basic checks) to 9 (the strictest). You can start at a lower level and gradually increase it as your project evolves.
• paths: Defines the directory or directories PHPStan should analyze. In this example, it checks the src folder.

You can find more options from PHPStan document site

5 Advanced Features

PHPStan offers a range of advanced features to help you get the most out of your static analysis.

1. Increasing Analysis Levels: As your project grows and your code becomes more complex, you can increase the analysis level to catch more subtle issues. For example, to run PHPStan at the highest level, use:

   1	vendor/bin/phpstan analyse --level max src

2. CI/CD Integration: PHPStan can be integrated into your Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipeline. By adding PHPStan checks to your CI/CD process, you can ensure that code quality is maintained before any new code is merged or deployed. This helps catch potential issues early and reduces the risk of introducing bugs into production.

6 Conclusion

PHPStan is a valuable tool for any PHP developer looking to improve code quality and reduce bugs. By integrating PHPStan into your development workflow, you can catch issues early, maintain high-quality code, and ultimately create more reliable and maintainable applications.

Start using PHPStan today and experience the benefits of static analysis firsthand!