Use PhpStorm with Docker for PHP

Configure the container interpreter

Point PhpStorm at the PHP service defined by Docker or Docker Compose and verify its reported version and extensions. Use that interpreter for Composer, tests, and quality tools when dependencies live in the container.

Map project files once

Consistent volume paths simplify inspections and debugging. Avoid separate mappings for every command if the Compose service mounts the repository at one stable container path. Exclude writable caches rather than the source they derive from.

Connect Xdebug

Configure Xdebug in the PHP image, route its client host toward the IDE, and define a PhpStorm server mapping from the container root to the local checkout. Use trigger mode so ordinary requests are not burdened by debug connections.

Test lifecycle and ownership

Rebuild from a clean checkout, run Composer and PHPUnit inside the service, debug one web request, and ensure generated files have usable ownership. Store image and Compose configuration in version control, not only in IDE settings.

Verification and maintenance

Use PhpStorm with Docker for PHP was reviewed for this seed on 2026-08-09. Before adopting its recommendations, confirm current releases, platform support, licensing, extension publishers, and configuration syntax through JetBrains Docker PHP Help at the official source linked below. Product status and plugin compatibility can change independently of this editorial record.

Test changes on a representative repository and keep Composer scripts, automated tests, static analysis, and version control authoritative. If official documentation no longer supports a claim made on /ide/phpstorm/docker/, mark the fact unknown or update it from a primary source rather than filling the gap from an old tutorial or download mirror.