A PHP extension that acts like var_dump() but sends data to a TCP server for remote debugging.

The var_send extension provides a function similar to PHP's built-in var_dump(), but instead of outputting the variable information to the standard output, it sends it to a TCP server. This is particularly useful for:

• Debugging API endpoints where you can't have output in the response
• Collecting debug information from multiple sources in complex ecosystems

var_send/
├── config.m4                        # PHP extension configuration
├── src/
│   ├── core/
│   │   ├── php_var_send.h          # Extension header file
│   │   └── var_send.c              # Extension source code
│   └── debug-server/
│       ├── php/
│       │   └── debug_server.php    # Simple PHP debug server
│       └── python/
│           ├── debug_viewer.py     # Python terminal GUI viewer
│           └── requirements.txt    # Python dependencies
├── examples/
│   ├── example.php                 # Basic usage example
│   └── simple_test.php            # Simple test script
├── scripts/
│   ├── install.sh                  # PHP extension installation script
│   ├── run_tests.sh               # Test runner script
│   ├── install_viewer.sh           # Python viewer installation script
│   └── start_debug_viewer.sh      # Viewer startup script
├── tests/                          # PHP unit tests and test utilities
│   ├── *.php                      # Test files and bootstrap
│   └── TestServer.php             # Test server helper
├── docs/                          # Documentation assets
└── phpunit.xml                    # PHPUnit configuration

• PHP development environment (php-dev)
• Autoconf, make, gcc, and other build tools

Use the provided install script for automatic PHP extension setup:

./scripts/install.sh

1. Prepare the build environment:

   phpize
   

2. Configure and build:

   ./configure --enable-var-send
   make
   

3. Install:

   sudo make install
   

4. Add the extension to your php.ini file:

   extension=var_send.so
   

The extension can be configured through php.ini settings:

• var_send.server_host - The hostname or IP address of the TCP server (default: "127.0.0.1")
• var_send.server_port - The port number of the TCP server (default: 9001)
• var_send.enabled - Enable or disable the extension (default: 1)

Example:

var_send.server_host = "192.168.1.100"
var_send.server_port = 9002
var_send.enabled = 1

Using the extension is straightforward:

// Send a single variable to the TCP server
var_send($variable);

// Send multiple variables
var_send($var1, $var2, $array, $object);

The extension will automatically include the file and line number in the sent data, making it easier to trace where the debug information came from.

Two debug viewers are provided to receive and display var_send data:

Interactive terminal UI application with advanced features:

Features:

• Terminal interface with tabbed content
• Real-time message filtering and search
• Message statistics and client tracking
• Multi-variable support with inspection

Installation:

# Install debug viewer dependencies
./scripts/install_viewer.sh

# Start the viewer
./scripts/start_debug_viewer.sh

Usage:

# Default (listens on 127.0.0.1:9001)
python src/debug-server/python/debug_viewer.py

# Custom host/port
python src/debug-server/python/debug_viewer.py --host 0.0.0.0 --port 9002

A basic console-based debug server for simple debugging needs:

php src/debug-server/php/debug_server.php

This server listens on 0.0.0.0:9001 and displays received debugging information directly to the console.

$user = [
  'id' => 123,
  'name' => 'John Doe',
  'email' => 'john@example.com',
  'roles' => ['admin', 'editor']
];

// Send user data to the debug server
var_send($user);

MIT License