VSCode: LiveServer for PHP

A lot of developers have probably heard of the Live Server extension which is available in the Visual Studio Code Marketplace.

It primarily functions with static webpages like HTML but can also handle dynamic webpages such as PHP, NodeJs, and ASP.NET in a clever manner.

In the example below, I'll guide you through the installation of Live Server to work seamlessly with both types of webpages (static & dynamic).

1. Install PHP Server and Live Server from the Visual Studio Code Marketplace.
2. Create a PHP file, for instance, index.php, and place it in a sub-directory (let's say 'demo') under /var/www/html/, like /var/www/html/demo/
3. Install the Live Server Chrome extension in your Chrome browser and customize it as follows:
4. Click on the 'Go Live' button in the bottom right hand corner of the Visual Studio Code.
5. Next, open the index.php file located under /var/www/html/demo/ in Visual Studio Code. Right-click and select 'PHP Server: Reload Server', then 'PHP Server: Open file in browser'.
6. In your browser, simply open the IP address http://localhost:3000/demo/index.php

You should not be able to use LiveServer for both static and dynamic websites :)

Comments

[Stevie G]

Yes, you have to goto manage extensions, then allow extensions from other stores. Then grab the one from the chrome web store. New Edge runs on chromium so it will work. Hope this helps

[Chris Simmons]

Anyone find a way to use .htaccess locally with PHP Server?