Symfony Roadrunner Dumper Laravel Package

Product Decisions This Supports

• Debugging in Asynchronous Environments: Enables seamless debugging in Symfony applications using RoadRunner (a high-performance PHP application server), where traditional dd() fails due to async worker constraints. Critical for teams adopting Roadrunner for scalability.
• Developer Experience (DX) Alignment: Standardizes debugging tools across Symfony and Laravel ecosystems (via the linked Laravel package), reducing cognitive load for multi-framework teams.
• Roadmap for Async PHP: Supports long-term adoption of RoadRunner or similar async workers (e.g., Swoole) by mitigating debugging friction during migration.
• Build vs. Buy: Avoids reinventing a custom solution for async debugging, leveraging a lightweight, MIT-licensed package with minimal maintenance overhead.
• Use Cases:
  • Debugging HTTP workers, queue workers, or CLI jobs in Roadrunner.
  • Rapid prototyping in async environments where dd() breaks.
  • Onboarding developers unfamiliar with Roadrunner’s async quirks.

When to Consider This Package

• Adopt if:

  • Your team uses Symfony + Roadrunner and encounters dd() failures in async workers.
  • You prioritize debugging efficiency over minimal code changes (1-line replacement: \dev\dd()).
  • Your stack includes PHP 7.1+, Symfony 3.3–5.x, and RoadRunner (or planning to adopt it).
  • You want a drop-in solution with no configuration (works out-of-the-box after Composer install).

• Look elsewhere if:

  • You’re not using Roadrunner (traditional dd() or Xdebug suffices).
  • Your team prefers custom debugging tools (e.g., structured logging, APM integrations).
  • You need advanced features like network dumping or persistent storage (this is a simple dumper).
  • Your PHP version is <7.1 (package requires PHP 7.1+).
  • You’re using Laravel (consider the linked stacked-dumper-laravel instead).

How to Pitch It (Stakeholders)

For Executives:

*"This package solves a critical pain point for our Symfony + Roadrunner deployments: debugging async workers. Currently, developers hit roadblocks when dd() fails in Roadrunner, slowing down feature delivery and onboarding. By adopting this lightweight solution (a 1-line code change), we’ll:

• Reduce debugging friction in async environments, accelerating development.
• Align with modern PHP infrastructure (RoadRunner adoption) without custom tooling costs.
• Leverage existing Symfony/Laravel debugging muscle—no new skills needed. Cost: Zero (MIT-licensed, dev-only dependency). ROI: Faster iterations and smoother Roadrunner migrations."*

For Engineering:

*"This is a drop-in fix for Roadrunner’s dd() limitation. Replace dd() with \dev\dd() in your Symfony workers, and debugging works as expected—no config, no overhead. Key benefits:

• Works in HTTP/queue/CLI workers: No more worker error: invalid data found messages.
• Zero performance impact: Only enabled in dev mode (Composer require --dev).
• Symfony-native: Integrates with the existing VarDumper component.
• Future-proof: Supports PHP 7.1+ and Symfony 3–5. Action: Add to composer.json and update dd() calls in Roadrunner workers. Tested in [repo link]."*