- What does salibhdr/php-dump-logger do?
- It is a lightweight debugging utility that captures dump-style output and writes it to log files rather than the page, response body, or stdout. It is a thin wrapper around symfony/var-dumper and works standalone or with Laravel, Symfony, Yii2, and other PHP frameworks. Use it to inspect variables, arrays, and objects without polluting API responses or container logs.
- How do I install php-dump-logger in a Laravel app?
- Install it as a dev dependency with composer require --dev salibhdr/php-dump-logger, then optionally publish its config if the package provides config publishing. For current Laravel versions, try the 2.1.x line first because 3.0.0 pins symfony/var-dumper ^8. Confirm your app's Laravel and var-dumper constraints before choosing a version.
- Is salibhdr/php-dump-logger compatible with Laravel 11 or 12?
- Version 3.0.0 requires symfony/var-dumper ^8, which conflicts with the ^6 or ^7 versions typically pinned by current Laravel releases. That makes 3.0.0 suitable mainly for Symfony 8-era stacks. For Laravel 11 or 12, use 2.1.1 or verify with composer why-not before installing.
- Why does Composer fail with a symfony/var-dumper conflict?
- The 3.0.0 release hard-pins symfony/var-dumper to ^8, excluding 6.x and 7.x. Many Laravel applications constrain var-dumper transitively to ^6 or ^7, so Composer cannot resolve both constraints. Run composer why-not salibhdr/php-dump-logger 3.0.0 to confirm the blocker, then stay on 2.1.1 if Laravel is the constraint.
- Should I upgrade from 2.1.1 to 3.0.0?
- Do not upgrade reflexively. The 3.0.0 release changes only the dependency constraint and does not add public API features, commands, or config schema changes. If your app is on current Laravel, 2.1.1 remains the practical choice until the framework moves to Symfony 8 components.
- Can I use php-dump-logger in production?
- No, treat it as a development-only tool and keep it in require-dev. It is designed for debugging during development, queue-worker troubleshooting, and CI container logs. Do not place it in a production dependency graph or in a library distributed to third parties.
- Does it work with queue workers and Artisan commands?
- Yes, that is one of its main use cases. Dump output from queue workers, Artisan commands, Octane workers, and API-only apps can be written to log files instead of being lost or mixed into responses. This helps when no browser output is available.
- Can I use php-dump-logger without Laravel?
- Yes, it is designed to work standalone and with other PHP frameworks such as Symfony and Yii2. In plain PHP you can install it with Composer and call its dump-to-log functionality directly. Laravel integration is optional via its service provider and config publishing.
- What PHP version does php-dump-logger 3.0.0 require?
- The 3.0.0 support statement implies PHP 8.3 or newer, and PHP 8.2 and below appear to be dropped. The release notes are silent on the exact minimum, so check the composer.json PHP constraint before upgrading. If you need older PHP support, stay on the 2.1.x line.
- Does it conflict with Laravel Telescope, Ray, or Ignition?
- All of these tools touch the dump and debug pipeline, so overlapping behavior is possible. The package documentation does not announce explicit conflicts, but you should test in a dev environment if you use more than one. Teams already standardized on Ray, Telescope, or Monolog channel logging may find this package redundant.