Awesome VS Code Extensions for Laravel Developers

Awesome VS Code Extensions for Laravel Developers 

Introduction

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is one of the best code editors for Laravel development. You can boost productivity, enhance code quality, and streamline development with the right extensions. This post will explore the top VS Code extensions for Laravel developers in 2025, along with step-by-step installation and setup instructions.

1. Laravel-Specific Extensions

Laravel Blade Snippets

• Description: Adds Blade syntax highlighting and autocompletion.
• Install Link: Laravel Blade Snippets
• Setup Steps:
  1. Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace.
  2. Open any .blade.php file to see Blade syntax highlighting.
  3. Use predefined Blade snippets like @if, @foreach, and @section.

Laravel Artisan

• Description: Run Artisan commands directly from VS Code.
• Install Link: Laravel Artisan
• Setup Steps:
  1. Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace.
  2. Open the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac).
  3. Type Laravel Artisan: and select any command to run.

Laravel Extra Intellisense

• Description: Provides advanced IntelliSense for Laravel classes, facades, and methods.
• Install Link: Laravel Extra Intellisense
• Setup Steps:
  1. Install the extension.
  2. Start typing Laravel classes and methods to see autocomplete suggestions.

2. PHP & Laravel Productivity Extensions

PHP Intelephense

• Description: A fast and feature-rich PHP language server.
• Install Link: PHP Intelephense
• Setup Steps:
  1. Install the extension.
  2. Open settings.json and add:

     {
       "intelephense.format.enable": true
     }
     

  3. Restart VS Code to apply changes.

PHP Debug

• Description: Essential for debugging Laravel applications using Xdebug.
• Install Link: PHP Debug
• Setup Steps:
  1. Install the extension.
  2. Configure php.ini:

     xdebug.mode = debug
     xdebug.start_with_request = yes
     

  3. Set breakpoints in VS Code and start debugging.

3. Database & API Tools

SQLTools

• Description: Manage and query databases inside VS Code.
• Install Link: SQLTools
• Setup Steps:
  1. Install the extension.
  2. Go to the SQLTools tab and connect to your database.

Thunder Client

• Description: A lightweight API testing tool, an alternative to Postman.
• Install Link: Thunder Client
• Setup Steps:
  1. Install the extension.
  2. Open the Thunder Client panel.
  3. Create and test API requests.

4. Frontend & TailwindCSS

Tailwind CSS IntelliSense

• Description: Autocomplete for Tailwind classes.
• Install Link: Tailwind CSS IntelliSense
• Setup Steps:
  1. Install the extension.
  2. Ensure tailwind.config.js is present in your project.
  3. Start typing Tailwind classes and see suggestions.

Blade Formatter

• Description: Properly formats Blade template files.
• Install Link: Blade Formatter
• Setup Steps:
  1. Install the extension.
  2. Run Format Document (Right-click > Format Document).

5. Git & Deployment

GitLens

• Description: Enhances Git integration and provides insights on commits.
• Install Link: GitLens
• Setup Steps:
  1. Install the extension.
  2. View Git changes and commit history in the side panel.

Docker

• Description: Manage Laravel Sail and containers within VS Code.
• Install Link: Docker
• Setup Steps:
  1. Install Docker on your system.
  2. Use docker-compose up to start Laravel Sail.

Conclusion

These VS Code extensions will help Laravel developers streamline their workflow and improve coding efficiency. Try them out and enhance your development experience! 🚀

Which extensions do you use for Laravel? Let us know in the comments! 👇