Nifty PHP Server
Serve a folder with PHP's built-in web server in one click, see requests live, and open pages in your browser.
Maintained. No sign-in. No telemetry. Works in VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, VSCodium and other editors that use Open VSX.
Features
- Serve Project. Starts
php -S for your workspace (or right-click any folder in the Explorer) and opens it in your browser.
- Open in Browser. Right-click a
.php or .html file, or click the globe in the editor title, to open that page. The server starts if it isn't running.
- Always a free port. If port 3000 (or your chosen port) is busy, the next free one is used.
- Status bar control. Shows
PHP :3000 while running; click it to open, copy the URL, view the request log, restart or stop.
- Request log in the PHP Server output, with failing requests (4xx/5xx) marked.
- Front controllers. Set a router script (e.g.
index.php) for Laravel, Slim or other apps that route every URL through one file.
- Errors visible while developing.
display_errors and E_ALL are on by default (change with iniOverrides).
- Finds PHP for you: on your PATH, XAMPP, WAMP or Homebrew, or set
phpPath.
Commands
| Command |
What it does |
Nifty PHP Server: Serve Project |
Start the server and open the site |
Nifty PHP Server: Open in Browser |
Open the current file's page |
Nifty PHP Server: Server Options… |
Open, copy URL, log, restart, stop |
Nifty PHP Server: Restart Server / Stop Server |
|
Settings
| Setting |
Default |
What it does |
nifty.php-server.phpPath |
(empty) |
Path to php; empty means find it |
nifty.php-server.port |
3000 |
Preferred port |
nifty.php-server.host |
localhost |
Use 0.0.0.0 to open it to your network |
nifty.php-server.docroot |
(empty) |
Document root, e.g. public |
nifty.php-server.router |
(empty) |
Router script, e.g. index.php |
nifty.php-server.iniOverrides |
display_errors=1, error_reporting=E_ALL |
php.ini settings passed with -d |
nifty.php-server.openBrowser |
true |
Open the browser on start |
nifty.php-server.showInStatusBar |
true |
Show the server in the status bar |
PHP's built-in server is for development only; don't use it in production.
Install
- VS Code: search for "Nifty PHP Server" in the Extensions view, or install from the Visual Studio Marketplace.
- Cursor, Windsurf, VSCodium, Kiro, Antigravity: install from Open VSX.
Privacy
This extension collects no telemetry, needs no account and makes no network requests. The server listens on your machine only (unless you set the host to 0.0.0.0).
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See all 21 Nifty tools at https://getnifty.dev
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