Phive

Phive is a VS Code extension for live PHP development. It serves your PHP project locally, watches your files, reloads the browser on save, and handles ports and HTTPS automatically.

Highlights

• Live reload on save — PHP, .css, .js, .json, and .env files
• Smart port management — if 8000 or 9001 is busy, the next free port is used automatically
• Custom ports via phive.port
• Custom PHP path via phive.phpPath (XAMPP, Laragon, custom installs)
• HTTPS support with auto-generated self-signed certificates and a native reverse proxy
• Multi-root workspaces — Phive asks which folder to serve
• Automatic restart when a .env file changes
• Path exclusions via phive.ignorePaths (default: node_modules, .git, vendor, cache)
• Debounced refresh — consecutive fast saves collapse into one reload
• Dynamic status bar — shows the local IPv4 and port for network sharing

Install

From VSIX (manual)

1. Download the .vsix file for the latest version above.
2. In VS Code, open the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X).
3. Click the ⋯ menu in the top-right corner → Install from VSIX…
4. Select the downloaded .vsix file.

From the Marketplace

Phive is also available on the VS Code Marketplace — search for Phive by FomaDev.

Configuration

Setting	Type	Default	Description
phive.port	number	8000	Local PHP server port. Falls back to the next free port if busy.
phive.phpPath	string	(system)	Custom path to the PHP executable.
phive.reloadDelay	number	100	Delay in milliseconds before the browser reloads.
phive.ignorePaths	string[]	["node_modules", ".git", "vendor", "cache"]	Paths excluded from live reload.
phive.ssl	boolean	false	Enable HTTPS with a self-signed certificate.

What’s new in v1.2.1

Routine patch. Dependency security updates only (open, ip-address, ws). No breaking changes.

Recent highlights

v1.2.0 (Aug 2026) — HTTPS support via a native Node.js reverse proxy. Auto-generated self-signed certificates. Fixed SSL/TLS handshake when certificate paths are relative. Live reload script now uses window.location.hostname instead of a hardcoded IP.

v1.1.6 (Aug 2026) — Architectural refactoring. Native log coloration in the Output panel.

v1.1.5 (Aug 2026) — Automatic PHP server restart when a .env file is saved, with synchronized browser reload.

v1.1.4 (Jul 2026) — phive.ignorePaths to exclude directories from live reload. Cross-platform path normalization.

v1.1.3 (Jun 2026) — phive.reloadDelay to tune the reload cycle. Debounced refresh so fast consecutive saves trigger only one reload.

v1.1.1 (May 2026) — Dynamic port conflict resolution. Licensing moved from MIT to the Fordima Public License (FPL).

v1.1.0 (Apr 2026) — Custom PHP path, multi-root workspaces, .css/.js/.json watchers, dynamic status bar showing the local IPv4.

Try the next version

A v1.2.0-beta.0 pre-release was published in August 2026 to test the HTTPS reverse proxy before its stable release. It has since been superseded by v1.2.0, which is the recommended version.