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whoops

A PHP error handler that shows readable, debuggable error pages instead of raw crashes.

GitHub Download source
Stars
13.2k
Forks
599
Licence
MIT
Language
PHP
Last update
4 days ago
Type
Library

What it is

Whoops is a PHP library that catches errors and exceptions and reports them in a more useful way. Out of the box it can show a detailed error page in the browser to help debug a web project, and it can also return plain text, JSON, or XML for command-line tools and AJAX requests. It is built as a stack of handlers, so you can choose or combine how errors are shown.

  • Show a detailed, readable error page while developing a PHP website
  • Return error details as JSON so a front-end AJAX call can display them
  • Print plain text error messages from a PHP command-line application
  • Open files referenced in a stack trace directly in your editor or IDE, per the README's linked docs

Great for

  • PHP developers debugging web applications locally
  • Teams using Laravel, Mezzio, or another framework listed in the README that already bundles it
  • Developers who want JSON or XML error output for AJAX or API-style requests
  • Developers building custom error reporting who want a stackable handler system

Not ideal for

  • Production sites where detailed error pages could expose sensitive internals; the README describes a debugging-focused error page and does not address production use
  • Non-PHP projects, since this is specifically a PHP library
  • Projects that need a full logging or monitoring service; the README does not describe one
Step-by-step guide: how to use whoopsInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

How to get it

  1. 1

    Install with a package manager

    You'll need: PHP · Composer

    Install with Composer

    composer require filp/whoops
  2. 2

    Run it

    • Install the package with Composer using the command above.
    • Create a Whoops\Run instance in your code.
    • Push the PrettyPageHandler onto the stack with pushHandler.
    • Call register() so Whoops catches errors and exceptions.
    • Trigger an error in your project to see the error page.
  3. 3

    Get the most out of it

    • Use the editor integration described in the docs to open referenced files directly in your IDE.
    • Add JsonResponseHandler or XmlResponseHandler for AJAX or API requests.
    • Use handleException with writeToOutput(false) to capture the generated HTML for your own processing.
    • Extend Whoops\Util\SystemFacade to override system calls, as the README describes.
    • Check the examples/ folder and API documentation for more options.

Downloads

Source code (.zip)master branch · straight from GitHubOfficial website & docsfilp.github.io/whoops/

Strengths

  • Simple setup: install with Composer and register one handler
  • Multiple built-in handlers for HTML, plain text, JSON, and XML output
  • Stand-alone with no required dependencies, according to the README

Trade-offs

  • The default error page is meant for debugging, so it needs to be configured or disabled for production
  • The README is truncated and does not give detailed production configuration guidance
  • Latest release information is not listed, so version stability is harder to judge from the metadata

How it compares

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whoops (this)13.2kLibrarybeginner4 days agoPHP developers debugging web applications locally
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Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.