Why I Switched Scrutinizer for PHPStan and You Should Too

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Sat, Jan 28, 2017

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I used Scrutinizer for a few years now for code coverage and code quality. Configuration was far complex, some issues appeared and build kept failing. But I really wanted a code quality checker for my open-source projects and this was the best tool available. But last week I had an issue with simple composer install command and I have had enough. Then my attention turned to PHPStan, soon-to-be its replacement.

What is PHPStan

PHPStan is a tool for static analysis of PHP code. It's open source and free to use. You can read more about it in this post with very true title - PHPStan: Find Bugs In Your Code Without Writing Tests!

Why I Prefer It over Scrutinizer (and You Should Too)

It Is Open-Source

I can improve it, I can add an issue, I can see its development. I can't do anything like that with Scrutinizer. It used to be open-source but got closed. That's was a huge step back.

It Focuses Just on PHP

It's a PHP tool that checks PHP code. Scrutinizer, on the other hand, focuses on various languages - Python, Ruby, soon Java and Scala. That's definitely a good direction, but not if a simple composer install command breaks and is not fixed for months.

I Can Control It

I can use it for private packages. I can download it, extend it in various ways (I can define magic behaviour of my classes) and even write my own checks.

How to Switch from Scrutinizer to PHPStan in 4 Steps

1. Disable Scrutinizer Code Rating

Drop this from .scrutinizer.yml :

checks: php: code_rating: true

2. Add PHPStan Dependency

composer require phpstan/phpstan --dev

3. Setup Command in composer.json

This step is optional and it might seem weird seeing it for the first time, but I like the united usage (on all different projects and environments).

{ "scripts": { "phpstan": "vendor/bin/phpstan analyse src --level=0" } }

Now you can run with the same script, even if the settings changes (and it will):

composer phpstan

4. Setup you CI

# .travis.yml script: - composer phpstan

Commit and... push! Now you are running PHPStan on your open-source project. Congrats!

The One Thing I Love About PHPStan

One last thing. You may have noticed the level option. What's that for? PHPStan has now 6 levels (in time of writing this article) - 0 = least strict, 5 = the most strict.

This allowed me to put PHPStan to action without any huge work. I start with level 0, 12 errors were found and fixed them.

Next week, when I'm rested and full of joy, I can go to level 1, fix another 8 errors.

I love this approach over traditional overwhelming "500 errors found. Fix them all or CI will keep failing.". That usually leads to removing the tool and to very long fixing process. I remember my long night hours with Scrutinizer just to get from code quality from 6 to 10.

Try It Out...

...on your open-source or local projects and let me know how you like it.

Happy coding!