Usage and Configuration

Listening for dumps

Run the listener by itself:

php artisan dump:listen

The listener uses tcp://127.0.0.1:9912 by default. Override it for one invocation when another endpoint is required:

php artisan dump:listen --host=tcp://127.0.0.1:9913

On Laravel versions that expose the DevCommands API, the package also adds a dumps process to php artisan dev. Disable that integration in the published configuration when the listener should run separately.

Dumping values

Like Laravel’s dump() helper, dc() returns the values it receives. Unlike dump(), it sends the rendered value to the listener instead of writing into the current process output.

$user = dc(User::findOrFail($id));

$values = dc('first', 'second');

$named = dc(user: $user, permissions: $user->getAllPermissions());

Multiple positional values are labeled 1, 2, and so on. Named arguments keep their names. Calling dc() without arguments sends a small marker, which is useful for checking whether a branch was reached.

Delivery is best effort. If the listener is unavailable or a value cannot be prepared or written, the dump is silently discarded. Debugging should not become the production incident it was investigating.

Fluent dumps

Use the package trait when an application class should support fluent console dumps:

use ArtisanToolbox\DumpToConsole\Concerns\Dumpable;

class ReportBuilder
{
    use Dumpable;
}

$report = $builder
    ->dc()
    ->generate();

dc() returns the same object after sending it to the listener. Additional arguments are supported and are dumped alongside the object.

Benchmarks

The package registers Benchmark::dc() to measure a callback once, dump its duration and result, and return the result:

use Illuminate\Support\Benchmark;

$report = Benchmark::dc(fn () => $service->generateReport());

Configuration

Publish the configuration when the listener endpoint or artisan dev integration must change:

php artisan vendor:publish --tag="dump-to-console-config"

Set the listener endpoint through the environment:

DUMP_TO_CONSOLE_HOST=tcp://127.0.0.1:9913

Security

The dump protocol has no authentication or encryption. Keep it bound to a trusted local interface and treat dumped values with the same care as local logs.

How it works

The client clones values with Symfony VarDumper, adds a timestamp and source context, and sends the payload over a reusable non-blocking TCP connection. The listener uses Symfony’s dump server protocol and Laravel’s CLI dumper, preserving Laravel’s familiar rendering and editor links.

The HTTP server, queue workers, scheduler, and Artisan commands can run as separate processes while sending their temporary debug values to the same console.