Should I use XAMPP or Laragon for PHP development on Windows?

Laragon if you are planning to use Laravel, which should be the goal of any serious PHP developer in 2026. Laragon’s automatic pretty URL configuration, lighter resource usage, and Laravel-optimised setup make it the better tool for modern PHP development. XAMPP is perfectly adequate for vanilla PHP projects without Laravel, and its familiarity (it is what most tutorials use) can be an advantage for absolute beginners following PHP tutorials. The practical advice: start with XAMPP if you are following tutorials that reference it, and migrate to Laragon when you begin working with Laravel. Both are free and can coexist on the same machine.

Is it safe to use AI tools like GitHub Copilot when learning to code?

Safe in terms of not harming your computer — yes. Safe in terms of not harming your learning — only if you use it deliberately. The risk of AI coding assistants for beginners is that they can generate working code that you do not understand, creating a false impression of competence that collapses immediately in any interview where you need to write code without AI assistance. The safe approach: never accept a Copilot suggestion that you cannot explain line by line. Use Copilot to accelerate repetitive patterns you already understand (a new CRUD controller that follows the same pattern as the last three you wrote), not to write code in patterns you have not yet studied. Review every suggestion critically rather than accepting it because it looks plausible.

How many VS Code extensions should I install?

Install the essential extensions listed in this guide (PHP Intelephense, Prettier, GitLens, Error Lens, Material Icons, and the framework-specific ones for your stack) and be selective about anything beyond that. VS Code extensions consume memory and can slow down the editor if you install too many. The instinct to install every extension that sounds useful is common but counterproductive. Every new extension should earn its place by solving a specific problem you actually encounter. The extensions in this guide have been selected because they provide measurable productivity improvement for PHP and web development work without significant performance overhead.

Do I need to pay for any hosting to deploy portfolio projects?

No. The combination of GitHub Pages (static sites), Vercel (React/frontend), InfinityFree (PHP/MySQL), and Railway’s free $5 credit per month covers every type of portfolio project at zero cost. The only cost you cannot avoid if you want a professional portfolio domain is a custom domain name ($10 to $15 per year from Namecheap or Porkbun) rather than using the free subdomains provided by each platform. A custom domain (yourname.dev or yourname.com) is worth the investment once you are actively job hunting because it signals professionalism and makes your portfolio URL easier to remember and share in applications and interviews.

What is the single most important tool for a PHP beginner to set up first?

VS Code with the PHP Intelephense extension, combined with XAMPP or Laragon for local PHP execution. These two tools together — a code editor with PHP intelligence and a local server to run PHP — are the minimum viable developer environment. Everything else on this list enhances the experience but these two tools are what you need to write, run, and debug PHP code. Install them before your first study session, not after you have learned the basics, because setting up the environment is itself part of learning and the earlier you become comfortable with your tools, the faster you progress with the language.