Setting up a reliable local development environment hasn't been the easiest for Joomla developers. Whether you're juggling multiple PHP versions, wrestling with database configuration, or trying to debug that one elusive bug in production, local development should be your safe playground — not another source of frustration.
Enter DDEV: a free, open-source, Docker-based tool that lets you spin up a fully configured local Joomla environment in minutes, on any operating system. No more MAMP, XAMPP, or "it works on my machine" headaches.
In this talk I will explain how to get started with DDEV for Joomla development, from installation to code debugging. We'll walk through the setup on macOS, Windows, and Linux, so no matter what machine you're sitting behind, you'll leave with a working local environment.
Topics
Installing DDEV — Step-by-step installation on macOS, Windows, and Linux (Debian/Ubuntu and others), including the required Docker setup for each platform.
Running Joomla locally — How to create a new DDEV project, install Joomla from scratch, and have a fully functional local Joomla site running in under five minutes.
Managing PHP versions — How DDEV makes it trivially easy to switch between PHP versions per project, so you can develop against PHP 8.2 for one client and PHP 8.4 for another, all on the same machine.
Database management — Working with MySQL and MariaDB in DDEV, using phpMyAdmin and Adminer add-ons, importing and exporting databases, and connecting with external tools like TablePlus or DBeaver.
Debugging with Xdebug — How to enable and configure Xdebug in DDEV with a single command, and how to connect it to VS Code and PhpStorm for step-by-step PHP debugging of your Joomla extensions.
