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PHP Language Integration
Add distributed tracing to any PHP application - vanilla PHP, Symfony, Slim, or any other framework. Built on OpenTelemetry for industry-standard observability.
PHP Distributed Tracing Guide
Go deeper with our PHP distributed tracing guide -- covering common pain points, production patterns, and code examples.
New: Frontend Observability
Looking for browser-side error tracking? Check out the new Browser SDK with React, Vue, Angular, Next.js, and Nuxt integrations via Framework Wrappers.
Prerequisites
- PHP 8.1 or higher
- Composer package manager
- A TraceKit account (create one free)
- A generated API key from the API Keys page
What Gets Traced Automatically?
| Component | Span Type | Captured Attributes | Auto-Traced? |
|---|---|---|---|
| HTTP Requests | SERVER | method, route, status_code, duration, client_ip | Yes (via TracekitClient middleware) |
| Database Queries | DB | db.system, db.statement, db.name, duration | Yes (via PDO wrapper) |
| External API Calls | CLIENT | method, url, status_code, duration | Yes (via HTTP client wrapper) |
| Exceptions | N/A | exception.type, exception.message, stack_trace | Yes (built-in) |
Installation
1. Install via Composer
composer require tracekit/php-apm2. Configure Environment
Create a .env file or set environment variables:
TRACEKIT_API_KEY=ctxio_your_generated_api_key_here
TRACEKIT_ENDPOINT=https://app.tracekit.dev/v1/traces
TRACEKIT_SERVICE_NAME=my-php-appBasic Usage
Simple HTTP Request Tracing
<?php
require 'vendor/autoload.php';
use TraceKit\PHP\TracekitClient;
// Initialize TraceKit
$tracekit = new TracekitClient([
'api_key' => getenv('TRACEKIT_API_KEY'),
'service_name' => 'my-php-app',
'endpoint' => 'https://app.tracekit.dev/v1/traces',
]);
// Start a trace
$span = $tracekit->startTrace('http-request', [
'http.method' => $_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'],
'http.url' => $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'],
]);
try {
// Your application logic here
echo "Hello World!";
$tracekit->endSpan($span, [
'http.status_code' => 200,
]);
} catch (Exception $e) {
$tracekit->recordException($span, $e);
$tracekit->endSpan($span, [], 'ERROR');
throw $e;
}
// Important: Flush traces before exit
$tracekit->flush();Verify It Works
Start your application and make a few requests. Then open the Traces page in your TraceKit dashboard. You should see:
- • SERVER spans for each incoming HTTP request with route and status
- • CLIENT spans for outgoing HTTP calls (if instrumented)
- • DB spans for database queries (if instrumented)
Traces typically appear within 30 seconds. If you don't see them, check the Troubleshooting section.
Code Monitoring (Live Debugging)
Debug Production Code Without Redeploying
Set non-breaking breakpoints and capture variable state, stack traces, and request context in production. No code changes or redeployment needed!
Learn more about Code MonitoringEnable Code Monitoring
<?php
require 'vendor/autoload.php';
use TraceKit\PHP\TracekitClient;
// Initialize with code monitoring enabled
$tracekit = new TracekitClient([
'api_key' => getenv('TRACEKIT_API_KEY'),
'service_name' => 'my-php-app',
'endpoint' => 'https://app.tracekit.dev/v1/traces',
'code_monitoring_enabled' => true,
'code_monitoring_max_depth' => 3, // Nested array/object depth
'code_monitoring_max_string' => 1000, // Truncate long strings
]);Capture Snapshots
Add checkpoints anywhere in your code to capture variable state and stack traces:
<?php
class CheckoutService
{
private $tracekit;
public function __construct($tracekit)
{
$this->tracekit = $tracekit;
}
public function processPayment($userId, $cart)
{
// Automatic snapshot capture with label
$this->tracekit->captureSnapshot('checkout-validation', [
'user_id' => $userId,
'cart_items' => count($cart['items'] ?? []),
'total_amount' => $cart['total'] ?? 0,
]);
try {
$result = $this->chargeCard($cart['total'], $userId);
// Another checkpoint - captures on success
$this->tracekit->captureSnapshot('payment-success', [
'user_id' => $userId,
'payment_id' => $result['payment_id'],
'amount' => $result['amount'],
]);
return $result;
} catch (Exception $e) {
// Automatic error capture
$this->tracekit->captureSnapshot('payment-error', [
'user_id' => $userId,
'amount' => $cart['total'],
'error' => $e->getMessage(),
]);
throw $e;
}
}
}Manual Polling Required
Since PHP doesn't have built-in background tasks, you need to poll for breakpoints manually:
<?php
// Option 1: Poll on every Nth request (recommended for low-traffic apps)
if (rand(1, 100) <= 5) { // 5% of requests
$tracekit->pollBreakpoints();
}
// Option 2: Use a cron job (recommended for high-traffic apps)
// */1 * * * * php /path/to/poll-breakpoints.php
// poll-breakpoints.php
require 'vendor/autoload.php';
$tracekit = new TracekitClient([
'api_key' => getenv('TRACEKIT_API_KEY'),
'service_name' => 'my-php-app',
'code_monitoring_enabled' => true,
]);
$tracekit->pollBreakpoints();Auto-Registration
First call to captureSnapshot() automatically creates breakpoints
Variable Capture
Capture all local variables and request context at breakpoint
Stack Traces
Complete call stack with file names and line numbers
Production Safe
No performance impact when breakpoints are inactive
Production Safety
The PHP SDK includes built-in safety mechanisms to ensure code monitoring never impacts your production application:
PII Scrubbing
13 built-in patterns detect sensitive fields (password, token, secret, api_key, etc.) and replace values with typed [REDACTED:type] markers. Enabled by default — no configuration needed.
Crash Isolation
All SDK entry points wrap operations in catch(\Throwable) blocks. If the SDK encounters an error, your application continues running unaffected.
Circuit Breaker
After 3 consecutive failures within 60 seconds, the SDK enters a 5-minute cooldown period and stops making requests. Automatically recovers after cooldown. Laravel uses the Cache facade for cross-request persistence.
Remote Kill Switch
Instantly disable code monitoring from the dashboard. The kill signal propagates via SSE for CLI/worker processes or polling for web requests. No redeployment required.
Real-Time Updates
CLI and worker processes receive breakpoint updates and kill switch signals in real time via Server-Sent Events (SSE). Web requests use a polling fallback since PHP's process-per-request model does not support persistent connections.
Code Monitoring API
The following methods provide programmatic access to code monitoring capabilities:
| Method | Parameters | Returns | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| getSnapshotClient() | none | ?SnapshotClient | Returns the snapshot client if code monitoring is enabled, or null otherwise. Advanced. |
| isCodeMonitoringEnabled() | none | bool | Returns whether code monitoring is active. Use to guard snapshot capture calls in performance-sensitive paths. |
Capture Configuration Options
| Option | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| code_monitoring_enabled | bool | false | Enable or disable code monitoring. Must be explicitly set to true. |
| code_monitoring_max_depth | int | 5 | Maximum depth for nested object/array serialization in captured variables. |
| code_monitoring_max_string | int | 1024 | Maximum string length before truncation in captured variable values. |
| pii_scrubbing_enabled | bool | true | Enable PII scrubbing on captured data. Uses 13 built-in patterns to detect and redact sensitive fields with typed [REDACTED:type] markers. |
| circuit_breaker_threshold | int | 3 | Number of consecutive failures before the circuit breaker trips and enters cooldown. |
| circuit_breaker_cooldown | int | 300 | Cooldown period in seconds after the circuit breaker trips. Defaults to 5 minutes. |
End-to-End Workflow
Enable Code Monitoring
Add code_monitoring_enabled to your TracekitClient configuration. Code monitoring defaults to disabled in PHP -- you must explicitly enable it.
$client = new TracekitClient([
'api_key' => getenv('TRACEKIT_API_KEY'),
'service_name' => 'my-php-app',
'code_monitoring_enabled' => true,
// Optional: fine-tune capture depth and string length
'code_monitoring_max_depth' => 5,
'code_monitoring_max_string' => 1024,
]);
Add Snapshot Capture Points
Place captureSnapshot() calls at points of interest. This is a synchronous call that checks for active breakpoints and captures variable state.
$client->captureSnapshot('order-checkout', [
'order_id' => $order->id,
'total' => $order->total,
'items' => count($order->items),
'customer' => $customer->email,
]);
Deploy and Verify Traces
Deploy your application and confirm traces are flowing. Navigate to the /traces dashboard and verify your service appears with recent trace data.
Navigate to Code Monitoring
Go to /snapshots and click the "Browse Code" tab. You will see auto-discovered files and functions from your traces.
Set Breakpoints
Breakpoints are auto-registered on the first captureSnapshot() call. You can also manually set breakpoints via the UI using the "Set Breakpoint" button.
Long-Running Processes
For workers, daemons, and queue consumers, you must call $client->pollBreakpoints() periodically since PHP does not have background tasks. Web requests auto-poll on client construction, but long-running processes need explicit polling to pick up new breakpoints.
Trigger Snapshot Capture
Make a request that hits a code path containing captureSnapshot(). The SDK uses debug_backtrace() for file and line detection, capturing the full call stack along with your variables.
View Captured Snapshot
Go to /snapshots and click the captured snapshot. You can inspect:
- • Variables -- the data you passed to captureSnapshot
- • Stack Trace -- complete call stack with file names and line numbers
- • Request Context -- HTTP method, URL, headers, client IP
- • Security Flags -- any sensitive data detected and redacted
Framework Integration
Symfony
Create an event listener to automatically trace all HTTP requests:
<?php
namespace App\EventListener;
use Symfony\Component\HttpKernel\Event\RequestEvent;
use Symfony\Component\HttpKernel\Event\ResponseEvent;
use Symfony\Component\HttpKernel\Event\ExceptionEvent;
use TraceKit\PHP\TracekitClient;
class TracekitListener
{
private TracekitClient $tracekit;
private $currentSpan;
public function __construct()
{
$this->tracekit = new TracekitClient([
'api_key' => $_ENV['TRACEKIT_API_KEY'],
'service_name' => 'symfony-app',
'code_monitoring_enabled' => true, // Enable code monitoring
]);
}
public function onKernelRequest(RequestEvent $event)
{
if (!$event->isMainRequest()) {
return;
}
// Poll for breakpoints on 5% of requests
if (rand(1, 20) === 1) {
$this->tracekit->pollBreakpoints();
}
$request = $event->getRequest();
$this->currentSpan = $this->tracekit->startTrace('http-request', [
'http.method' => $request->getMethod(),
'http.url' => $request->getRequestUri(),
'http.route' => $request->attributes->get('_route'),
]);
// Capture request start snapshot
$this->tracekit->captureSnapshot('request-start', [
'route' => $request->attributes->get('_route'),
'method' => $request->getMethod(),
]);
}
public function onKernelResponse(ResponseEvent $event)
{
if (!$event->isMainRequest() || !$this->currentSpan) {
return;
}
$this->tracekit->endSpan($this->currentSpan, [
'http.status_code' => $event->getResponse()->getStatusCode(),
]);
$this->tracekit->flush();
}
public function onKernelException(ExceptionEvent $event)
{
if ($this->currentSpan) {
$this->tracekit->recordException($this->currentSpan, $event->getThrowable());
// Capture exception snapshot
$this->tracekit->captureSnapshot('exception-handler', [
'exception' => get_class($event->getThrowable()),
'message' => $event->getThrowable()->getMessage(),
]);
$this->tracekit->endSpan($this->currentSpan, [], 'ERROR');
$this->tracekit->flush();
}
}
}Slim Framework
Use middleware to trace requests:
<?php
use Slim\Factory\AppFactory;
use Psr\Http\Message\ResponseInterface as Response;
use Psr\Http\Message\ServerRequestInterface as Request;
use TraceKit\PHP\TracekitClient;
require 'vendor/autoload.php';
$tracekit = new TracekitClient([
'api_key' => getenv('TRACEKIT_API_KEY'),
'service_name' => 'slim-app',
'endpoint' => 'https://app.tracekit.dev/v1/traces',
'code_monitoring_enabled' => true, // Enable code monitoring
]);
$app = AppFactory::create();
// Tracing & monitoring middleware
$app->add(function (Request $request, $handler) use ($tracekit) {
// Poll for breakpoints on 5% of requests
if (rand(1, 20) === 1) {
$tracekit->pollBreakpoints();
}
$span = $tracekit->startTrace('http-request', [
'http.method' => $request->getMethod(),
'http.url' => (string) $request->getUri(),
]);
// Capture request snapshot
$tracekit->captureSnapshot('middleware-start', [
'path' => $request->getUri()->getPath(),
'method' => $request->getMethod(),
]);
try {
$response = $handler->handle($request);
$tracekit->endSpan($span, [
'http.status_code' => $response->getStatusCode(),
]);
$tracekit->flush();
return $response;
} catch (Exception $e) {
$tracekit->recordException($span, $e);
// Capture exception snapshot
$tracekit->captureSnapshot('middleware-error', [
'exception' => get_class($e),
'message' => $e->getMessage(),
]);
$tracekit->endSpan($span, [], 'ERROR');
$tracekit->flush();
throw $e;
}
});
$app->get('/hello/{name}', function (Request $request, Response $response, $args) use ($tracekit) {
// Capture route handler snapshot
$tracekit->captureSnapshot('hello-route', [
'name' => $args['name'],
]);
$response->getBody()->write("Hello, " . $args['name']);
return $response;
});
$app->run();Vanilla PHP
For vanilla PHP applications, wrap your application logic:
<?php
require 'vendor/autoload.php';
use TraceKit\PHP\TracekitClient;
$tracekit = new TracekitClient([
'api_key' => getenv('TRACEKIT_API_KEY'),
'service_name' => 'my-app',
'endpoint' => 'https://app.tracekit.dev/v1/traces',
'code_monitoring_enabled' => true, // Enable code monitoring
]);
// Poll for breakpoints on 5% of requests
if (rand(1, 20) === 1) {
$tracekit->pollBreakpoints();
}
$span = $tracekit->startTrace('http-request', [
'http.method' => $_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'],
'http.url' => $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'],
]);
try {
// Capture snapshot at app start
$tracekit->captureSnapshot('app-start', [
'uri' => $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'],
'method' => $_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'],
]);
// Your application logic
echo "Hello World!";
$tracekit->endSpan($span, [
'http.status_code' => 200,
]);
} catch (Exception $e) {
$tracekit->recordException($span, $e);
// Capture exception snapshot
$tracekit->captureSnapshot('app-error', [
'exception' => get_class($e),
'message' => $e->getMessage(),
]);
$tracekit->endSpan($span, [], 'ERROR');
}
$tracekit->flush();Auto-Instrumentation
PHP tracing typically requires manual instrumentation for most operations.
HTTP Client API
The PHP SDK provides wrappers for instrumenting outgoing HTTP calls and extracting client information:
| Method | Parameters | Returns | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| getHttpClientInstrumentation() | none | ?HttpClientInstrumentation | Returns the Guzzle/cURL instrumentation wrapper for outgoing HTTP calls. Returns null if not configured. Advanced. |
| extractClientIp($headers) | ?array $headers = null | ?string | Extracts client IP from request headers (checks X-Forwarded-For, X-Real-IP, REMOTE_ADDR). Pass null to use $_SERVER. |
LLM Instrumentation
TraceKit automatically instruments OpenAI and Anthropic API calls when detected. LLM calls appear as spans with OTel GenAI semantic convention attributes.
Zero-config auto-instrumentation
If your PHP app uses Guzzle for OpenAI or Anthropic API calls, TraceKit instruments them automatically via middleware. No code changes required.
Captured Attributes
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| gen_ai.system | Provider name (openai, anthropic) |
| gen_ai.request.model | Model name (gpt-4o, claude-sonnet-4-20250514, etc.) |
| gen_ai.usage.input_tokens | Prompt token count |
| gen_ai.usage.output_tokens | Completion token count |
| gen_ai.response.finish_reasons | Finish reason (stop, end_turn, tool_calls) |
Configuration
$client = new TracekitClient([ 'apiKey' => getenv('TRACEKIT_API_KEY'), 'serviceName' => 'my-php-service', 'llm' => [ 'enabled' => true, // Master toggle 'openai' => true, // OpenAI instrumentation 'anthropic' => true, // Anthropic instrumentation 'captureContent' => false, // Capture prompts/completions (off by default) ], ]);Environment Variable Override
Use TRACEKIT_LLM_CAPTURE_CONTENT=true to enable prompt/completion capture without code changes. Useful for enabling in staging but not production.
Streaming Support
Streaming responses produce a single span that covers the entire stream. Token counts are accumulated from the final chunk. No special configuration needed.
LLM Dashboard
View LLM cost, token usage, and latency metrics on the dedicated LLM Observability dashboard at /ai/llm in your TraceKit instance.
Local UI (Development Mode)
Debug your PHP application locally without creating an account. TraceKit Local UI runs on your machine at http://localhost:9999 and automatically receives traces when you run your app in development mode.
Automatic Detection
The PHP SDK automatically detects when Local UI is running on port 9999 and sends traces to both Local UI and cloud (if you have an API key configured).
Quick Start
1. Install the Local UI:
npm install -g @tracekit/local-ui2. Start the Local UI:
tracekit-local3. Run your app in development mode:
ENV=development php -S localhost:80004. Open your browser:
http://localhost:9999Features
Auto-Detection
SDK checks for Local UI at localhost:9999 on startup
Real-Time Updates
See traces instantly with WebSocket live updates
Development Only
Only activates when ENV=development
Works Offline
No internet connection required - everything runs locally
Benefits
- See your first trace in under 60 seconds
- Debug locally without switching to the cloud dashboard
- Stay in your flow - everything runs on your machine
- Works completely offline
- Perfect for development and demos
Troubleshooting
If traces aren't appearing in Local UI, check:
- Local UI is running (
curl http://localhost:9999/api/health) ENV=developmentis set- SDK version is v1.0.4 or higher
- Check console for " Local UI detected" message
Service Discovery
TraceKit automatically instruments outgoing HTTP calls to create service dependency graphs. When your service makes an HTTP request to another service, TraceKit creates CLIENT spans and injects trace context headers.
Custom Service Name Mappings
For local development or when service names can't be inferred from hostnames, configure service name mappings:
<?php
use TraceKit\PHP\TracekitClient;
$tracekit = new TracekitClient([
'api_key' => getenv('TRACEKIT_API_KEY'),
'service_name' => 'my-service',
// Map localhost URLs to actual service names
'service_name_mappings' => [
'localhost:8082' => 'payment-service',
'localhost:8083' => 'user-service',
'localhost:8084' => 'inventory-service',
],
]);
// Now requests to localhost:8082 will show as "payment-service"
$response = file_get_contents('http://localhost:8082/charge');
// -> Creates CLIENT span with peer.service = "payment-service"This maps localhost:8082 to "payment-service" in your service graph.
Service Name Detection
TraceKit intelligently extracts service names from URLs:
| URL | Extracted Service Name |
|---|---|
| http://payment-service:3000 | payment-service |
| http://payment.internal | payment |
| http://payment.svc.cluster.local | payment |
| https://api.example.com | api.example.com |
Viewing Service Dependencies
Visit your TraceKit dashboard to see the Service Map - a visual graph showing which services call which, with health metrics and latency data.
Manual Instrumentation
Database Queries
<?php
function getUserById($tracekit, $userId) {
$span = $tracekit->startSpan('db.query.users', [
'db.system' => 'mysql',
'db.operation' => 'SELECT',
'user.id' => $userId,
]);
try {
$pdo = new PDO('mysql:host=localhost;dbname=myapp', 'user', 'pass');
$stmt = $pdo->prepare('SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ?');
$stmt->execute([$userId]);
$user = $stmt->fetch(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC);
$tracekit->endSpan($span, [
'db.rows_affected' => $stmt->rowCount(),
]);
return $user;
} catch (PDOException $e) {
$tracekit->recordException($span, $e);
$tracekit->endSpan($span, [], 'ERROR');
throw $e;
}
}External API Calls
<?php
function fetchExternalData($tracekit, $url) {
$span = $tracekit->startSpan('http.client.get', [
'http.url' => $url,
'http.method' => 'GET',
]);
try {
$response = file_get_contents($url);
$data = json_decode($response, true);
$tracekit->endSpan($span, [
'http.status_code' => 200,
'response.size' => strlen($response),
]);
return $data;
} catch (Exception $e) {
$tracekit->recordException($span, $e);
$tracekit->endSpan($span, [], 'ERROR');
throw $e;
}
}Nested Spans
<?php
function processOrder($tracekit, $orderId) {
$orderSpan = $tracekit->startSpan('process-order', [
'order.id' => $orderId,
]);
try {
// Validate order
$validationSpan = $tracekit->startSpan('validate-order', [
'order.id' => $orderId,
]);
$valid = validateOrder($orderId);
$tracekit->endSpan($validationSpan, ['valid' => $valid]);
if (!$valid) {
throw new Exception('Invalid order');
}
// Process payment
$paymentSpan = $tracekit->startSpan('process-payment', [
'order.id' => $orderId,
]);
$paymentResult = processPayment($orderId);
$tracekit->endSpan($paymentSpan, ['payment.status' => $paymentResult]);
$tracekit->endSpan($orderSpan, [
'order.status' => 'completed',
]);
return true;
} catch (Exception $e) {
$tracekit->recordException($orderSpan, $e);
$tracekit->endSpan($orderSpan, [], 'ERROR');
throw $e;
}
}Tracing API Reference
Complete reference for distributed tracing methods available on TracekitClient:
| Method | Parameters | Returns | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| extractTraceparent($headers) | array $headers | ContextInterface | Extracts W3C Trace Context from incoming request headers for distributed tracing. Returns a context object to pass as parent to startServerSpan(). |
| startServerSpan($op, $attrs, $ctx) | string $operationName, array $attributes = [], ?ContextInterface $parentContext = null | array | Creates a SERVER span with optional parent context from extractTraceparent(). Returns span data array to pass to endSpan(). |
| addEvent($spanData, $name, $attrs) | array $spanData, string $name, array $attributes = [] | void | Records a timestamped event on the current span. Use for logging significant moments within a trace (e.g., cache hit, validation passed). |
Distributed Tracing Example
Receive trace context from an upstream service and create linked spans:
// Receive trace context from upstream service
$parentContext = $client->extractTraceparent(getallheaders());
// Create a server span linked to the parent trace
$spanData = $client->startServerSpan(
'handle-webhook',
['webhook.type' => $type],
$parentContext
);
// Add events as you process
$client->addEvent($spanData, 'validation.passed', ['order.id' => $orderId]);
// ... process webhook
$client->endSpan($spanData);
$client->flush(); // Important for PHP scripts!Lifecycle API Reference
Methods for managing the SDK lifecycle, sampling, and the underlying tracer:
| Method | Parameters | Returns | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| getTracer() | none | TracerInterface | Returns the underlying OpenTelemetry Tracer for advanced instrumentation scenarios. |
| shouldSample() | none | bool | Returns whether the current request should be sampled based on the configured sample_rate. |
| isEnabled() | none | bool | Returns whether the SDK is currently enabled. Use to guard expensive instrumentation code. |
| shutdown() | none | void | Gracefully shuts down the SDK and flushes any remaining trace/metric data. Call before process exit. |
Environment Variables
Store your API key and configuration in environment variables as shown in the installation section above.
All configuration options available for the PHP SDK:
| Option | Type | Default | Env Variable | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| api_key | string | "" | TRACEKIT_API_KEY | Your TraceKit API key for authentication |
| service_name | string | "php-app" | TRACEKIT_SERVICE_NAME | Name of your service in the trace dashboard |
| endpoint | string | "app.tracekit.dev" | TRACEKIT_ENDPOINT | TraceKit collector endpoint URL |
| traces_path | string | "/v1/traces" | TRACEKIT_TRACES_PATH | HTTP path for trace data export |
| metrics_path | string | "/v1/metrics" | TRACEKIT_METRICS_PATH | HTTP path for metrics data export |
| enabled | bool | true | TRACEKIT_ENABLED | Enable or disable tracing globally |
| sample_rate | float | 1.0 | TRACEKIT_SAMPLE_RATE | Trace sampling rate (0.0 to 1.0, where 1.0 = 100%) |
| service_name_mappings | array | [] | - | Map host:port to service names for service discovery |
| code_monitoring_enabled | bool | false | TRACEKIT_CODE_MONITORING_ENABLED | Enable live code debugging / snapshot capture |
| code_monitoring_max_depth | int | 3 | TRACEKIT_CODE_MONITORING_MAX_DEPTH | Max variable inspection depth for snapshots |
| code_monitoring_max_string | int | 1000 | TRACEKIT_CODE_MONITORING_MAX_STRING | Max string length captured in snapshots |
| suppress_errors | bool | true | TRACEKIT_SUPPRESS_ERRORS | Suppress SDK errors to prevent app crashes |
Note: The PHP SDK does not auto-read environment variables. Read them with getenv() and pass to the TracekitClient constructor.
Configuration Options
Customize the TracekitClient with these configuration options:
<?php
$tracekit = new TracekitClient([
// Required: Your TraceKit API key
'api_key' => getenv('TRACEKIT_API_KEY'),
// Optional: Service name (default: 'php-app')
'service_name' => 'my-service',
// Optional: TraceKit endpoint (default: 'https://app.tracekit.dev/v1/traces')
'endpoint' => 'https://app.tracekit.dev/v1/traces',
// Optional: Enable/disable tracing (default: true)
'enabled' => getenv('APP_ENV') === 'production',
// Optional: Sample rate 0.0-1.0 (default: 1.0 = 100%)
'sample_rate' => 0.5, // Trace 50% of requests
// Optional: Enable code monitoring (default: false)
'code_monitoring_enabled' => true,
'code_monitoring_max_depth' => 3, // Nested array/object depth
'code_monitoring_max_string' => 1000, // Truncate long strings
]);Custom Metrics
Track custom metrics like request counts, queue sizes, and response times using the TraceKit metrics API.
Counter
Track monotonically increasing values (requests, events):
use TraceKit\PHP\MetricsRegistry;
// Initialize the registry
$metrics = new MetricsRegistry($endpoint, $apiKey, 'my-service');
// Create a counter with optional tags
$counter = $metrics->counter('http.requests.total', [
'service' => 'api',
'method' => 'GET',
]);
// Increment by 1
$counter->inc();
// Add a specific value
$counter->add(5);Gauge
Track values that can go up or down (queue size, connections):
// Create a gauge
$gauge = $metrics->gauge('http.connections.active');
// Set to specific value
$gauge->set(42);
// Increment/decrement
$gauge->inc();
$gauge->dec();Histogram
Track value distributions (latencies, sizes):
// Create a histogram with tags
$histogram = $metrics->histogram('http.request.duration', [
'unit' => 'ms',
]);
// Record values
$histogram->record(45.2);
$histogram->record(123.5);Troubleshooting
Traces not appearing?
Cause: PHP scripts terminate after each request; unflushed spans are lost.
Fix:
-
•
Call
$client->flush()before script termination or in a shutdown handler:register_shutdown_function([$client, 'flush']) - • Verify API key is correct
-
•
Check that
enabledistruein the config array
Composer dependency issues?
Cause: PHP version or package version conflicts prevent installation.
Fix:
-
•
Verify PHP 8.1+:
php -v -
•
Update Composer:
composer self-update -
•
Clear cache:
composer clear-cache -
•
If version conflicts persist, try
composer update --with-all-dependencies
Code monitoring not working?
Cause: Code monitoring is disabled by default in the PHP SDK.
Fix:
-
•
Set
'code_monitoring_enabled' => truein the config array -
•
Add
$client->captureSnapshot('label')calls -
•
Note that
code_monitoring_max_depth(default 3) limits captured variable nesting -- increase if needed
Authentication errors (401/403)?
Cause: API key is missing, empty, or contains whitespace.
Fix:
-
•
Verify with
echo getenv('TRACEKIT_API_KEY'); - • The PHP SDK defaults api_key to empty string -- passing no key silently fails
- • Regenerate in dashboard if expired
Connection refused errors?
Cause: The TraceKit endpoint is unreachable or suppress_errors is hiding the real error.
Fix:
-
•
Temporarily set
'suppress_errors' => falseto see full OTel error output -
•
Test with
curl -X POST https://app.tracekit.dev/v1/traces(expect 401) -
•
Check php.ini for
allow_url_fopenif using HTTP transport
Complete Example
See the framework integration examples above for complete working code.
🔄 Migrating from OpenTelemetry
TraceKit wraps OpenTelemetry internally, so you get the same standards-based trace data with significantly less setup code. Here's how to migrate from a raw OpenTelemetry setup to TraceKit.
Before vs After
<?php
use OpenTelemetry\Contrib\Otlp\OtlpHttpTransportFactory;
use OpenTelemetry\SDK\Trace\SpanProcessor\SimpleSpanProcessor;
use OpenTelemetry\SDK\Trace\TracerProvider;
use OpenTelemetry\SDK\Common\Attribute\Attributes;
use OpenTelemetry\SDK\Resource\ResourceInfo;
$transport = (new OtlpHttpTransportFactory())->create(
'https://api.tracekit.io/v1/traces',
'application/json',
['Authorization' => 'Bearer ' . $apiKey]
);
$exporter = new \OpenTelemetry\Contrib\Otlp\SpanExporter($transport);
$resource = ResourceInfo::create(
Attributes::create(['service.name' => 'my-service'])
);
$tracerProvider = TracerProvider::builder()
->addSpanProcessor(new SimpleSpanProcessor($exporter))
->setResource($resource)
->build();
$tracer = $tracerProvider->getTracer('my-app');
<?php
$tracekit = new TracekitClient([
'api_key' => getenv('TRACEKIT_API_KEY'),
'service_name' => 'my-service',
]);
// At end of request:
$tracekit->flush();
Migration Steps
Install the SDK: composer require tracekit/php-sdk
Replace init code: Remove all OTel use statements and TracerProvider builder. Replace with new TracekitClient([...])
Replace manual spans: Use SDK wrapper methods instead of raw span creation
Add flush: Call $tracekit->flush() at the end of every request (PHP shared-nothing lifecycle)
Remove OTel packages: composer remove open-telemetry/sdk open-telemetry/exporter-otlp
Verify: Make a request and check the Traces page for incoming data
Key Migration Benefits
- • 20 lines to 4 lines — no more boilerplate for transport, exporter, resources
- • No OTel dependency management — TraceKit handles version pinning internally
- • Built-in code monitoring — not available with raw OpenTelemetry
- • Built-in security scanning — automatic variable redaction on snapshots
- • PDO and HTTP wrappers — automatic DB and external call tracing
⚡ Performance Overhead
TraceKit is built on OpenTelemetry's efficient batch processing pipeline. The SDK adds minimal overhead to your PHP application.
Request Tracing
< 2ms per request
Spans are batched and exported asynchronously.
Code Monitoring (Idle)
Zero overhead
No performance impact when no active breakpoints.
Code Monitoring (Capture)
< 5ms per snapshot
Includes variable serialization and security scanning.
Memory Footprint
~5-10 MB
SDK runtime and span buffer.
SDK Initialization
< 100ms per request
PHP's per-request lifecycle means initialization occurs on every request. The overhead is amortized across the request but occurs each time.
Note: Performance characteristics are typical for production workloads and may vary with application complexity, request volume, and number of instrumented libraries. Use sampling configuration to reduce overhead in high-traffic services.
✅ Best Practices
✓ DO: Initialize tracing before loading routes/handlers
Call TracekitClient::init() early in your bootstrap or entry script before route handlers execute.
✓ DO: Use environment variables for API keys
Store your API key in TRACEKIT_API_KEY rather than hardcoding it. The SDK reads this automatically.
✓ DO: Call $tracekit->flush() at end of every request
PHP's shared-nothing architecture means each request is independent. Always flush pending spans before the response is sent to avoid data loss.
// At the end of your request handler
$tracekit->flush();
// Send response
✓ DO: Use the SDK HTTP client wrapper for auto-traced outbound calls
Use the TraceKit HTTP client wrapper instead of raw cURL to get automatic span creation for outbound HTTP requests.
✓ DO: Enable code monitoring in staging first
Test breakpoint capture and snapshot behavior in a staging environment before rolling out to production.
✓ DO: Use sampling in high-traffic services
Set TRACEKIT_SAMPLING_RATE to a value below 1.0 for services handling thousands of requests per second to reduce overhead without losing visibility.
✓ DO: Set meaningful service names
Use TRACEKIT_SERVICE_NAME to give your service a descriptive name that makes it easy to identify in the trace viewer.
✗ DON'T: Rely on __destruct() for trace flushing
PHP destructors are not guaranteed to run in all SAPI modes (e.g., PHP-FPM). Always call flush() explicitly before the response is sent.
✗ DON'T: Initialize TraceKit in a loop or inside request handlers
Initialize once per request lifecycle in your bootstrap. Calling init inside a loop or handler creates multiple SDK instances and wastes resources.
✗ DON'T: Create spans for every function
Trace boundaries like HTTP handlers, database calls, and external service calls. Instrumenting internal helper functions adds noise and overhead without useful insight.
✗ DON'T: Add high-cardinality attributes
Avoid using user IDs, request IDs, or session tokens as span attributes. These create excessive unique time series and degrade query performance.
✗ DON'T: Disable TLS in production
The TRACEKIT_INSECURE flag is for local development only. Always use TLS when sending traces to TraceKit in production.