# kint-php/kint

Kint - Advanced PHP dumper

Repository: https://github.com/kint-php/kint
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/kint
Homepage: https://kint-php.github.io/kint/
Language: PHP
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: kint, php, debug, dev, developer-tools
Last push: 2026-01-18T13:55:48+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 60/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 63, release rhythm 33, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5222, "days_push": 227, "days_rel": 290, "gap_med": 179.5, "n_releases_24m": 3}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2818, forks 291 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:23.907455+00:00)

## What it is
Kint is an advanced variable dumper for PHP, a zero-setup replacement for var_dump() with keyboard controls, search, and automatic data parsing. It unfolds and decodes nested structures like JSON and base64 strings and provides access paths to specific fields.

## Use cases
- inspect complex PHP variables during debugging
- replace var_dump with a readable structured dump
- decode and explore nested JSON or base64 strings in PHP
- dump backtraces while debugging PHP code
- find the code path to access a nested data field
- debug PHP applications without installing a full debugger

## When to choose
- you want a zero-setup, richer alternative to var_dump() in PHP
- you need to explore deeply nested or encoded data structures interactively
- you want quick debugging output that can be disabled in production with one flag

## When to avoid
- you need step debugging with breakpoints rather than variable dumping
- you need a language-agnostic debugger like Xdebug
- you cannot include any debug output in your production environment at all

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: active
- function: developer-tools, logging, cli
- domain: developer-tools
- platform: php, cli
- tags: debugging, var-dump, dumper, php, developer-experience, web-server

## Member repositories
- kint-php/kint (main) score 60

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:23.907455+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T07:38:34.172402+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/kint-php/kint (fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:23.907455+00:00, sha 9cb8ab66aa77)
  - homepage: https://kint-php.github.io/kint/ (fetched 2026-08-29T09:53:45.925984+00:00, sha 7a60234c1e2e)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.