# Observer API
The Observer API allows you to build profilers, tracers, and instrumentation tools
that observe PHP function calls and errors. This is useful for:
- Performance profiling
- Request tracing (APM)
- Error monitoring
- Code coverage tools
- Debugging tools
## Enabling the Feature
The Observer API is behind a feature flag. Add it to your `Cargo.toml`:
```toml
[dependencies]
ext-php-rs = { version = "0.15", features = ["observer"] }
```
## Function Call Observer
Implement the `FcallObserver` trait to observe function calls:
```rust,ignore
use ext_php_rs::prelude::*;
use ext_php_rs::types::Zval;
use ext_php_rs::zend::ExecuteData;
use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicU64, Ordering};
struct CallCounter {
count: AtomicU64,
}
impl CallCounter {
fn new() -> Self {
Self {
count: AtomicU64::new(0),
}
}
}
impl FcallObserver for CallCounter {
fn should_observe(&self, info: &FcallInfo) -> bool {
!info.is_internal
}
fn begin(&self, _execute_data: &ExecuteData) {
self.count.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
}
fn end(&self, _execute_data: &ExecuteData, _retval: Option<&Zval>) {}
}
#[php_module]
pub fn get_module(module: ModuleBuilder) -> ModuleBuilder {
module.fcall_observer(CallCounter::new)
}
```
### The `FcallObserver` Trait
| `should_observe(&self, info: &FcallInfo) -> bool` | Called once per function definition. Result is cached by PHP. |
| `begin(&self, execute_data: &ExecuteData)` | Called when function begins execution. |
| `end(&self, execute_data: &ExecuteData, retval: Option<&Zval>)` | Called when function ends (even on exceptions). |
### `FcallInfo` - Function Metadata
| `function_name` | `Option<&str>` | Function name (None for anonymous/main) |
| `class_name` | `Option<&str>` | Class name for methods |
| `filename` | `Option<&str>` | Source file (None for internal functions) |
| `lineno` | `u32` | Line number (0 for internal functions) |
| `is_internal` | `bool` | True for built-in PHP functions |
## Error Observer
Implement the `ErrorObserver` trait to observe PHP errors:
```rust,ignore
use ext_php_rs::prelude::*;
use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicU64, Ordering};
struct ErrorTracker {
fatal_count: AtomicU64,
warning_count: AtomicU64,
}
impl ErrorTracker {
fn new() -> Self {
Self {
fatal_count: AtomicU64::new(0),
warning_count: AtomicU64::new(0),
}
}
}
impl ErrorObserver for ErrorTracker {
fn should_observe(&self, error_type: ErrorType) -> bool {
(ErrorType::FATAL | ErrorType::WARNING).contains(error_type)
}
fn on_error(&self, error: &ErrorInfo) {
if ErrorType::FATAL.contains(error.error_type) {
self.fatal_count.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
if let Some(trace) = error.backtrace() {
for frame in trace {
eprintln!(" at {}:{}",
frame.file.as_deref().unwrap_or("<internal>"),
frame.line
);
}
}
} else {
self.warning_count.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
}
}
}
#[php_module]
pub fn get_module(module: ModuleBuilder) -> ModuleBuilder {
module.error_observer(ErrorTracker::new)
}
```
### The `ErrorObserver` Trait
| `should_observe(&self, error_type: ErrorType) -> bool` | Filter which error types to observe. |
| `on_error(&self, error: &ErrorInfo)` | Called when an observed error occurs. |
### `ErrorType` - Error Level Bitflags
```rust,ignore
ErrorType::ERROR // E_ERROR
ErrorType::WARNING // E_WARNING
ErrorType::PARSE // E_PARSE
ErrorType::NOTICE // E_NOTICE
ErrorType::CORE_ERROR // E_CORE_ERROR
ErrorType::CORE_WARNING // E_CORE_WARNING
ErrorType::COMPILE_ERROR // E_COMPILE_ERROR
ErrorType::COMPILE_WARNING // E_COMPILE_WARNING
ErrorType::USER_ERROR // E_USER_ERROR
ErrorType::USER_WARNING // E_USER_WARNING
ErrorType::USER_NOTICE // E_USER_NOTICE
ErrorType::RECOVERABLE_ERROR // E_RECOVERABLE_ERROR
ErrorType::DEPRECATED // E_DEPRECATED
ErrorType::USER_DEPRECATED // E_USER_DEPRECATED
// Convenience groups
ErrorType::ALL // All error types
```
### `ErrorInfo` - Error Metadata
| `error_type` | `ErrorType` | The error level/severity |
| `filename` | `Option<&str>` | Source file where error occurred |
| `lineno` | `u32` | Line number |
| `message` | `&str` | The error message |
### Lazy Backtrace
The `backtrace()` method captures the PHP call stack on demand:
```rust,ignore
fn on_error(&self, error: &ErrorInfo) {
if let Some(trace) = error.backtrace() {
for frame in trace {
println!("{}::{}() at {}:{}",
frame.class.as_deref().unwrap_or(""),
frame.function.as_deref().unwrap_or("<main>"),
frame.file.as_deref().unwrap_or("<internal>"),
frame.line
);
}
}
}
```
The backtrace is only captured when called, so there's zero cost if unused.
## Exception Observer
Implement the `ExceptionObserver` trait to observe thrown PHP exceptions:
```rust,ignore
use ext_php_rs::prelude::*;
use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicU64, Ordering};
struct ExceptionTracker {
exception_count: AtomicU64,
}
impl ExceptionTracker {
fn new() -> Self {
Self {
exception_count: AtomicU64::new(0),
}
}
}
impl ExceptionObserver for ExceptionTracker {
fn on_exception(&self, exception: &ExceptionInfo) {
self.exception_count.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
eprintln!("[EXCEPTION] {}: {} at {}:{}",
exception.class_name,
exception.message.as_deref().unwrap_or("<no message>"),
exception.file.as_deref().unwrap_or("<unknown>"),
exception.line
);
}
}
#[php_module]
pub fn get_module(module: ModuleBuilder) -> ModuleBuilder {
module.exception_observer(ExceptionTracker::new)
}
```
### The `ExceptionObserver` Trait
| `on_exception(&self, exception: &ExceptionInfo)` | Called when an exception is thrown, before any catch blocks. |
### `ExceptionInfo` - Exception Metadata
| `class_name` | `String` | Exception class name (e.g., "RuntimeException") |
| `message` | `Option<String>` | The exception message |
| `code` | `i64` | The exception code |
| `file` | `Option<String>` | Source file where thrown |
| `line` | `u32` | Line number where thrown |
### Exception Backtrace
The `backtrace()` method captures the PHP call stack at exception throw time:
```rust,ignore
impl ExceptionObserver for MyObserver {
fn on_exception(&self, exception: &ExceptionInfo) {
eprintln!("[EXCEPTION] {}: {}",
exception.class_name,
exception.message.as_deref().unwrap_or("<no message>")
);
if let Some(trace) = exception.backtrace() {
for frame in trace {
eprintln!(" at {}::{}() in {}:{}",
frame.class.as_deref().unwrap_or(""),
frame.function.as_deref().unwrap_or("<main>"),
frame.file.as_deref().unwrap_or("<internal>"),
frame.line
);
}
}
}
}
```
The backtrace is lazy - only captured when called, so there's zero cost if unused.
### `BacktraceFrame` - Stack Frame Metadata
| `function` | `Option<String>` | Function name (None for main script) |
| `class` | `Option<String>` | Class name for method calls |
| `file` | `Option<String>` | Source file |
| `line` | `u32` | Line number |
## Zend Extension Handler
For low-level engine hooks beyond the Observer API -- per-statement profiling,
bytecode instrumentation, or `op_array` lifecycle tracking -- register a
`ZendExtensionHandler`. This registers your extension as a `zend_extension`
alongside the regular PHP extension, the same mechanism used by OPcache,
Xdebug, and dd-trace-php.
```rust,ignore
use ext_php_rs::prelude::*;
use ext_php_rs::ffi::zend_op_array;
use ext_php_rs::zend::ExecuteData;
use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicU64, Ordering};
struct StatementProfiler { count: AtomicU64 }
impl ZendExtensionHandler for StatementProfiler {
fn on_statement(&self, _execute_data: &ExecuteData) {
self.count.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
}
fn on_activate(&self) {
self.count.store(0, Ordering::Relaxed);
}
}
#[php_module]
pub fn get_module(module: ModuleBuilder) -> ModuleBuilder {
module
.zend_extension(|| StatementProfiler { count: AtomicU64::new(0) })
.hook_statements()
.finish()
}
```
### Opt-in hooks
| `hook_op_array_compile()` | `on_op_array_compiled` | One callback per compiled function |
| `hook_statements()` | `on_statement` | Extra `ZEND_EXT_STMT` opcode on every statement of every compiled script |
| `hook_fcalls()` | `on_fcall_begin` / `on_fcall_end` | Extra `ZEND_EXT_FCALL_BEGIN`/`END` opcodes around every call site |
### Why opt in?
`hook_statements()` and `hook_fcalls()` tell the PHP engine to emit extra
opcodes in every compiled script. Paying that tax by default would slow every
PHP script, even when your profiler doesn't need the data. The builder makes
the trade-off explicit.
`hook_op_array_compile()` has no compile-time cost: PHP's default
`CG(compiler_options)` already includes `ZEND_COMPILE_HANDLE_OP_ARRAY`. Opting
in only registers the dispatcher, so enabling it just adds one callback per
compiled function.
The other hooks -- `on_activate`, `on_deactivate`, `on_message`,
`on_op_array_ctor`, `on_op_array_dtor` -- are always wired when you register
an extension; they don't need opt-in because they're cold-path.
### ZTS note
Flags are re-asserted in `on_activate` so worker threads created after MINIT
get them on their first request. Scripts pre-compiled by opcache before a
thread's first activation may miss hooks -- for full coverage in ZTS with
opcache, load the extension via `zend_extension=...` in `php.ini`.
### Zend Extension vs Observer API
| Function call hooks | `begin` / `end` with return value | `on_fcall_begin` / `on_fcall_end` (legacy) |
| Filtering | `should_observe` (cached per function) | No built-in filtering |
| Statement-level hooks | Not available | `on_statement` |
| Bytecode access | Not available | `on_op_array_compiled`, `on_op_array_ctor`, `on_op_array_dtor` |
| Request lifecycle | Not available | `on_activate` / `on_deactivate` |
| Best for | Function-level profiling, tracing | Statement-level profiling, code coverage, bytecode instrumentation |
Both can be registered on the same module simultaneously.
## Using All Observers
You can register all observers on the same module:
```rust,ignore
#[php_module]
pub fn get_module(module: ModuleBuilder) -> ModuleBuilder {
module
.fcall_observer(MyProfiler::new)
.error_observer(MyErrorTracker::new)
.exception_observer(MyExceptionTracker::new)
.zend_extension(MyStatementProfiler::new)
.hook_statements()
.finish()
}
```
## Thread Safety
Observers are created once during MINIT and stored as global singletons.
They must implement `Send + Sync` because:
- **NTS**: A single instance handles all requests
- **ZTS**: The same instance may be called from different threads
Use thread-safe primitives like `AtomicU64`, `Mutex`, or `RwLock` for mutable state.
## Best Practices
1. **Keep observers lightweight**: Observer methods are called frequently.
Avoid heavy computations or I/O.
2. **Use filtering wisely**: `should_observe` results are cached for fcall observers.
For error observers, filter early to avoid unnecessary processing.
3. **Handle errors gracefully**: Don't panic in observer methods.
4. **Consider memory usage**: Implement limits or periodic flushing to avoid
unbounded memory growth.
5. **Use lazy backtrace**: Only call `backtrace()` when needed. Both `ErrorInfo`
and `ExceptionInfo` support lazy backtrace capture.
## Limitations
- Only one fcall observer can be registered per extension
- Only one error observer can be registered per extension
- Only one exception observer can be registered per extension
- Only one zend extension handler can be registered per extension
- Observers and handlers are registered globally for the entire PHP process