PHP is a programming language that has been around for nearly two decades and has proven itself as a robust and dependable solution, acquiring a legion of fans and supporters. However, there is an elePHPant in the room: this coding language is increasingly losing prominence in favour of more modern and optimised alternatives.
Let’s take a look at this technology and list the benefits and drawbacks of PHP, as well as describe its application area and compare it to other programming tools.
WHAT IS PHP AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
PHP stands for Hypertext Preprocessor and is a server-side scripting language, which implies that applications built in it run on web servers rather than in web browsers. However, its scope of use has expanded over time, and the PHP coding language is today regarded as one of the greatest and most popular programming tools for web development, owing to its numerous advantages, which will be the subject of this essay. It is regarded as a very effective technology that facilitates the development process by providing numerous additional tools. PHP is the world’s fifth most used coding language, according to the Popularity of Programming Language Index (PYPL).
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF PHP development services?
PHP is mostly used for web development, as stated before in this essay, and it shines in this area. Developers choose to utilise this scripting language for constructing the server side of web applications, despite the fact that it was originally designed to create dynamic web pages. However, because PHP was designed to be a general-purpose language, it may have additional implementations if they are required. PHP, for example, can be used to create desktop applications. Furthermore, beginning with version 5, PHP allows object-oriented programming, which opens up a whole new world of possibilities.
This scripting language’s versatility stems from its exceptional ability to mix with other computer languages. Developers can, for example, use the C programming language to construct extensions for PHP, allowing them to add even more capability. Furthermore, PHP includes a vast variety of libraries and frameworks that can be used to expand its capabilities. Laravel, Symfony, Phalcon, Zend Framework, and Yii are some of the most popular frameworks.
Facebook and WordPress are two of the most well-known PHP-based applications. WordPress is the most widely used content management system on the Internet, accounting for about half of all websites that use such systems. WordPress fulfils practically any purpose thanks to a vast variety of plugins, both built-in and third-party. It can be used to make a blog, a photo gallery, an online store, a news portal, and a variety of other websites.
Another self-explanatory illustration of PHP’s capabilities is Facebook. This social network has evolved into a complex environment with a varied variety of features, including as instant messaging, advertising, blogging, news presentation, video playback, and others, but it is still based on PHP code that is tightly related to other web technologies.
PHP HAS MANY BENEFITS
PHP’s success stems from its several benefits, all of which combine to make it a powerful and productive programming tool. The following is a short list of reasons why PHP is an excellent choice for your web app, which will be discussed in greater depth later.
There are nine reasons to use PHP:
Many available specialists; a large base of reference and educational materials; faster website loading; more database connectivity options; a large collection of open-source addons; low-cost website hosting; excellent HTML synergy; excellent flexibility and combinability; various benefits provided by cloud solutions
Let’s take a closer look at the PHP perks outlined above to see how they may be used in reality to improve the quality, functionality, and profitability of your online app.
1. A large number of specialists are available.
The popularity of PHP has resulted in a large community of developers, some of whom may be suitable prospects for employment. Because of the vast number of available specialists, there is a high level of competition and lower salary demands, which helps to reduce development costs. Furthermore, because this language is relatively simple to understand and use, even inexperienced developers can usually efficiently realise the basic functionality of an app.
2. There is a lot of documentation.
Many tutorials, manuals, and other reference resources are accessible, which aid development and can serve as a source of inspiration and assistance in difficult situations. These materials are also quite useful for new programmers, as they make the learning process easier while gradually raising the level of difficulty. And, as previously stated, learning PHP is quite simple, but not as simple as, say, learning Python, which contributes to its appeal.
3. A faster loading time
When compared to other web development technologies, PHP allows website pages to load faster. For example, in most use situations, PHP is around three times faster than Python. Lower loading time, on the other hand, is a significant SEO ranking criteria that aids in the promotion of a website by providing competitive benefits. A faster application keeps consumers happy and, when combined with additional benefits, helps to grow and retain the client base.
4. A large database selection
PHP allows you to connect to practically any database. MySQL is the most popular option because it is free, effective, and widely used by programmers. Other solid options of database management systems compatible with PHP are mSQL, MS-SQL, SQLite, PostgreSQL, etc.Furthermore, PHP works well with ElasticSearch, Redis, MongoDB, and other non-relational databases. As a result, developers are not restricted to using a specific database and can select the best one for a future app while taking into account all relevant factors.
5. Open-source software that is inexpensive
PHP is a free-to-use technology that presents considerable savings for the development budget. Also, the majority of development tools that are usually utilized in combination with PHP are open-source software and can be used free of charge; thus, they additionally reduce the project cost. Moreover, there are numerous frameworks, such as Laravel and CodeIgniter, and various CMS, such as WordPress and Drupal, for example, that extend the functionality of PHP and make the development process easier and more effective.
6. Cheaper hosting services
The most common operation scenario for a PHP website is the LAMP stack. It means that a website runs on an Apache HTTP web server deployed on a Linux system, and uses MySQL as a database. All these components are free, and the stack is well-tested, which implies the reduction of required time and funds for development.
7. Excellent combinability with HTML
PHP offers embedded HTML programming, which is the reason for the incredible synergy between these two technologies. In most cases, a PHP script does not interfere with the HTML code of a web page but instead completes it while remaining inside the borders defined by <?php ?> tags. And vice versa, if you have built a whole page on PHP, you may integrate an HTML code using a script. In this case, the difference from a traditional HTML page would be the inverted order of opening tags: the PHP tags would precede the HTML tags.
8. Good flexibility
Flexibility makes PHP able to effectively combine with many other programming languages so that the software product could use the most effective technology for each particular feature. Moreover, PHP is a cross-platform language, which means that developers may use any primary operating system – Windows, Linux, macOS – to perform coding. Such flexibility greatly facilitates the development process by making it faster and less expensive.
9. Compatibility with cloud services
Nowadays, many modern products tend to use cloud computing solutions like Amazon Web Services, for various purposes. Even more, the area of cloud computing is not monopolized by other coding languages, so PHP has taken its place in such implementations about laravel.
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