17 Feb Why PHP is best for web development?
PHP is a programming language as revolutionary as it is simple. It is not the most modern, but, years after its birth, it continues to enjoy great popularity. According to the latest data reported by w3techs, PHP is used by 78% of sites, including the well-known Facebook, WordPress, and Wikipedia.
In this article, we will define PHP. We will analyze its characteristics and find out Why PHP is best for web development.
PHP language: definition and characteristics
It was 1994 when Rasmus Lerdorf, a young Greenlandic programmer, hypothesized a new programming language to make web pages more dynamic: on June 8, 1995. He presented the first PHP version.
PHP is a recursive acronym that stands for ” PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor, “although it originally stood for “Personal Home Page Tools.” It is a scripting language called server-side. Also, it is a language that resides on a remote server and interprets the client’s instructions, processes them, and returns them to the client to make the request.
PHP is, in fact, an interpreted language. There is a program called an “interpreter,” which translates the PHP code into a language that the computer can understand.
Why PHP is best for web development?
But after more than twenty years, what makes this language still so popular, See below:
- It has an open-source license that allows you to freely modify the source code.
- Easily integrates with HTML, ie, you can insert PHP code inside a page containing HTML code.
- Enjoy the support of a strong and always active community.
Other elements that characterize PHP and distinguish it from other programming languages:
– Interacts with a wide range of databases: integrated support with the most popular databases, including MySQL, MSSQL, PostgreSQL, dBase, and Hyperwave;
– It is multiplatform: it can be used on the main operating systems, including Linux, Microsoft Windows, macOS X;
– Supports most of the existing web servers: including Apache, Ngnix, Microsoft Internet Information Server, Personal Web Server, Caudium, and many more.
– Also adapts to libraries such as OpenSSL, GD, Gettext, Curl, Ming, and more.
Consequently, with PHP, you have the freedom to decide to work on any operating system and any web server.
What PHP can do?
PHP can do just about anything. It is a language designed to be simple, fast, and flexible: for this reason. It is perfect both for the development of a basic blog and for more complex web applications, such as websites, forums, social networks, and software for calculation.
Three different languages are required on the client-side to create a web application, namely HTML, CSS, and Javascript. As for the server-side, however, the choice of languages is really wide. The most used ones currently on the internet are four: PHP, ASP.NET, Java, and Python. In this case, our choice will fall on PHP.
Google rewards websites that meet several parameters with better rankings, including browsing speed and fast page load times. An element that contributes to making a website faster is the optimization of the scripting language in use. PHP is constantly evolving and, from version 7.1 onwards, allows developers to take advantage of better performance. With dynamic websites, it loads more than 100% fast using less memory.
PHP technology allows you to create dynamic pages and, despite having a rather simple syntax. It is still able to offer many features, including:
– Collect data from a contact form
– Create mailing lists
– Generate pages with dynamic content
– Send/receive cookies
– Manage and upload files
– Create registration and login of restricted areas
– Perform data encryption / decryption
In short, PHP is suitable both for the creation of small and simple applications and for the development of more complex websites and advanced software.
The benefits of learning a popular programming language like PHP
What other advantages can study a programming language as popular as PHP offer?
– It is characteristic of being easy to learn means that it can become operational in a short time.
– Much of its success, PHP also owes it to its C-LIKE syntax similar to the C language: those who already have a good knowledge of C will learn PHP even faster. Conversely, those who still do not know C-LIKE languages, after having learned PHP will be able to learn them more easily.
– For those who are still new to programming, one of the advantages of developing with a popular language is the ease of finding assistance and resources when you get stuck. As already mentioned, the community around PHP is very strong. It will not be difficult, when faced with an obstacle, to find someone on the web who has had (and then solved) the same problem.
– Even in terms of documentation, the popularity of PHP benefits users, who can consult an infinite series of documents in many languages (including Italian) or think about purchasing dedicated texts such as guides and manuals.
Why the PHP programmer is so in demand in the business world and how to become one.
After what has been said, it is clear why PHP is worth learning even more than 20 years after its birth. It is the most used server-side scripting language in the world. This is also because of the most used CMS, such as WordPress and Magento, and the most popular frameworks, such as Drupal, Laravel, and Symfony. They are written in PHP. It is therefore not surprising that the demand for developers capable of programming in PHP is ever increasing.
The passion for computer science is certainly an excellent starting point for those who want to pursue a career in programming, but the skills must be certified. To become a PHP programmer, there are several paths that you can take, starting from your training:
– Computer expert diploma: this is usually the minimum requirement to enter the company;
– Scientific/mathematical degree: it constitutes a good starting point to which professional programming courses must be added;
– Degree in computer science (three-year or specialist): which can follow masters or specialization courses based on the programming languages you want to learn.
The knowledge of a single programming language. It does not make the person who uses it a programmer: the advice we give you is to aim for global training or to learn more programming languages.
The fact remains that being able to program in PHP is one of the most requested computer programmer skills. Keep reading What makes PHP the best option for web development in 2021?
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