PHP is a general-purpose, server-side, open-source programming language. Today, PHP is used in over 75% of all websites.

What is PHP?

Initially, PHP stood for Personal Home Page, but it was later updated to PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor. PHP can be classified as a scripting or interpreted programming language, developed specifically for creating dynamic web applications.

The PHP code is interpreted by a PHP interpreter, which can be a module in the web server or as part of a common gateway interface (CGI). The output generated by this process is then sent to the users.

PHP is still widely used today and supports the development of many different web applications. It has a vast ecosystem, consisting of numerous frameworks and content management systems developed for various purposes, which contributes to its continued active usage.

What are the Advantages of PHP?

Despite rumors and opinions suggesting PHP is becoming obsolete, it remains a relevant language, particularly with various CMS and frameworks like WordPress. The advantages of PHP that contribute to its active usage include:

• It is easy to learn, with abundant educational content for beginners.
• It is open-source and used by many different frameworks and CMS, supporting a vast ecosystem.
• It effortlessly communicates with various types of databases.
• It can be used to develop applications for diverse purposes such as personal websites, blogs, and e-commerce sites.
• It is platform-independent, functioning on Linux, Windows, and macOS.

History and Future of PHP

The foundations of PHP were laid in 1994 by Rasmus Lerdorf, who initially wrote Perl scripts to manage his personal website before transitioning to C, calling his project PHP/FI. In 1995, he publicly released it as Personal Home Page Tools.

In 1997, Zeev Suraski and Andi Gutmans rewrote the PHP parser, renaming it to PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor. PHP 3 was officially announced in 1998. Over the years, they developed the Zend Engine, a PHP compiler and runtime environment. The latest major release, PHP 8, was launched in 2020. Today, applications predominantly use PHP 7 and PHP 8.

Considering that over 75% of websites today use PHP and the continued popularity of the PHP-developed content management system WordPress, PHP is likely to remain one of the most used languages for some time.

PHP Frameworks

PHP is preferred by developers for projects with specific needs due to its ease of learning and compatibility with nearly every platform. PHP and its frameworks are used in developing different applications such as e-commerce sites, SaaS, and content platforms. Popular PHP frameworks include Laravel, Symfony, CodeIgniter, and Slim.

PHP Content Management Systems

PHP is used in developing some of the most powerful content management systems for a variety of web sites and applications. Examples include WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Magento, and OpenCart. Among these, WordPress is the most actively used CMS on the internet, enabling the creation of various types of websites from personal blogs to e-commerce sites.