PHP has been in the web development world since the 1990s. It is one of the first and most widely used scripting languages developers use to offer bespoke web design and development services. The significance of PHP is so much so in web development that despite myriads of web technologies being available in the market, PHP is still topping in the web development field.
However, it might be the case that you don’t have the slightest information on PHP. Worry not; we are here to give you a quick introduction to the language. Moreover, we will state some benefits. Furthermore, we will provide some tips and factors you should consider when starting a PHP development project before giving you advice on choosing the proper PHP framework for your project.
Don’t worry; we won’t bore you with all the technical jargon. So, be ready to learn about PHP in simple, easy-to-grasp English.
What is PHP?
PHP, an acronym for Hypertext Preprocessor, is an open-source server-side scripting language that helps build dynamic web pages. It has been a widely popular web development language since its release in 1995. Since it is open-source, anyone can use this language in their project and build feature-rich websites and web applications.
Benefits of PHP
PHP has evolved a lot over the years, and its development with time has made it the most sought-after language for web development. Here are some benefits the language will provide you if you choose to create your website from it.
- PHP is easier to learn and use, making it a great starting point for beginners.
- PHP is a universal language that helps you create complex web applications.
- PHP is easier to integrate with other languages, frameworks, and tools, making it a more flexible language.
- PHP supports the rapid creation of dynamic web pages.
- PHP is supported by a vast number of web hosts and browsers.
- PHP makes including custom scripts and modules into your website seamless.
- PHP is a performance and scalable language, a virtue that businesses often look for in a programming language.
- PHP makes managing code easier.
- PHP is platform-independent and can run on any operating system.
Tips to Consider in PHP Development
When starting with any programming language, it is always a good idea to get familiar with it. Here are some tips you should consider when getting your hands dirty with the language.
- Start by thoroughly going through the PHP documentation. It gives you a comprehensive understanding of how the language works and some tips on writing better code.
- Leverage built-in functions provided by PHP. These functions make your various tasks easier, like retrieving data from the server and processing user input.
- Follow coding best practices provided by the programmer’s community. Following these guidelines and best practices can make your code easier to read and maintain.
- Understand the basics of database management systems and SQL language. The database is one of the core elements of a web application.
- Learn about caching. This technique improves the user experience by reducing the offloading time on the server side.
How to Choose the Right PHP framework?
PHP has many frameworks, each with a distinct set of features. And this makes selecting the right framework for your PHP web development project somewhat difficult. To ease your job, here are some factors you should consider.
- First, you should be well aware of your project requirements. Certain frameworks are great for one type of development but may not be relevant for a different one. For example, Symphony could be a good choice for complex apps, while Laravel is best for small projects.
- Documentation is also an essential factor you would want to look for when selecting a PHP framework. It can be a great help for developers when they are stuck on something during the project development.
- Also, make sure that the framework you choose is receiving regular updates. Updates make any tools or framework more robust and secure, and you would want to choose one for the same obvious reason.
- Community is also a vital consideration for your PHP framework. Like documentation, a vast community of developers also offers quick solutions to problems more rapidly than documentation.
- The extent of expertise of your web development partner can also impact the quality of your project. So, choose your project partner wisely and when you hire a PHP developer online, make sure you put their expertise to the test first.
- Lastly, you should also consider the size of your team and the delivery time. Some frameworks require more work upfront to get started. So, choose the right one that allows you to kick start your project and bring it to the deadline faster.
Conclusion
PHP is the most popular web technology powering over half of the total websites. Being one of the earliest languages, it has gone through a vast evolution and has become the most robust language for web development.