Hypertext Preprocessor, also known as PHP, is among one of the most popular and widely used server-side scripting languages in web development. World’s leading websites like Facebook, Wikipedia, and YouTube make extensive use of this open-source language at their backend.
PHP works perfectly with a wide range of databases such as Oracle, MySQL, and Microsoft Access. It is also compatible with all the major operating systems including Linux, Windows, and UNIX.
Over the years, the use of PHP has become an industry standard for most professional web development projects. This is why most developers maintain PHP coding as a vital part of their skill set when working on such projects.
Benefits of PHP Coding
Open-Source
Web development costs are a major concern for both developers, and the companies commissioning web development projects. With PHP, you can keep these costs in check as PHP is completely open-source.
You don’t have to purchase a license for it or pay any fee whatsoever. Developers can simply install it and get started right away. This makes it an incredibly cost-effective option.
Versatility
As noted above, PHP works perfectly fine with all leading operating systems. It supports most databases, and web browsers. This comes with obvious benefits. You can easily deploy PHP across a diverse range of platforms and operating systems. If you intend to scale your website or web application, you can do so easily, quickly, and without any additional costs if it is based on PHP.
Quick Learning Curve
One of the key appeals of PHP coding, especially for developers, is that it is incredibly easy to learn. You can get up-to-speed with PHP fairly soon even if you have little to no background in web development. With simple command functions, an easy syntax, and tons of helpful resources, PHP is one of the easiest programming languages to learn.
Database Support
PHP supports more than 20 database management systems. These include Oracle, MariaDB, MySQL, Microsoft Access, MongoDB, SQLite, and PostgreSQL. Such broad support allows developers to choose exactly the database that they prefer without the need for any tweaks. PHP integrates securely with any database solution you choose and lets you speed up project development.
Large Community
Being one of the pioneer service-side scripting languages, PHP has a huge worldwide community. If you undertake PHP coding, finding help and support from this community is not a problem. You stand to benefit from a large body of tutorials, FAQs, forums, and other content to help you with PHP programming and web development.
Better Loading Speeds
Website page load speed is an important factor that impacts SEO ranking. A notable advantage of using PHP is that it supports faster page load speeds compared to other web development tools. This makes for a better user experience, improved user retention, and higher SEO rankings.
With a rise in new server-side scripting languages, there is some decline in the popularity of PHP coding. However, PHP remains one of the most widely-used and go-to programming language for most web development and web applications.
