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PHP

A popular general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited to web development.

PHP

PHP Reviews and Details

This page is designed to help you find out whether PHP is good and if it is the right choice for you.

Screenshots and images

  • PHP Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-07-21

Features & Specs

  1. Cost-Effective

    PHP is an open-source language, meaning it is free to use. This helps reduce the overall cost of a project.

  2. Large Community

    PHP has a large and active community. This means vast amounts of documentation, tutorials, and third-party resources are available.

  3. Cross-Platform

    PHP is platform-independent and can run on various operating systems like Windows, Linux, and macOS.

  4. Database Support

    PHP supports a wide range of databases including MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and more.

  5. Speed

    PHP is generally fast, especially when used with built-in tools and extensions. It integrates easily with web servers like Apache.

  6. Built-in Functions

    PHP comes with a vast range of built-in functions and libraries, which makes developing common functionalities easier and faster.

  7. Server-Side Scripting

    PHP is designed specifically for server-side scripting, making it well-suited for web development.

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Videos

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For PHP Agents - Advice On Making The Most Of Your Insurance Sales Career

Social recommendations and mentions

We have tracked the following product recommendations or mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you see what people think about PHP and what they use it for.
  • The Lost Art of Reading Documentation
    I remember being 15 (18 years ago ๐Ÿฅฒ) and learning PHP. Stack Overflow wasnโ€™t as big yet, and finding answers often meant digging through forums filled with half-baked solutions, each dependent on specific hosting configurations. There was no universal standard, some hosts supported certain php.ini settings while others didnโ€™t. The only reliable resource? The official PHP documentation: php.net. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • Using named arguments in php8 and up
    That's the first I've heard of it, and I like it! I can't tell you the number of trips to php.net to look at argument order for a function. Is it haystack/needle, or needle/haystack? Of course it could turn into the same thing w/ argument names (is it whole_name or full_name?), but I'm going to use it. Source: over 2 years ago
  • How to display results from multiple SQL queries in the same table cell?
    Prepare to spend a fair bit of time reading and going back to phptherightway.com and php.net. I've also found this Tutorial from Envato Tuts+ to be quite good. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Beginner searching for set up resources
    All I want to do with php is to have a recurring navbar on a website. I don't know what to do next. So far I've tried php.net's manual, w3scchool's tutorial and the set up part of first five recommended php tutorials on youtube. I have also spent hours on stackoverflow, which got me even more confused. The more I read, the less nothing makes sense to me and I don't know where the problem is. Source: over 2 years ago
  • date_format crashing on NULL values after upgrade to PHP 8.x
    I tried looking at the upgrade from 7.4 to 8.0 docs on php.net but I don't see anything regarding any changes to this function. Any ideas? Source: over 2 years ago
  • Myra & php.net
    Does anyone else have trouble getting into php.net without some human verification page popping up first? Source: over 2 years ago
  • php.net down??
    I've gone to php.net probably thousands of times over 15 years and have never seen this. If I saw it, like this user did, I'd be curious. Source: over 2 years ago
  • How can I prevent my PHP file from being downloaded?
    I would but cannot access php.net because of blue hardware. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Hey guys! So I've been working with Java for a while now, but I've been offered a job with a PHP project. I don't have any experience with PHP, but I'm excited to learn. Do you have any tips or resources for someone making the switch? Thanks in advance!
    . php.net is the official documentation. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Hey guys! So I've been working with Java for a while now, but I've been offered a job with a PHP project. I don't have any experience with PHP, but I'm excited to learn. Do you have any tips or resources for someone making the switch? Thanks in advance!
    I second phptherightway.com for basics. php.net is the official documentation. Do not get examples from w3schools as so much of the code there is ancient junk. The standard "first project" is to build yourself a simple database-connected api (or blog/notes web-app if you know html/js). Source: over 2 years ago
  • Why Stack Overflow rubs beginners the wrong way: It's designed for busy professionals โ€” Jeff Atwood
    If it was a "Help Your Self" site, it would be structured the way the Wordpress developer docs are setup, or php.net. With the full library of classes, function, etc... Ith example code for users. Comments are used on those sites to discuss alternative ways to use the code, class, etc... Opinions and philosophies are removed from comments on those sites. Source: over 2 years ago
  • I'd say the "Pre" that used to be in "PHP" still applies...
    According to php.net, PHP stands for "PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor" (no dash in there, which would make it look like PHPP). Source: over 2 years ago
  • Array index of the maximum value
    Here I've flattened the array, as the docs in php.net says the `array_map` method keeps the keys while create another array in this case the result would be:. Source: over 2 years ago
  • What would be the best way to learn PHP for someone with previous programming experience?
    There are lots of decent video tutorial sites (laracasts has a bunch of basic PHP courses), but unfortunately there are even more totally garbage tutorials for PHP. Take a look at phptherightway.com for a lot of good basics. The php.net documentation is great IMO. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Difference in "for" statement syntax between PHP 5 / 7 / 8?
    I will try this -- never thought that my copying/pasting the examples (straight from php.net) would be the problem -- in fact, I trusted them more than my own typing. Thanks, and hope it works. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • verify if hash + salt and original string is matching via a function
    The exercise is about hashing a string with a salt using the crupt() and a random salt. I achieved to get a random salt by using the rand() function: I'm generating a random number between 10000000 and 999999999 (the smallest and highest number of 9 digit, because an MD5 salt is 12 digit long starting with "$1$" meaning there is 9 digit left to randomize). So basically the first part of the exercise is about... Source: almost 3 years ago
  • How to move up to PHP 8 and Object Orientation?
    If you are familiar with object oriented design, and familiar with oop from another language, like java or c++, then I'd just read the stuff at php.net, and go from there. Source: about 3 years ago
  • What is one of the the worst parts of PHP?
    Keep the docs handy. You'll still need them after 10 years. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Build a Speech-to-Text Web Application with Rev AI and PHP (Part 1)
    Internally, each time a new voice note is recorded, the application transmits the audio to the Rev AI Asynchronous Speech-to-Text API for transcription and saves the resulting text transcript to a MongoDB database. The application is implemented using PHP, with the Guzzle PHP client handling application-API communication on the server and Bootstrap and RecordRTC taking care of the client-side user interface and... - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
  • convert wordpress to windows app with php Desktop
    I can't download the 8.1.6 version on php.net only the 8.1.9. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Get Started with Speech Recognition in PHP
    To help developers integrate these APIs into their applications, Rev AI also offers SDKs for Node, Java and Python. However, because most of these APIs are REST APIs, it's also easy to use them with other languages...including one of my most frequently-used ones, PHP. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago

Summary of the public mentions of PHP

PHP, a widely-used server-side scripting language, remains a polarizing yet integral part of the web development landscape. Originally designed for dynamic web page creation, PHP has evolved into a robust programming language supporting object-oriented and functional programming paradigms. Despite being frequently juxtaposed with more modern languages like Python, JavaScript, and Rust, PHP's relevance persists in numerous sectors, especially in web development.

Popularity and Use-Cases

PHP's primary strength lies in its integration with HTML to manage dynamic content effortlessly. It continues to be a reliable choice for web developers focusing on server-side scripting. Its prevalence in the development of content management systems and e-commerce platforms, including high-profile frameworks like WordPress and Magento, underscores its versatility.

PHP is also featured in discussions and articles about alternative languages and libraries. In an article about Rust alternatives, PHP is mentioned for its dynamic information management capabilities, hinting at its sustained importance despite newer technologies emerging. Additionally, libraries like JsPHP showcase PHP's adaptability by extending its API into the JavaScript ecosystem, facilitating seamless development workflows for mixed-language applications.

Learning and Community Resources

The PHP community boasts a wealth of resources for both new and seasoned developers. php.net, the official documentation, is frequently lauded for its comprehensive, structured, and reliable content. It is considered a cornerstone of PHP learning, despite occasional complaints about access issues on online forums. Novices often turn to php.net as they navigate PHP's documentation alongside other guides like phptherightway.com, which offer structured introductions to the language.

However, the learning curve for PHP can be steep if not approached with quality resources. W3Schools tutorials, often criticized for outdated content, serve as a cautionary note, pushing learners toward more reputable sources. Online platforms such as Laracasts are highlighted for approachable video tutorials, although finding credible materials amidst a sea of content remains a challenge for beginners.

Recent Developments and Challenges

PHP's evolution to version 8 and beyond has introduced several new features, such as named arguments, which improve usability and reduce common coding errors related to function arguments. These updates, detailed on php.net, highlight PHP's ongoing development geared towards modern programming practices.

Despite PHP's benefits, it faces criticism for its past inconsistencies and complex configuration requirements. An anecdotal review from older developers recalls the difficulty of standardizing PHP configurations across different hosting environments, underscoring the importance of official documentation during formative learning experiences.

Conclusion

PHP's ongoing utility in web development, coupled with its extensive community support and evolving features, maintains its position as a go-to language for server-side scripting. While new languages like Rust and Python garner attention for modern web applications, PHP continues to be a practical choice for developers focused on content-driven websites and legacy systems. Its comprehensive documentation and active discussion environments have fostered a robust learning ecosystem that supports its sustained relevance.

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Is PHP good? This is an informative page that will help you find out. Moreover, you can review and discuss PHP here. The primary details have not been verified within the last quarter, and they might be outdated. If you think we are missing something, please use the means on this page to comment or suggest changes. All reviews and comments are highly encouranged and appreciated as they help everyone in the community to make an informed choice. Please always be kind and objective when evaluating a product and sharing your opinion.