Introduction to PHP: The Language of the web | PHP Beginner to Advance

After working with PHP for 14 years, I was thinking about how the new developers starting with PHP who has little to no knowledge of PHP. So I thought to write a series of blog posts that will help newcomers. So let’s dive in.

PHP, or Hypertext Preprocessor, is a popular server-side programming language that is widely used for building dynamic websites and web applications. The language was first created in 1995 by Rasmus Lerdorf and has since grown to become one of the most widely-used programming languages on the web.

PHP is an open-source language, meaning that it is free to use and distribute. It is also easy to learn, making it a popular choice for beginners and experienced developers alike. The language is particularly well-suited for web development, as it allows for the creation of dynamic pages that can interact with databases and other web services.

The basic syntax of PHP is similar to other languages such as C and Perl. It uses a combination of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create dynamic web pages. PHP code is executed on the server and the result is returned to the client as HTML, which is then displayed in the user’s web browser.

One of the benefits of using PHP is that it can be easily integrated with other technologies such as databases (e.g MySQL) and web frameworks (e.g Laravel, CodeIgniter, Symfony) to create powerful web applications.

To get started with PHP, you’ll need a web server (e.g Apache, Nginx) and a text editor to write your code. There are also a number of development environments available, such as XAMPP and WAMP, that provide an easy way to set up a local web server for testing and development.

Once you’ve set up your environment, you can start experimenting with PHP by creating simple scripts and experimenting with the language’s built-in functions and control structures. You can also refer to resources such as PHP documentation and online tutorials to learn more about the language.

Further Reading:

These are some of the books that can be helpful in learning PHP. Additionally, there are numerous tutorials, videos, and online courses available that can help you get started with PHP.

In conclusion, PHP is a powerful, flexible, and easy-to-learn programming language that is well-suited for web development. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer, there are plenty of resources available to help you learn and master the language.

Here are the other parts of the series

  • Introduction to PHP: The Language of the web | PHP Beginner to Advance
  • More to Come…