Ten Reasons Why PHP is still important for Web Development
In this blog, we are going to discuss PHP as we all know that with the increased use of the Internet for all purposes, from leisure to business, the number of websites being developed grows by the day.
We’ve transitioned from static to dynamic websites, and PHP has made it easier to create such dynamic websites.
PHP, a server-side scripting language, has numerous advantages that have led to it being widely used for developing high-quality websites all over the world.
Millions of websites have been created, and the number is still growing. Why do you believe PHP web development has become so popular? You are incorrect if you think it is free simply because it is open source. Of course, this is one of the reasons, but it is not enough to persuade people to use it.
PHP is a server-side language that has been around for over 25 years, eliciting some strong feelings among developers today. Whenever a new programming language or tool is released, there will almost certainly be a debate about where PHP is ‘dead.’ According to the Stack Overflow annual developer survey, PHP has gone down in the rankings of the most popular programming languages, from fifth in 2017 to eighth in 2020. Despite this, PHP is still used by nearly 80% of all websites, including major platforms such as WordPress and Facebook.
Why is PHP still so popular?
PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is a scripting language that can be used to create dynamic and interactive websites. It was one of the first server-side languages that could be embedded in HTML and is now making it easier to add functionality to the web pages without requiring data from external files. Its application has evolved over time, with regular updates (version 8.0 was released in November 2020), adding new features and unlocking new capabilities.
Why should you use PHP as a programming language for web development?
The technology industry is advancing at the speed of light. Advancement in a specific technology is happening much faster than ever before. The Internet is a vital resource for finding any information in the blink of an eye. Websites are the sources of information on the Internet. Furthermore, there are numerous programming languages that are used in the development of the web. Choosing the best programming language for web development is difficult from the many available.
In this post, I will discuss the benefits of one such programming language, PHP, and how PHP outperforms other programming languages in a variety of ways.
Let us look at the advantages of PHP that entice people to use it. Here are the following few advantages of using PHP:
1. It’s a free and open language
One of the most significant and important advantages of the PHP programming language is that it is freely available to web developers. It is executed on the server, which means it runs on the web server. Because of the open-source feature, PHP developers can easily learn about scripting code on online platforms.
2. It is simple to use
The syntax of the PHP programming language is simple and reliable for developers. It also includes extensive documentation for the various features that come standard with the core distributions. Furthermore, it significantly reduces learning time for both novice and experienced PHP developers. This feature also makes this language popular as a prototyping technique for developing web-based applications.
3. PHP software upgrades are much easier
The PHP codes are simple to change because of the simple syntax decoding. In other words, PHP web development tasks can be completed in a very short period of time. This feature of the PHP programming language assists web developers in transforming their websites into advanced apps. This programming language’s open-source feature allows developers to incorporate new-fangled functions on a regular basis at a low cost. The icing on the cake is that future PHP code maintenance can be performed by other developers, not just the team that completed the web development task.
4. PHP resources are easily accessible
Because the PHP programming language is so popular these days for web development, there are numerous resources available both online and offline. The best part is that these resources are available in a wide variety and are free of charge. The PHP community is quite large, and you will be able to learn from various developers who work with the PHP language.
5. PHP Web Development is Economical
Another reason why PHP is the programming language of choice for web developers is that it is entirely free. There are no such licensing fees for web developers to reap the benefits of a programming language. The original source code of the PHP programming language is freely available and distributed under the General Public License. Furthermore, the international community eventually assists in making advancements in its operation. There are numerous PHP-based web solutions whose practical application has been thoroughly tested, so there isn’t much time and effort required to improve the language’s functionality.
6. PHP language aids in reducing web development time
Because PHP is a partially object-oriented programming language, the codes can be reused for other website development tasks. Again, the use of PHP scripting codes saves developers a lot of time. Furthermore, developers can choose from a variety of PHP frameworks for web development, such as Laravel, WordPress, Symfony, and others. Every PHP framework offers a unique set of functional features that make website development more secure and efficient. This programming language has competent built-in features that make it useful for retrieving HTML.
7. Codes have a high degree of flexibility and a relatively simple integration feature
PHP programming language codes are compatible with a wide range of platforms, including Linux, Windows, and macOS. It also supports a wide range of servers (including Tornado, Apache, and Netscape) and databases such as MongoDB, MySQL, and others. One of the most compelling reasons why PHP outperforms other languages for cross-platform website development is this. Though PHP is highly compatible with HTML, it is also effectively integrated with XML, JavaScript, and other programming languages.
8. The PHP programming language is also beneficial in web hosting
PHP’s flexibility makes it a popular programming language among web developers all over the world. As a result, it is a fantastic hosting service provider. Any dependable web hosting service provider employs the PHP programming language in their website hosting services. In general, hosting packages include PHP language support at a low cost, which includes either free web host plans or affordable plans with an unlimited resource requirement.
9. High-performing PHP websites assist businesses in customer retention
In today’s fast-paced, digitalized world, the loading speed of a website is critical. Human attention span is only 6-8 seconds, so if a website does not load within this time frame, a Google user will most likely move on to the next website. PHP-built websites enable faster turnaround time for Google users due to faster data processing functionality. PHP web development was created initially for dynamic web pages that will be running for a long time. This is why PHP scripts help to solve web development problems much faster than any other programming language. PHP programming language codes can also be easily embedded in HTML, and developers can easily transform static website code into dynamic website code. It simply requires the inclusion of PHP code in the HTML. Because of this outstanding feature, PHP is a highly regarded language for creating elegant and functional websites that are compatible with HTML coding.
10. PHP Reduces Development Time
In comparison to other programming languages, the time required to develop websites using PHP is much shorter. With the PHP programming language, even the most complex software can be executed in the blink of an eye. This ultimately means that reduced web development time leads to significant cost savings on website creation.
Final Thoughts:
In a nutshell, PHP is one of the competent programming languages for developing feature-rich websites while requiring less cost and time from developers. Check out this free PHP course to learn PHP online. You can also explore other software development courses to kickstart your career in software engineering and development
