More than 75% of websites, including platforms like WordPress and Facebook, use one of the most common server-side scripting languages for web development – the PHP programming language. Its convenience, flexibility, and comprehensive support for various databases (DBs) and frameworks make it an excellent choice for beginners and more experienced developers. PHP provides the tools to successfully bring your ideas to life, whether you are creating simple web pages or complex applications. In this guide, we will dive into the basics of using PHP for web development. We’ll discuss how PHP improves web development, its main features, and why PHP is still the language for dynamic website creation.
PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is a popular open-source server-side script used primarily for web development.
The history of PHP dates back to 1994, when Rasmus Lerdorf created PHP as a set of tools to track visitors to his website. It was initially called Personal Home Page Tools.
Introduced in 1998 with more robust features and greater flexibility, PHP 3, as well as subsequent versions of PHP such as PHP 4, 5, and the current PHP 8, marked a turning point and brought improvements in performance, security, and object-oriented programming capabilities. PHP quickly became popular among web developers.
Since its debut in the 1990s, the PHP programming language has evolved into a full-fledged scripting language. It has become a robust foundation for the growth of many websites, from social media platforms to e-commerce sites.
Web development is more than just creating code to display content on the internet.
Web development aims to create interactive and engaging user experiences that grab people’s attention and leave them with positive memories of the website.
Why PHP is best for web development:
All these factors have put PHP at the forefront of web development.
Before you start developing web applications with PHP, you must set up a suitable development environment for an efficient workflow. In the following sections, we will cover these main components of setting up a PHP development environment: installing PHP on different operating systems (OS), choosing a suitable IDE, and setting up a local server for development.
PHP can be installed directly on the system, depending on the OS.
sudo apt install php
brew install php
Because an integrated development environment (IDE) offers debugging tools, error checking, and syntax highlighting, it can significantly improve productivity. Here are some of the most common IDEs for PHP development:
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PHP applications must be tested on a local server before being run in production. The tools we mentioned simplify the installation process by offering a comprehensive package that includes PHP, MySQL, and Apache.
Once the installation is complete, you can start testing PHP scripts by adding them to the local server’s web directory, known as htdocs for XAMPP. These environments simplify testing and debugging your code before moving it to production.
Understanding the basics of PHP syntax is the foundation for creating web applications. Because of its simplicity and flexibility, PHP is widely used in web development. In the following sections, we will cover the main parts of PHP, such as variables, data types, operators, control structures, functions, and scope.
In PHP, variables store data and always start with a dollar sign ($). Here is the basic syntax:
$var = value;
PHP is a weakly typed language, meaning you don't have to specify the type of PHP variable explicitly. The data type is automatically determined based on the value assigned, allowing for flexible implementation of variables in PHP. Common data types in PHP include:
Variables can dynamically change types based on the values assigned, making PHP flexible for developers.
PHP variables have many uses. Using or declaring variables, binding them, and printing them to the screen is done as follows:
$var = "blue";echo $var;
On the screen, you see: blue
$var = "blue";echo "The sky is " . $var
On the screen, you see: The sky is blue
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PHP supports a wide range of operators for performing calculations and logical comparisons.
PHP control structures control the flow of your program, allowing you to make decisions and loops:
Functions in PHP are reusable blocks of code that perform specific tasks. They are defined using the function keyword:
function greet($name) {return "Hello, " . $name;}
PHP can have global or local functions. Variables inside a function have local scope unless declared global using the global keyword or passed via arguments.
So, we can see that understanding the syntax and fundamentals of PHP is an essential foundation for both beginners and experienced programmers that can prepare them for developing dynamic and efficient web applications.
Working with databases in PHP involves using the following database management tools to provide secure and efficient database interactions required for modern web applications.
PHP typically interacts with databases such as MySQL to manage dynamic data for web applications. MySQL, a popular relational database management system, works seamlessly with PHP to store and retrieve user data, product information, or content.
CRUD stands for Create, Read, Update, and Delete, the basic operations for managing database records. In PHP, you can perform these operations using SQL queries. For example, INSERT INTO creates new records, SELECT retrieves data, UPDATE modifies existing records, and DELETE deletes records.
PHP Data Objects (PDO) provide a secure and flexible way to interact with databases, including MySQL. PDO supports prepared statements, which prevent SQL injection attacks and make queries more secure.
An example of using PDO to connect to a MySQL database:
$pdo = new PDO('mysql:host=localhost;dbname=testdb', 'username', 'password');$stmt = $pdo->prepare('SELECT * FROM users WHERE id=?');$stmt->execute([1]);
PHP frameworks allow developers to create robust and scalable web applications quickly. These frameworks have ready-made modules and libraries that simplify routing, authentication, and database management tasks. This allows developers to focus on business logic rather than creating new elements. In the following sections, we will look at the most common PHP frameworks and how to choose the best framework for your project.
In this section, we will provide an overview of popular frameworks for PHP web development, including Laravel, Symfony, and CodeIgniter.
Laravel is one of the most popular PHP frameworks. It is known for its elegant syntax and rich features, such as built-in authentication and authorization tools and the Eloquent ORM Blade templating engine. It promotes modern PHP practices and speeds up PHP web development with a vast ecosystem of tools.
Symfony is a very flexible framework designed for large applications requiring a high customization level. It is a component-based framework, so its components can be used in other projects or combined with other PHP frameworks.
CodeIgniter is a simple framework suitable for developers seeking simplicity and speed. It is excellent for small or simple applications because it is beginner-friendly and requires minimal customization.
The best PHP framework depends on the complexity of the project, scalability requirements, and the developer’s skill level. Symfony may be the best choice for large enterprise-level projects that require extensive customization. For its simplicity and powerful tools, Laravel is ideal for most applications. CodeIgniter is an excellent choice if you’re building a small project or need to start quickly.
In this section, we will introduce how to install and get started with PHP frameworks for PHP web development using one of the most popular PHP frameworks, Laravel, as an example. To begin, you need to install it via Composer, the PHP dependency manager, using the following command:
composer create-project --prefer-dist laravel/laravel myApp
Laravel has built-in commands, like PHP artisan, that help with routing, database migrations, and other tasks. Using the Laravel guide, you can quickly set up your first project and easily begin building a fully functional web application.
Installing and using PHP frameworks is essential because these tools for creating modern web applications speed up development and scalability.
The PHP programming language is widely used to create dynamic websites. A dynamic website consists of dynamic pages with templates, content, scripts, and other components that are typically stored on the server as separate resources, such as files, database data, and third-party servers. Unlike static websites, dynamic websites have changeable pages that can be easily customized for a specific user, allowing them to interact with users, process data, and manage content.
In the following sections, we will discuss the basic elements of creating dynamic websites, such as:
Forms are an important component of dynamic websites because they allow users to submit data, such as login credentials, search queries, or file uploads. Therefore, handling forms and user input is a key step in building websites with PHP. PHP handles form data using the $_GET and $_POST superglobal arrays.
For example, to handle user input from a login form, enter the following scripts:
$username = $_POST['username'];$password = $_POST['password'];
Sanitizing and validating user input is essential to prevent security vulnerabilities such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS). Use the htmlspecialchars() and filter_input() functions to ensure secure data handling.
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PHP allows developers to store user information using sessions and cookies, which is important for creating a customized web experience. Sessions have data storage for each user across pages using a unique identifier. It is safer to store this data on the server. You can start a session with the following commands:
session_start();$_SESSION['username'] = $username;
Cookies store small amounts of information in the user's browser and are commonly used to change preferences or keep you logged in. You can use the setcookie() function to set cookies:
setcookie('user', $username, time() + (86400 * 30), "/");
PHP provides a simple way to handle file uploads, allowing users to upload files such as documents or images. When handling file uploads, the $_FILES variable is used to retrieve and manage the file securely.
$target_dir = "uploads/"; $target_file = $target_dir . basename($_FILES["fileToUpload"]["name"]); move_uploaded_file($_FILES["fileToUpload"]["tmp_name"], $target_file);
To prevent security threats such as unauthorized file uploads, it is essential to check file types and sizes.
To create high-quality interactive dynamic web applications, it is necessary to integrate PHP with front-end technologies.
PHP and JavaScript integration is often used to create dynamic websites. JavaScript handles client-side interactions, while PHP handles server-side logic. For example, PHP can create data that JavaScript processes to create constantly changing content without reloading the page.
Integrating AJAX with PHP allows asynchronous data exchange between the client and server without reloading the page. AJAX dynamically updates content and improves the user experience by sending background requests to PHP scripts. Validating a form or loading new data without refreshing the page is a common use case.
Twig and Blade templates separate the logic from the presentation layer. By embedding PHP into HTML templates, developers can write cleaner, more maintainable code, resulting in better structure and easier management of web layouts.
Adopting best practices in PHP development ensures that your code is clean, maintainable, and scalable for future growth.
Writing clean code means using descriptive variable names, commenting when necessary, and organizing your code logically. Following coding standards like PSRs (PHP Standards Recommendations) ensures consistency and readability, making it easier for teams to collaborate and maintain a codebase.
Model-View-Controller (MVC) web-development architecture is widely used in PHP frameworks like Laravel and Symfony. It separates an application into three components: the model (data), the view (user interface), and the controller (logic). This separation improves code organization, makes debugging easier, and makes it easier to scale and maintain.
Using Git for version control is essential for managing code changes and collaborating. Git helps track revisions, provides branching for feature development, and offers safe rollbacks in case of problems. Platforms like GitHub or GitLab provide tools for collaborating and deploying PHP projects.
As you’ve learned in our complete guide to PHP web development, PHP is still the backbone of web development, providing the flexibility and power to build dynamic, interactive websites. When running PHP applications, we highly recommend choosing a hosting provider like is*hosting that offers robust security with its dedicated servers and high performance with its virtual private servers. Providers with optimized server configurations, PHP support, and built-in security features like firewalls and SSL certificates can significantly improve the reliability and speed of your applications.
PHP will remain a relevant and essential tool for developers as modern PHP frameworks evolve and integrate with new technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and microservices. By staying up to date with best practices and leveraging advanced features, PHP developers continue to build scalable and secure web applications that meet the demands of today’s digital era.