PHP stands for “Hypertext Preprocessor” (a recursive acronym) and is a widely-used, open-source server-side scripting language designed especially for web development.
🔍 Full Information About PHP
🧱 1. Definition
PHP is a scripting language that runs on the server. It is embedded within HTML to add functionality to web pages, such as handling forms, sending emails, managing sessions, and interacting with databases.
🕰️ 2. History
- Created by: Rasmus Lerdorf
- First Released: 1995
- Originally: “Personal Home Page Tools” – a set of CGI scripts
- Now: “PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor” – a powerful, full-fledged programming language
⚙️ 3. How PHP Works
- Client (browser) sends request to the server.
- Web server (e.g., Apache or Nginx) passes the request to the PHP engine.
- PHP script is executed on the server.
- Output (usually HTML) is sent back to the client’s browser.
🛠️ 4. Key Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Open Source | Free to use and modify |
| Server-Side | Executes on the server, not on the client |
| Cross-Platform | Works on Windows, Linux, macOS |
| Database Support | Easily integrates with MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, etc. |
| Embedded in HTML | Can be inserted inside HTML code |
| Community Support | Huge community, extensive documentation |
| Fast Development | Ideal for rapid web application development |
🧑💻 5. Basic Syntax Example
<?php
echo "Hello, World!";
?>
🛡️ 6. Common Uses
- Web applications
- Content Management Systems (CMS)
- E-commerce platforms (like Magento, WooCommerce)
- Forums and blogs
- RESTful APIs
🧰 7. Popular PHP Frameworks
- Laravel – Modern, elegant, MVC framework
- Symfony – Reusable components and scalable apps
- CodeIgniter – Lightweight and fast
- Zend Framework – Enterprise-level features
🧠 8. PHP with Databases
PHP commonly works with:
- MySQL
- MariaDB
- PostgreSQL
- Uses extensions like PDO (PHP Data Objects) or MySQLi
📦 9. Popular CMS Built with PHP
- WordPress
- Drupal
- Joomla
🧪 10. PHP File Characteristics
- File extension:
.php - Must be executed on a web server with a PHP interpreter (e.g., Apache + PHP)
🔄 11. PHP vs Other Languages
| PHP | Python | JavaScript (Node.js) |
|---|---|---|
| Mainly for web | Versatile | Front & back-end |
| Easy for beginners | Clean syntax | Event-driven |
| Embedded in HTML | Not embedded | Separate logic |
📈 12. Current Version
As of now, the latest stable version is PHP 8.x, featuring
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