What is PHP?
PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is a popular open-source server-side scripting language primarily used for web development. It processes code on the server and sends HTML to the browser.
It is especially suited for dynamic websites and integrates seamlessly with databases like MySQL.
History and Evolution
- 1994: Created by Rasmus Lerdorf.
- 1995: Released as Personal Home Page Tools (PHP Tools).
- 1997: PHP 3 introduced full programming capabilities.
- 2000: PHP 4 with Zend Engine improved performance.
- 2004: PHP 5 added OOP support.
- 2015: PHP 7 offered major speed boosts.
- 2020+: PHP 8 brought JIT compiler and modern syntax.
Why Use PHP?
- Free and open-source
- Easy to learn and beginner-friendly
- Works well with HTML and databases
- Cross-platform support (Windows, Linux, macOS)
- Huge community and extensive documentation
- Supports Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)
PHP vs Other Server-side Languages
| Feature | PHP | Python (Django/Flask) | Node.js |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | Simple syntax, easy start | Simple but more abstract | Requires JavaScript knowledge |
| Performance | Fast (PHP 7+) | High | High (non-blocking I/O) |
| Community Support | Very Large | Large | Very Large |
| Hosting Support | Extensive | Moderate | Moderate |


