What are the major reasons why PHP remains popular for web development? Now that digitalization is on the increase, lots of people and companies are beginning to switch to the PHP platform for lots of reasons. Most of which we are going to discuss in this article.
It is very compulsory to have a website for your business to ensure growth and stay competitive. However, it is very necessary to consider using the latest technology when developing your website.
However, the main question here is why people still use PHP for web development even though it was released many years ago.
Before looking at the reasons, let’s take a proper definition of PHP.
What is PHP
PHP in its full form means Hypertext Preprocessor. PHP is a server-side programming language that is used in web development. This language was first created in the year 1994 by Rasmus Lerdorf and was later released in early 1995.
PHP as a programming language is used primarily in both dynamic and interactive web content, eCommerce websites, session tracking, and databases. PHP was among the first server-side languages that were embedded in HTML. Therefore, making it is very easy to integrate more web pages without loading external files data when it is accessed.
PHP is also integrated with several popular databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, Sybase, Informix, and Microsoft SQL Server.
Why PHP is So Popular
Here are some of the major reasons why this language I preferred by most developers;
PHP is Very Easy to Use
One of the major reasons why this language is very popular is that it is very easy to use. it is relatively simple to get started with. You can start working with it even if you do not have extensive knowledge or experience in web development. Some people can create a single PHP file in a very short period.
The syntax of PHP is very simple and command features are very easy to learn. This means that the barriers to entry with PHP are lower than with other languages.
PHP is an Open Source
This means that it is very free to use. PHP can be installed very fast and at zero cost. PHP also has open access to a wide range of frameworks such as Laravel and symphony. This is a feature that is very appealing to companies as it helps control the cost of web development.
It is Very Versatile
One of the main benefits of PHP is that it is independent. This means that it can be used on both Mac OS, Windows, and Linux. It also supports most web browsers. This means that it will be very easy to deploy on different systems and platforms at a very cheap cost.
It Has a Very Strong Community Support
PHP now has a very large and loyal community base to support its users. This platform has lots of tutorials, FAQs, and tips to help new PHP developers continue pushing the boundaries of what the language can achieve through constant updates.
It is Very Fast and Secure
These are two qualities that all organizations in the world want their company websites to have. PHP uses its memories and it competes well on speed, especially when using the newer versions.
There have been lots of questions about the security of PHP. Although it is very to note that it is not inherently more or less secure than other programming languages.
One very good benefit of this language is that there are so many tools, frameworks, and best practices to help fix vulnerabilities and protect against cyberattacks.
It is connected to a Very Good Database
PHP makes it very easy to connect very securely with almost all kinds of databases. It also gives developers more freedom when choosing which of the databases is best suited for the application that is being built.
It is Tried and Tested
One of the major benefits of using this language is that the code of PHP has been put to rest in all kinds of real-life environments. The main bugs have already been found and fixed. This means that the language is more stable and trusted by developers. Many frameworks and tools have been built over time that helps to make PHP web development more secure and effective.
PHP Vs Others
Some of the points listed above have been applied to other programming languages. However, here are some very few alternatives to PHP to help you choose which is best suited to your projects or your organization.
JavaScript
Javascript is one of the most popular programming languages in the world today and it has been around for as long as PHP has been. It is primarily a client-side language. Therefore, it is not directly comparable with PHP. However, Node Js and some other frameworks can enable developers to write server-side scripts with JavaScript.
PHP and Javascript have very huge and comparable communities and have high versatility. However, Javascript allows for full-stack development. PHP on the other hand is very easy to learn and maintain.
Python
Python is one of the most popular languages in the world today. It is loved for its simplicity and flexibility and it has been ranked as the number one choice for data science and AI.
Python has a fast-growing community and an increasing number of frameworks and libraries. It is very flexible, although it does not yet have the same level of database connectivity and support as PHP.
Ruby
Ruby Is one very good open-source language that has been around since the 90s. it is used in the popular web development framework Ruby on rails. Ruby has an elegant syntax and a very robust performance although it is considered to be more complicated to learn and master than PHP and it doesn’t have the same extensive community support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is PHP still so popular?
PHP is very popular because it is considered very easy and light. With PHP, your project can be completed quickly by relatively inexperienced programmers.
Is PHP still used in web development?
Yea, it is still very relevant and popular for web development. It is easy and very fast and constantly updated. There is a wide range of specialists that can still work with it.
What language is best for web development?
The best languages for web development are;
- C++
- SQL.
- PHP.
- C#
- Angular.
- Ruby Rails.
- Golang.
- Scala.
Why PHP is better than Java?
On a general basis, PHP tends to be faster than java. This is because the code is shorter and many people may find it much easier and quicker to write than Java. However, Java is still quite fast, especially the recent versions of it.
More Related Content
- PayPal Credit: All you Need to Know About PayPal Credit and How to Apply
- How to Take the Tim Hortons Customer Satisfaction Survey
- Okcupid Dating Site – Mistakes To Avoid on the OkCupid Dating site
- Axis Bank Login – Login to your Axis Bank Account Online at www.axisbank.com
- Overstock Store Credit Card – Apply for Overstock Store Card at www.overstock.com/myaccount
