Introduction To PHP. Everything You Need To Know To Start

Let’s start this series with an introduction to PHP. PHP stands for Hypertext Preprocessor. PHP is a server-side scripting language designed for web development specifically. You can embed PHP code in HTML files or vice versa HTML code can be written in a PHP file.

PHP’s difference from a client-side language like HTML or JavaScript is that PHP code is executed on the server, unlike JavaScript or HTML where code is directly rendered on the browser.

<?php
  
print "Hello world!"; 
 
?> 

Why You Should Learn PHP?

So why you should learn PHP? Let’s look at a few reasons:

• Easy to Learn: PHP is easier to learn (than let’s say JavaScript) for anyone who has come across any programming language for the first time.
• Free of Cost: Since PHP is an open-source language, therefore developers are allowed to use its components and all methods for free.
• Flexible: Since PHP is a dynamically typed language, therefore there are no hard rules on how to build features using it.
• Supports nearly all databases: PHP supports all the widely used databases, including MySQL, ODBC, SQLite, etc.
• Secured: PHP provides us with a secure platform for developing websites as it has multiple security levels.
• Huge Community Support: PHP is loved and used by a huge number of developers who love to share their knowledge with other people in the community who want to know about PHP