Disclaimer: This article is meant for beginners in this field, written by a dummy in Php, don't expect extensive explanation!
What is PHP?
PHP stands for Hypertext Preprocessor. Most online source did not explain why it is not HPP,later found out through Wikipedia that it's original name is Personal Home Page!
It's an open source, server-side, scripting language used for the development of web applications.
WHY DO WE USE PHP?
There are many reasons to use PHP for server side programming, firstly it is a free language with no licensing fees so the cost of using it is minimal.
A good benefit of using PHP is that it can interact with many different database languages including MySQL. Both PHP and MySQL are compatible with an Apache server which is also free to license. PHP can also run on Windows, Linux and Unix servers.
Due to all these languages being free it is cheap and easy to setup and create a website using PHP.
PHP also has very good online documentation with a good framework of functions in place. This makes the language relatively easy to learn and very well supported online. There are countless forums and tutorials on various PHP methods and problems so it is usually very easy to find help if you need it.
Due to PHP being so accessible and cheap to setup there are a lot of people who know how to use the language which makes finding new employees proficient in this language less challenging.
In summary, PHP is widely used because it is Open source, easy to setup, cross platform compatibility, large online resources to learn from and many frameworks available to work/start with.
PHP STRENGTH
It is open source language
Eliminates client configuration problems. With PHP there is no need to worry if the client has the appropriate software installed, since the application is executed on the server.
NP: This is my fifth day learning about PHP, I might update this article as I understand more about this precious language
Top comments (1)
The blog above discussed the benefits of using PHP entirely, but there are also some drawbacks to consider. Inconsistent standard library: Although PHP's standard library is extensive, it can be inconsistent in terms of function naming conventions and parameter ordering. This inconsistency can make it difficult for developers to remember and work with different features. Weak typing: PHP is a loosely typed language. That is, variables are not strictly type-coerced. While this flexibility is convenient, it can also introduce potential bugs and errors that are difficult to detect during development. performance: Historically, PHP has had a reputation for being less powerful than other programming languages. However, improvements and optimizations in recent versions have closed the performance gap significantly. However, other languages ​​may be better suited for powerful and computationally intensive tasks. Missing built-in support for asynchronous programming: PHP traditionally follows a synchronous programming model. This means that it can be difficult to run tasks concurrently. PHP has libraries and frameworks available for asynchronous programming, but this is not a native feature of the language itself. Limited multithreading support: PHP does not natively support multithreading, which can limit its ability to efficiently handle concurrent requests. This can be a disadvantage in scenarios that require high concurrency. Security concerns: PHP's reputation for security vulnerabilities has been attributed to several factors, including the widespread use of older versions of PHP, improper input validation, and insecure coding practices. However, PHP itself has improved security, and using the latest version of PHP and following security best practices can mitigate these risks. Lack of strict coding standards: Unlike other languages, PHP does not enforce strict coding standards by default. This lack of enforcement can lead to inconsistencies between projects and developers, as well as different code styles.