What is PHP? Detailed guide for beginners

Are you looking for a new programming language to learn? Or simply curious and wondering what exactly is PHP? Whatever the reason, you've come to the right place. Let's explore what PHP is, as well as everything there is to know about it. What if you need to find PHP hosting to host your website? Refer to Hostinger's PHP hosting right away.

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Script Language

PHP (PHP's recursive abbreviation: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a subset of scripting languages such as JavaScript and Python. The difference is that PHP language is mainly used for server side communication while JavaScript can be used for both frontend as well as backend and Python – only for client side (backend).

Sounds confusing right? So that's why we need to understand scripting language before diving into PHP.

What is scripting language, scripting language? It is a language that automates the execution of tasks in a special runtime environment. These include asking a static web page (built with HTML and CSS) to perform specific actions with rules you have predefined.

For example, you can use a script to validate a form making sure all fields are filled out before it is sent back to the server. The script will run and then check all the fields when the user submits the form.

If the form is empty, an alert is displayed to notify the user.

Other common uses of scripting languages include displaying drop-down effects when the cursor moves over the main menu, scrolling buttons and animations, opening dialog boxes, etc.

Server side and client side

Scripting languages can run client-side (frontend) or server-side (backend).

Client-side scripts are handled by the web browser. When the browser, ie the client, requests a page containing client-side scripts, the server responds by sending executable source codes to the browser.

Server-side scripting language, on the other hand, means that scripts are executed on servers before they are sent to the browser. So, instead of sending source code, web servers process (parse) the code first by converting it into a format HTML simple.

Thus, server-side scripts allow webmasters to hide source code, while client-side scripts are easily seen by users.

You now understand the basics of scripting languages, client-side and server-side. It's time to return to our original question. What is PHP?

What is PHP?

As mentioned, PHP is a scripting language made for server-side communications. Therefore, it can handle server-side functions such as collecting form data, managing files on the server, modifying the database and much more.

This language was originally created by Rasmus Lerdorf to track visitors to his personal homepage. As it became more popular, Lerdorf released it as an open source project. This decision encouraged developers to use, fix, improve the code and eventually make it the scripting language we use today.

Although PHP is considered a general purpose scripting language, it is the most widely used to web development. This is due to one of its standout features – the ability to embed HTML files.

If you don't want others to see your source code, you can hide it using this scripting language. Simply write code in a PHP file, embed it in HTML, then people will never know the original content.

Another benefit of this particular feature is when the same HTML markup must be used. Instead of writing it over and over again, just write the code into a PHP file. Whenever you need to use HTML, just insert the PHP file and you're good to go.

Example PHP page view on Facebook. Open the homepage, you can see the URL ending in .php (facebook.com/home.php). In other words, this page is built with a PHP file (home.php) containing the hypertext preprocessor code and HTML tags.

If you want to learn more about writing PHP files, you can check out the simple example below:

<html>
 <head>
  <title>PHP Test</title>
 </head>
 <body>
 <?php echo '<p>Greetings From Hostinger</p>'; ?> 
 </body>
</html>

If you put this written PHP file in your website's root directory, you'll find it by going to yoursite.com/greetings.php

The output of this PHP file in HTML will look like this:

<html>
<head>
 <title>PHP Test</title>
</head>
<body>
<p>Greetings From Hostinger</p>
</body>
</html>

This is the most basic example because you don't need to run this script in any shape or form. We simply use the statement echo with page to display Greetings From Hostinger. However, this example shows how a web page can interpret PHP code into HTML.

Why should you use PHP language?

PHP isn't the only server-side scripting language available – there are many more. However, it does have an edge over the competition if you are running a WordPress website.

As we mentioned earlier, WordPress is built on the use of PHP. So using this language greatly improves the amount of customization possible on the website. You can use it to modify plugins and themes available or create your own plugin! If you want to be a developer and WordPress, you must learn PHP.

If still not convinced, here are some other reasons why PHP is a great scripting language to use:

Easy to learn – you can learn easily because it has great material about functions and examples.

Widely used – it is used to create all kinds of platforms like e-commerce, blogs, social media, etc. Statistics show 79% of all websites all use PHP!

Low cost – it is open source so you can use it for free.

Great community – if you face any problem with it, you don't have to worry because there are many PHP blogs on the internet.

Integration with the database – some examples like MySQL, Oracle, Sybase, DB2, vv

PHP vs JavaScript

We mentioned earlier that you can do a lot of things with the PHP language. However, it is most widely used for creating dynamic content.

If you're familiar with JavaScript, you know it's also used to make static pages more dynamic and interactive. Thus, we now have two scripting languages with similar functionality.

Why do we need both?

When it comes to building dynamic websites, it is really possible to create websites that only run on JavaScript. However functionality can vary greatly.

With JavaScript, you can create dynamic web pages that allow simple interactions like scrolling effects, autocorrect, and photo galleries. But it cannot create user-generated content such as social networks and e-commerce (web pages change with user behavior). To do this, you will need the PHP language.

If you are logged in to a social network, to display your profile, PHP will pull your data from the database and send the results to the browser.

Whenever you change your profile, PHP stores that new information in the database for future retrieval. This whole process makes it possible for the social network to show different content to different users.

Therefore, JavaScript and PHP are not competitors. Instead, they complement each other to build stunning dynamic websites.

Summary

PHP is a general-purpose, all-purpose server-side scripting language, but is mainly used to create dynamic content on web pages.

It is widely popular due to its open source nature and flexible functionality. It is also simple enough for newbies to use, but professional programmers can also use more advanced features.

Learning about the PHP language can definitely enhance your development skills – you should be able to build any kind of website you want. You can become a skilled WordPress developer or even build web apps one day!

As you can see, there's no reason not to learn the PHP language, right? If you still have questions about what PHP is, or want to discuss more about PHP. Please leave a comment below.

Hai G. is an expert in managing and operating website services. He has many years of experience in VPS, Hosting, technical SEO, CMS. Especially love WordPress and have been using it for over 5 years now. His hobbies are reading, blogging, traveling and mentoring young people to start a business.