One of the most popular and established programming languages on the internet is PHP. Millions of websites, ranging from tiny blogs to substantial e-commerce sites, are powered by it. However, given the rise of new frameworks and languages, some may question whether PHP will still be useful in 2023.
Here are ten reasons why the answer is indeed yes.
PHP is Well-liked
PHP is used by about 79% of all websites, according to W3Techs. Comparing it to its closest competitor in server-side programming languages, ASP.NET, is eight times less common. Over the past year, despite competition from other languages, PHP’s usage share has stayed stable.
Based on statistical analysis, PHP is the most popular programming language and is expected to hold a 49.47% market share in 2023. This indicates that PHP developers are happy with the language they have chosen and are probably going to stick with it.
PHP Is Adaptable
PHP is useful for many different types of web development tasks, ranging from straightforward scripts to intricate applications. Data processing, form validation, file uploading, session management, email sending, and other tasks are all handled by it. Additionally, it can communicate with various databases, including SQLite, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB.
Moreover, PHP is easily integrated into HTML, facilitating the blending of dynamic and static content. Alternatively, it can be used with a graphical user interface (GUI) or a command-line interface (CLI) as a standalone language.
Learning PHP Is Simple
PHP is an interpreted language at a high level with an easy-to-understand and expressive syntax. Strict typing, memory control, or compilation are not necessary. It also includes a ton of built-in features and functions that simplify daily tasks.
Along with an official handbook and a wealth of online resources and tutorials, PHP is also well-documented. It boasts a sizable and vibrant developer community that is eager to lend a hand and share expertise.
PHP Is Accompliant
Nearly all operating systems, including Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and Unix, support PHP. The majority of web servers, including Apache, Nginx, IIS, and Lighttpd, are also supported. Using a portable server like XAMPP, it can be installed quickly or even operated without installation.
The majority of web protocols and standards, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, XML, JSON, SOAP, REST, and OAuth, are also compatible with PHP. By the use of extensions or libraries, it can also function with other languages and technologies.
Scalability of PHP
PHP can manage massive data volumes and traffic volumes without sacrificing dependability or performance. It can be expanded vertically by changing the hardware or horizontally by adding more servers. To increase effectiveness and speed, it can also make use of load balancing technologies or caching strategies.
Yahoo, Facebook, Wikipedia, WordPress, and WordPress are a few of the most well-known websites that utilize PHP. Every day, these websites process billions of requests from their millions of users.
PHP Is Safe
Numerous features and functionalities of PHP aid in mitigating prevalent security risks, including SQL injection, cross-site request forgery (CSRF), cross-site scripting (XSS), and remote code execution (RCE). Additionally, it supports HTTP authentication, SSL/TLS certificates, hashing, and encryption.
PHP security, however, is also dependent on the configuration and writing of the code. The best practices and guidelines should be adhered to by developers in order to prevent vulnerabilities and the exposure of sensitive data.
PHP is Current
Over time, PHP has changed to meet the ever-evolving requirements and standards of web development. November 2022 saw the release of PHP 8.1, the most recent version. It offers fresh functions and enhancements like:
Enums: A technique for defining a group of named constants that have type-like capabilities.
Fibers: A method for developing concurrent, lightweight tasks with pause and resume capabilities.
Properties that can’t be changed after initialization are declared as readonly properties.
Intersection types: A way to use the & operator to combine several types into one.
Using the … operator to unpack arrays into function arguments or array literals is known as array unpacking.
Named arguments: An alternative to passing arguments to functions by position is to pass them by name.
Attributes: A way to use the #[…] syntax to add metadata to classes, methods, properties, parameters, or functions.
PHP is now more readable, powerful, expressive, and maintainable thanks to these features.
PHP Is Adaptable
PHP gives developers the freedom to select their own coding conventions and styles. It does not impose any rigid guidelines or requirements on the format or writing of the code. Furthermore, it has no restrictions on the kinds of tools or frameworks that can be used with it.
A diverse range of frameworks for PHP are available, offering various features and functionalities for web development. Laravel, Symfony, CodeIgniter, CakePHP, Zend Framework, Yii, Slim, Phalcon, and Lumen are a few of the most widely used ones.
These frameworks offer features like routing, templating, validation, authentication, authorization, testing, caching, logging, and more to make the process of creating applications faster and easier for developers.
PHP Is Novel
PHP is generating new trends in addition to adjusting to the ones that are already in place. Laravel is one of the most prominent instances of this, having grown to be one of the most well-liked and significant web development frameworks.
Taylor Otwell founded Laravel in 2011 in an effort to offer a more sophisticated and pleasurable approach to writing PHP code. It blends the greatest elements of other frameworks with its own original concepts and fixes.
Many cutting-edge ideas and resources brought forth by Laravel have altered how developers use PHP. Among them are:
A command-line interface called Artisan offers helpful commands for creating code, moving databases, executing tests, and other tasks.
Eloquent: An expressive syntax for working with databases through an object-relational mapper (ORM).
Blade is a templating engine that enables PHP logic to be embedded into HTML code.
Homestead: A virtual machine that comes pre-packaged and offers a development environment that is ready to use.
Valet: An understated development environment utilizing the integrated PHP server.
Forge: A service that makes it simple to deploy apps to different cloud platforms.
Envoyer: An application deployment service that guarantees no downtime.
Spark: A platform that offers building blocks for developing software as a service (SaaS) apps.
Numerous other frameworks and initiatives in the PHP community and beyond have been influenced by Laravel.
PHP Is Enjoyable
Not to mention, using PHP is enjoyable. It enables programmers to use their creativity and individuality in their code. It provides several approaches to problem-solving and goal-achieving. It pushes developers to advance their knowledge and abilities. Positive feedback and satisfying results are given to developers as rewards.
For many developers worldwide, PHP is not just a programming language—it’s a passion and way of life.
As you can see, PHP will likely be around for a very long time in 2023. It is well-liked, adaptable, simple to learn, scalable, safe, cutting-edge, flexible, and enjoyable.
PHP is a programming language that you should definitely take into consideration if you’re looking for a tool to help you develop incredible web applications in 2023.
What are your thoughts on PHP? Do you think my reasons make sense? Do you have any more justifications to share? Tell me in the comments section below!
