PHP Tutorial

Last Updated : 10 May, 2024
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PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is a versatile and widely used server-side scripting language for creating dynamic and interactive web applications. This PHP tutorial will give you an in-depth understanding of the PHP scripting language. Whether you are a beginner or a professional PHP developer this free PHP tutorial will provide valuable knowledge about PHP scripting language.

What is PHP?

PHP is a popular scripting language used for creating dynamic web pages and web applications. The term PHP is an acronym of Hypertext Preprocessor. It is an open-source, interpreted, object-oriented server-side scripting language.PHP Tutorial

With our PHP tutorial, you’ll learn all the important topics, including control statements, functions, arrays, strings, file handling, form handling, regular expressions, date and time manipulation, object-oriented programming in PHP, mathematical operations, working with PHP and MySQL, integrating PHP with Ajax, harnessing the power of PHP with jQuery, and more.

Table of Content

Prerequisites for this PHP Tutorial

  • HTML and CSS: Understanding of basic HTML and CSS.
  • Basic programming concepts

Features of PHP

  • Open-Source and Free: PHP is firstly open source which means anyone can use PHP code without any licensing. Along with this one can run PHP on any operating system like Windows, macOS, Linux, Unix and more.
  • PHP Server-Side Scripting: PHP code executes on the server before sending HTML content to the user’s browser, allowing for the dynamic generation of web pages and handling user interactions.
  • Interpreted language: PHP code is interpreted line by line, eliminating the need for compilation and simplifying development and testing processes.
  • Database connectivity: PHP integrates seamlessly with various databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Oracle, facilitating data storage and retrieval for web applications.
  • Object-oriented programming (OOP): PHP supports OOP concepts like classes, objects, inheritance, and polymorphism, enabling better code organization and modularity.
  • Built-in functions: PHP comes with a rich set of built-in functions for various tasks such as string manipulation, date and time handling, file handling, and more, reducing the need for external libraries.
  • Session management: PHP allows for user session management, enabling personalized experiences and storing user data across multiple page visits.
  • Security features: While security considerations are essential for any development language, PHP offers several built-in security features and best practices to help mitigate vulnerabilities.

History of PHP

PHP is developed by Rasmus Lerdorf in 1994 the very first version of PHP that simply designed to set the Common Gateway Interface (CGI) binaries, which are written in C programming language. The latest version of PHP is PHP version 8 which is released on November 24, 2022. It can be easily embedded with HTML files. HTML codes can also be written in a PHP file. The PHP codes are executed on the server side whereas HTML codes are directly executed on the browser.

PHP Characteristics

  1. Simple
  2. Efficient
  3. Secure
  4. Flexible

First Hello World Program in PHP

Simple program to print “Hello world!” message on the screen.

PHP 
<?php
 
/* echo is a print command */
echo "Hello world!"; 

?>

Output:

Hello world!

Why We Learn PHP ?

PHP is one of the widely used open-source general-purpose scripting languages for backend Development. Apart from this, let’s see why we should learn it.

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

These applications demonstrate the versatility and widespread use of PHP in web development, powering a vast array of websites and applications.

Also Check: Recent Articles on PHP

Getting Started with PHP Tutorial

Explore the power of the web with this, free PHP tutorial! We’ll guide you through the essential building blocks, transforming you from a beginner to a confident PHP developer. Get ready to craft dynamic web applications and robust server-side functionality with the versatile PHP language!

Functions Complete References


Applications of PHP

  • Server-side web development: It is a development where the program runs on a server dealing with the generation of content of web pages.
  • Content management systems (CMS): It is a framework already designed by other programmers and coders on which you can either contribute your knowledge and skills or just use those coders’ skills to design your own website or blog
  • E-commerce websites: E-commerce, or electronic commerce, refers to the buying and selling of goods and services over the Internet.
  • Database-driven applications: It is a software application that relies on a database to store, manage, and retrieve data. It utilizes a database management system (DBMS) to organize and manipulate data, enabling efficient data storage, retrieval, and management.
  • Web APIs: It is an API as the name suggests, it can be accessed over the web using the HTTP protocol. It is a framework that helps you to create and develop HTTP-based RESTFUL services.

Interview Questions and Answers:

PHP Online Quiz

PHP Programming Examples

Here in the section, we have listed some PHP programming examples that will help you to level up your PHP programming skills.

Frequently Asked Questions on PHP Tutorial

What is PHP full form?

The full form of PHP is Hypertext Preprocessor It was abbreviated previously as Personal Home Page.

Is PHP easy to learn?

Yes, to get a pro in PHP it will take 6 to 12 months so it more towards the easy programming language to learn.

Can you learn PHP on your own

Yes, you one can easily learn PHP by its own, just get some good resource like GeeksforGeeks and YouTube

Why is PHP used for?

PHP is used for a wide range of web development tasks, but here are some of its most common applications:

What is a PHP developer’s salary?

The average salary of the PHP developer lies between 3.5 Lakh to 11 Lakh.



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