Computers have a significant impact in the modern world. And these computers are run by a computer program which is organized using programming languages. Programming languages are the driving forces behind advances in information technology. One of the earliest and prominent languages is PHP. But, people question its relevance in the modern world as newer languages arise into the market. Undoubtedly, PHP is still enough to stay in the limelight, compete with the modern ones, and be effectively used by company in software development.
In a nutshell, programming languages serve as a foundation for all the conveniences that we enjoy today. From online games to Uber apps, these have been put into reality because of programming languages.
In this article, we will begin by answering, “what is PHP?”
What is PHP?
PHP is a recursive acronym for Hypertext Preprocessor, which was created in 1995 to serve a variety of purposes. It is a popular general-purpose scripting language that is widely used by web developers.
Additionally, Hypertext Preprocessor works well with HTML and is useful when creating a single page. In fact, it is used by well-known websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Wikipedia, and is the preferred language of renowned content management systems like Magenta, WordPress, and Joomla.
The Bright Side of PHP
Although there are a plethora of modern day programming languages, PHP is still important and relevant up to this day. According to Statista, PHP is used to build approximately 78.9 percent of websites, making it one of the most popular programming languages.
Its most recent release includes a bug fix and is compatible with most operating systems, including MacOS, Windows, and Linux.
Perks of using PHP
- Faster and advanced
- Web app development with PHP has never been easier than with the latest version 8.1. It includes new features and enhancements. Furthermore, it provides solutions for certain undesirable functionality.
- Open source
- PHP is a free technology with a large developer community that discusses and improves the programming language.
- Fast loading speed
- With its built-in memory that decreases loading time and workload, PHP boasts a fast loading speed. Also, it has fast processing speed which is an advantage to businesses and developers.
- Affordable
- As an open source and free technology, any businesses can create a feature-rich website with no licensing fees.
- Scalable
- PHP allows progressive businesses to easily scale up their website. All that is required is the addition of more servers.
The Bland Side of PHP
Although PHP has improved over the years, it still has to compete with other languages which are more efficient for computation. Currently, it lacks multitasking support and JIT compilation making things difficult for developers.
Here are some of the factors that are casting a shadow over this silver lining.
- Because PHP has so many frameworks, it can be difficult for new programmers to start.
- Security of PHP requires improvement. PHP is held accountable for approximately 30% of all vulnerabilities, which may be due to the language’s fragmentation.
What Does the Future of PHP Hold?
Indeed, there is an end to every tangible thing. So as with technology. But, PHP is not going away in the next few years.
There are numerous reasons why PHP’s future is highly secure in the coming years. Let us take a look at what PHP’s future holds:
- Release of the latest version
Version 8.0.0, the recent PHP version updates, has resulted in massive performance improvements. Version 7 and subsequent versions such as 7.1, 7.2, and so on are known for having lower memory usage.
- Provides professional assistance
PHP always has a professional on hand to provide complete solutions to website owners and developers. This is yet another reason why PHP developers have an advantage over other language programmers.
- Allows for dynamic access
PHP allows PHP development companies to dynamically create websites. Moreover, expert development companies use numerous PHP libraries to give eCommerce and CMs solutions.
These libraries have kept PHP thriving and have ensured that it continues to grow.
- User-friendly language
To put it simply, PHP is simple to update and adapts exquisitely to various operating systems such as Windows, Linux, MacOs, and more. It is so easily packaged that it can run only with two commands on the command line. Plus, anyone with little technical knowledge can use it to build a website.
