Top 9 Advantages of using PHP in web development
You have a brilliant idea, and you start a business. You make it operational. Now, you want people (your potential customers) to know about your business. So, what do you do? You get a website designed and developed.
And one of the most prominent web development languages is PHP. PHP has a strong base of lovers, though many haters also exist. But still, it is one of the most preferred languages for website development.
PHP was used to develop the most popular WordPress – a content management system. Even Facebook’s software was written in the PHP language. We can gauge the capability of PHP considering the several functionalities available on Facebook – videos, blogs, news, instant messaging, advertising, etc.
The stability of PHP has led to a stable and scalable website like Wikipedia. The email marketing and automation platform - Mailchimp is developed on PHP. Many other well-known examples include Canva, Slack, Yahoo, etc.
What is PHP?
The full form of PHP is Hypertext Preprocessor. It is an open-source, server-side scripting language. Web developers use PHP to create websites, web applications, marketplaces, web pages, and graphical user interfaces (GUIs).
It is a popular language among developers because of its ease of use and understanding. Since it is open source, the source code is readily available for public access. The result is a large community of developers, various libraries, and tools to help you extend your application’s functionality.
PHP’s syntax is similar to Perl, Java, and C programming languages. Its built-in support for databases, such as MySQL and Oracle, simplifies data storage and retrieval. These merits make it a preferred language of developers, but its security vulnerabilities have raised questions.
PHP uses
Developers use PHP mainly to develop websites and web pages, such as marketplaces, eCommerce portals, etc. Developing graphical user interfaces (GUI) and web applications are also possible with PHP. Server-side scripting is the main focus of PHP.
The latest versions of PHP have expanded its capabilities to build more dynamic applications. PHP’s ability to write extensions using other languages can increase your application’s functionality.
Features and advantages of PHP
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Open source
It is an open-source language. That means its library is available free of cost to users. You can use the database, frameworks, functionalities, and tools to create applications. You do not need to buy any software or licenses.
The only thing that you have to do is download the language. Once done, you can run codes and create websites, user interfaces, and web applications.
Also, it offers the opportunity to work on several frameworks, including Symfony, Laravel,Yii, CodeIgniter, CakePHP, and many others. With all these features, developers find it simple and easy to manage the development work.
Also, it offers the opportunity to work on several frameworks, including Symfony, Laravel,Yii, CodeIgniter, CakePHP, and many others. With all these features, developers find it simple and easy to manage the development work.
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Adaptable
Your web development language must be such that you can change the code in the middle of the project. If project requirements change, the functionality will vary. This will require you to make modificationsto the code or rewrite it. And code modification is easy in PHP because of easier syntax decoding.
In the case of PHP, you need not rewrite it; change the codes as per the requirements. Such flexibility is available during and after the project. Thus, you save time, money, and effort, leading to higher project efficiencies.
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Platform independent
Do you want to run PHP on Windows Linux? You can do it. Or maybe Unix? You can do that as well. You can even run PHP on Mac OS and many other operating systems. Thus, it is a highly flexible language. You do not need to rebuild it; integrate it with other applications, and you are good to go. That means you save money and labor.
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Extensive library support
PHP language has an extensive library with a large database of pre-written codes. So, you do not need to write the code from scratch when building a website or application. Access the library, search for relevant codes, and use them. Thus, you save time and effort and can build apps efficiently.
Not only that, but PHP also has extensive community support available to users and developers. In this community forum, you can refer to manuals, videos, tutorials, blogs, audio, etc., to learn more about PHP. You can even ask doubts and get answers from expert developers worldwide. PHP best practices are at your disposal at every moment through this library access.
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Easy to use, learn, and understand
Writing code in PHP is straightforward, simple, and manageable for expert and beginner developers. You can even store the code easily and use it later.
Also, it has been in use for many years. Its frequent use, bug discovery, and query resolution by developers over the years have made PHP a stable language. There are many real-life examples of websites or applications in PHP for you to trust more.
With a well-organized and logical syntax, web developers find it easy to work with. They know how each command function works, simplifying application creation and optimization.
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Efficient and cost-effective
PHP is the preferred language for developing web applications and web pages. Its loading speed is high, leading to faster websites. So, people prefer to use PHP over other languages because faster websites rank higher in SEO. Also, lower loading time reduces bounce rate and satisfies customers better, leading to client retention.
Also, since it is free to use, you do not need to spend much on buying software. When using PHP, you can work on different databases, including MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Apache. Thus, your website development costs reduce, leading to cost-effectiveness for developers and clients.
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Synergistic relationship with HTML
There is an excellent synergy between HTML and PHP language. If you have written the HTML code, the PHP script will complete the code. If you have built the webpage on PHP, you can use a script to integrate it with HTML.
In either case, they do not interfere with each other. Instead, each completes the other to develop excellent web pages and applications.
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PHP works on the cloud
Cloud is the latest trend. People prefer to have cloud systems and applications instead of on-premise systems. So, it is better to have PHP applications on cloud solutions to improve their adoption.
And different cloud services support applications written in PHP language. Thus, your application’s scalability improves because of the possibility of deploying PHP applications on cloud servers.
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Less stress for web developers
PHP has shorter and simple codes. Developers find it easy to learn, understand, and use for web development. PHP has a tagging feature wherein you can mix or add HTML tags with the source code.
Since you write the tags between codes, their order does not matter. Whatever order you write your codes or functions, they fall in the right place because of the ‘between tags’ feature. Thus, the abilities of tab mixing, simple codes, and correct placement make your website dynamic and interactive.
Also, easier and faster coding helps you to keep adding functionalities to your simple apps. Your applications become more advanced gradually with minimum costs. Anyone can manage the maintenance in PHP codes, even if not involved in the initial code-writing phase. Thus, using PHP is less stressful for developers.
Drawbacks of PHP
The PHP language is not without drawbacks. Some of the common criticisms by developers include:
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Security
Open-source models have a common problem of security. PHP suffers from the same.
Any code any developer writes in PHP is easily viewable to the public. People can see the code as well as the bugs. The ASCII text file of PHP is easily accessible, making it vulnerable to exploitation
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Error handling
PHP has limited debugging tools. Also, it does not generate error warnings, leading to no corrective actions from developers. Such incapable debugging tools make it impossible to detect errors on time and correct them.
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Creativity
PHP language cannot handle creativity. This means that you cannot be as creative with PHP as with some other languages. This is because it is nearly impossible to alter the core behavior of online applications. It keeps executing the same code even if the requirement is different. So, don’t go for PHP if you want to be creative and try several outcomes.
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Versatility
If you intend to develop extensive web applications with complex features and functionalities, PHP is not for you. It cannot handle development for projects requiring big data, machine learning, etc. If you are considering content-based extensive web application development, ignore PHP.
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Weak performance
Developers cannot work on several features of PHP at a time. If you start using several features simultaneously, the performance goes down. So, you can work best only by using one feature at a time.
In a nutshell, developing websites and applications on PHP is easier, simpler, and less costly. For the reasons explained above, it is one of the most widely used languages in the web development world. PHP is:
- Compatible with several operating systems
- Faster in loading
- Flexible to changes in the code
- Scalable
- Cost-effective to design, develop, modify, and customize apps
- Easily embeddable into HTML
Thus, with all these benefits, you can boost the performance of your websites. Not only websites, but you can also use PHP for developing applications, eCommerce portals, marketplaces, etc.
About Digiwagon
As a top-ranked web development company in India, Digiwagondevelops high-performing websites for its clients on PHP. Our professional PHP developers have extensive experience developing high-quality applications using PHP. We also use other programming languages for web development.
Besides website development and app development, we also provide digital marketing services to our global clients. We customize our solutions and services to suit your expectations to help you achieve your goals. So, do not hide your requirements; just share them with our experts, and we will make you happy with the best in the market.
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