PHP is a server-side programming language that can be used to create websites, applications, customer relationship management systems and more. It is a widely-used general-purpose language that can be embedded into HTML. This functionality with HTML means that the PHP language has remained popular with developers as it helps to simplify HTML code. PHP programming can be used to create most things that a software developer needs. However, there are three main areas in which it thrives.

• Server-side scripting Server-side Script is PHP’s main strength. If you are just learning to code and want to explore server-side scripting, PHP is a great language to learn. To get cracking with PHP server-side scripting you’ll need to have a PHP parser, web server and web browser.
• Command-line scripting Command-line scripting is ideal for scripts made using cron (Linux) or Task Scheduler (Windows). It is also great for simple text processing.
• Writing desktop applications PHP is probably not the best language to use to create desktop applications but for the advanced web developer, it provides you with many more options than its competitors.

Advantages of PHP

PHP is a popular programming language for almost three decades owing to the number of benefits it offers users and developers. The most significant of these are:

• It is cross-platform: As mentioned above, PHP can be run on any major operating system, so you don’t have to worry about compatibility. This also means that you can work on a project team and not have to worry about members being able to access code!
• It’s open-source: Open source means that PHP is a free programming language, so you don’t have to worry about additional costs when building your project
• Many developers understand it: The longevity of PHP means there’s already a large community out there to support you, and a large amount of legacy code to help you get started with projects.
• It works brilliantly with HTML: PHP can help simplify your projects and works seamlessly with this dominant programming language.
• As a language, it is relatively easy to learn: Because of its simplicity, PHP is quicker and easier to pick up than some other alternatives.
• It offers great load times for websites: With website performance becoming more and more tied to speed, PHP’s quick load can really help you succeed.
• There are plenty of tools available: There are tools to help you with just about anything for PHP, from integration, code hinting, syntax highlighting and more, there is a lot of support for you.

As a language, PHP is still relatively popular among software developers. However, it is a language in decline with so much choice now available. According to PYPL (Popularity of Programming Language), PHP is ranked as the sixth most popular coding language in the world. The TIOBE index ranks PHP as the 10th most popular programming language currently available, whilst Stack Overflow’s research has it ranked 11th.