What does PHP stand for?
- PHP stands for hypertext preprocessor, earlier it was known as a personal homepage. PHP is a language that is designed for web development. It is a widely known, open-source script language. A PHP file contains PHP tags and ends with a .php
- The main goal of PHP is to allow a web developer to create web pages quickly. Most of its syntax is borrowed from C, C++, and java. PHP can be used with several HTML codes and also as a combination with several web frameworks.
What are the features of PHP?
- It is open-source software and can be used and downloaded for free.
- It supports various databases like Oracle, Sybase, Solid, Informix, etc.
- The structure of PHP is quite simple. It does not contain libraries like C, C++. It contains various predefined functions to secure your data.
- PHP has some pre-defined error reporting constants that create errors or warning notices.
- It is a very flexible language and can be embedded with HTML, CSS, javascript, and many other languages. PHP can also run on a variety of devices like phones, laptops, etc.
- PHP 4.0 features are very efficient. It uses a resource allocation mechanism and objects orient programming, it also includes session management features. It does not store any unnecessary memory data
- Encryption functions are supported with PHP to secure data.
- It is a simple language compared to other scripting languages.
- It is faster than other scripting languages like asp and JSP.
Where is PHP used?
PHP is used in three ways:
1. Server-side scripting:
This is the major and most traditional target field of PHP. There are 3 main things required to make this work: PHP phrase, web browser, and a web server. A web server is needed to run with a connected PHP installation. The output of a PHP program can be retrieved through a web browser. The PHP pages can also be viewed through the browser. If you are trying out PHP programs they can be run on home machines.
2. Command-line scripting:
If you want a PHP script to run without a browser or server you will need a PHP parser for it. This type of usage of the script is suitable if the script is frequently executed through con or task scheduler. These scripts can be used for simple text processing tasks.
3. Writing desktop applications:
PHP is not used most often to create a desktop application with a graphic interface but if you understand PHP very well you will need to use some advanced features in your applications. PHP-GTK can be used to write such kinds of programs. It is an extension to PHP and it is not in the main distribution.
What are the advantages of PHP?
1. Speed in web application development
PHP programmers are required to make web applications related to complex business requirements. Therefore, they keep looking for ways to improve the user experience. Tools, features, and code snippets provided by programmers help up to speed the process of web application development.
2. Reduced web development costs
It is an open-source server-side programming language and therefore, it helps users to reduce web development costs remarkably. Developers have an option to choose from various web developers and use their resources to reduce web development costs.
3. Secure websites from targetted attacks
Built-in security features and mechanisms provided by the PHP framework make it easier for developers to protect the website from external website threats. Common security threats like cross-site request forgery and data tampering can be protected by PHP web developers.
4. Additional code is not required
PHP programmers are forced to write longer codes to express their concepts. PHP programmers have to write lengthy codes to add functions to a website. PHP frameworks provide programmers with code generation feature to reduce coding time. This allows programmers to keep the code of web applications maintainable.
What are the disadvantages of PHP?
1. Programmers are required to learn PHP framework instead of PHP
Programmers are required to put in some time and effort to learn the PHP framework. Programmers can learn the framework even if not efficient enough on PHP.
2. Difference in quality of frameworks
As PHP frameworks are open source and free. Hence, web developers take advantage without increasing project costs. Thus, some PHP do not get adequate support and maintenance.
3. Rigid core behavior
A PHP framework is quite rigid in its core rules. The web developers lack any real option to change their core structure. Programmers have to only use certain tools and processes for web development
4. Affects speed of websites
Most PHP comes with a lot of features. These additional features improve the working of big websites. However, these features adversely affect the speed of smaller websites.
CONCLUSION
The above article tells us about everything related to PHP. It tells us about the full form of PHP, what are its features, where it's used, and the advantages and disadvantages of PHP.
