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Web Applications and mobile applications have become our sure-shot way to achieve any purpose in life whether it’s regarding your work or leisure. It is a safe bet to say that these applications have literally transformed our lives to a great extent. No wonder, they are being developed at such a fanatic pace. Gone are the days when a static web page was more than enough, today developing dynamic websites and web applications has become a must-do. Fortunately, we have a plethora of reliable frameworks that assist in developing user-friendly, scalable, and robust websites such as PHP.

The following post focuses on what PHP is and why PHP must be taken into consideration for your upcoming web development project.

Recently, I happened to stumbled upon an article that stated the significance of PHP for web development and why more and more businesses are looking for reputable PHP developers.

In short, why PHP?

 

What is PHP?

Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) is one such web development framework that seems to have been condemned to death more than once and risen from the ashes like no other technology.

We all know surviving in today’s business-centric world is not easy. However, choosing PHP as your weapon can lead you to success in no time. Doing negligence while choosing a technology can result in great losses. 

When it comes to PHP, a plethora of websites are being built and still counting. Some renowned brands such as Facebook, Wikipedia, WordPress, Tumblr, Stack, and Mailchimp are found using PHP and the list keeps on increasing day by day. 

PHP is a general-purpose scripting language that is highly recommended for conducting web development. Though, the programming language has become a veteran yet still its claws are pretty much intact. This one no longer just offers a robust web solution for your business but also has the potential to give you a cutting edge over your competitors.

Hypertext Processor (PHP) in simple words means apps can successfully be written on web servers. Yes, they no longer are dependent on web browsers. As mentioned earlier, PHP is highly recommended for conducting a web development project. Apart from that, several desktop applications can be developed using PHP. 

Not to mention PHP has the ability to work wonders when combined with other technologies. For example, web developers mostly tend to write extensions using C language to PHP. So this gives them the absolute liberty to add more features and functionalities later on.     

Some of the best PHP frameworks include Zend, Phalcon, Yii and Symfony. If you want to see how successful PHP is, I suggest you check out the history of WordPress and Facebook. One is a content management system while the other is a social networking site and PHP has certainly nailed it in both realms.

By using PHP in WordPress, one can create a blog or develop a photo gallery, an eCommerce store, a news portal and whatnot. Whereas on Facebook, several functionalities such as blogging, advertising, and seamless video playback are well taken care of. 

Still not convinced? Further below I would like to mention some of the top-most benefits of using PHP for your next web development project. 

 

Benefits of Choosing PHP for Web Development

Easy to use and OpenSource

One of the obvious benefits of using PHP for web development projects is that it is pretty easy to use. Whether you are just a beginner or mid-level experienced, getting started with PHP is a brainer!

I mean at least, you can have an app featuring all the basic functionalities in the least amount of time. Here a developer doesn’t need to have a piece of extensive knowledge or experience, creating a web page can be done using a single PHP file. 

In other words, in comparison to different frameworks, PHP is pretty easy to learn and offers fewer hurdles and barriers.

Apart from being easy to use, PHP is an open-source framework which means it turns out to be a less costly venture. Yes, installing PHP can be done without even spending a single penny. Also, you get instant open access to Laravel and Symfony. Low-cost web development is another astounding benefit offered by PHP. 

Customization

As mentioned earlier, static pages are no longer in vogue! Dynamic web pages must be taken into consideration right away! PHP features a wide range of functionalities that assists developers in revising websites anytime.

In today’s times, it is essential for a business to have a flexible online presence that can be changed or evolved with time. So developing a custom website using PHP is no big deal. 

Other than customization, it turns out that PHP is highly compatible with almost all platforms. So integrations here can be easily done, whether it’s UNIX, Solaris, and Linux. Again this aspect of customization and integration saves lots of money and time.

Loading Speed

Another crucial advantage of using PHP for web development projects is its high loading speed. Surviving in today’s fast-paced competitive world is not easy. It takes just 3 second delay for your customers to switch to your competitors. Yes, only a 3 secs delay in loading your website can be a major turn-off for your valuable customers.

Now, how does PHP work wonders here? Well, the technology is pretty much faster at least three times faster than Python so definitely it will increase the loading speed of your website directly. 

Technically speaking what happens here is PHP uses its own memory which means, the workload on the server is reduced significantly resulting in the reduction of loading time. So developing an eCommerce website is quite recommended using PHP technology. 

Also, it may quite interest you to know that high loading speed plays quite a pivotal role in SEO ranking. So here you get to kill two targets with one arrow, satisfying your end-users as well as receiving a competitive edge. 

Community Support 

Another major advantage of using PHP for your web development project is that this comprises huge and active community support.

As mentioned earlier, this one is a veteran technology, so you are bound to find a wide range of tutorials, FAQs, Quora Answers and whatnot! Also, in case you get stuck during the development process, you can ask for help!

Right from writing the code to best practices for conducting web development or how to make the development process more like a child’s play, all these aspects can be well-taken care of by the community.

Also, before you get started with the project do check the documentation provided by the official website and see what are the astounding latest features offered by PHP and how to make the most of it. A strong community backing up definitely makes it easy to develop web-based applications.  

It offers more control

Apart from a huge and active community, PHP is thoroughly loved by developers all across the globe. Do you know why? Since this tech offers them more control over the entire process. Sometimes long docs tend to override programming languages which is certainly not the case when it comes to PHP.

A few lines of code is what is needed and you are done! Not to mention here developers irrespective of their experience no longer have to worry about placing codes in the right place. 

Also, it’s fine if these functions are not written in a particular order. All you have to ensure is that they are well-marked.    

Conclusion

Well, I can really go on and on when it comes to PHP. After all, this technology has a lot to offer. All I am saying is that there are definitely reliable technologies available across the globe but PHP has created a benchmark like none other.

It’s been almost more than two decades and since then it has maintained its position as one of the leading technologies to choose from while conducting a web development project. So what are you waiting for?

Time to look for a reliable PHP development company around and wait for the magic to happen! 

Paul Simiyu

Founder and Team Lead of Simpaul Design, a brand strategy and design agency in Nairobi, Kenya. Here at Simpaul Design, we work with brands across various categories with a focus on connecting with consumers and building brands that people want to be a part of. We specialize in brand identity and strategy, UX/UI, and brand transformation.