PHP (Hypertext PreProcessor) is a scripting language designed for server-side and general use programming. PHP follows a similar language and syntax as common development languages such as C, C++, and HTML. Being general-purpose, it can be embedded into HTML, allowing you to jump into and out of “PHP mode.” In conjunction with MySQL, PHP is able to automate many features of websites developed using them. A distinguishing trait of PHP is that unlike many client-side languages, PHP is executed directly on the server, producing HTML. But, what does all of this mean PHP can do for you?
Main Areas of Use for PHP.
Server Side Development: The parser, a server, and a web browser are all that is needed. You can view the PHP through the server using the PHP output via the browser;
Command Line Development: PHP script can be made without a server or a browser. This is commonly used for simple text process tasks; and/or
Developing Desktop Applications: Though not the best of all languages for desktop app writing, but you can use the advanced PHP features using PHP-GTK. Cross-platform apps can also be written this way.
Advantages of PHP Over Others.
- User-Friendly (for a language). PHP is a very logical, organized language. Being similar to C and HTML, if you have a background with other languages, you’ll already have a base for this.
- Flexibility. PHP is capable of having changes made even after the beginning of a project, saving you from a lot of time having to draft fresh codes or functions.
- Compatibility/Integration. PHP is compatible with most common operating systems, such as Linux, Solaris, and UNIX. This keeps you from having to re-develop existing software. In fact, many hosting providers offer a ready-use PHP setup.
- Efficiency. If the web developer writes the code appropriately, you can take advantage of how scalable it is and create many applications. This is very useful if your website has several pages. Between the flexibility, integration, and efficiency, PHP can be typed rather lax, making turnaround time considerably less.
- Inexpensive. Being an open-source language, you can get PHP free! There is no cost for any software or licensing. It works very well with common databases such as SQL, MySQL, Oracle, Postgrade, etc.
- Control. Many languages are cluttered with long, complex scripts…not PHP. You can get by with just a few lines of code. PHP also allows for tagging, so web developers can integrate HTML tags for pretty dynamic content. Placing is less complicated as you don’t have to worry about placing with PHP – it is written between tags. Functions, and such, aren’t required to be written in a particular operating order provided that they are within tags.
- Community. There is an involved, helpful community of PHP users, which can make it easier to find resources on the language.
What All of This Means, Financially
For all of the reasons discussed, PHP is taking a big hold on the market and is very lucrative. Being so popular, a strong familiarity with this language will give you an edge over the competition. Being so popular among businesses, this also opens doors in information technology and security. Being very similar to Adobe, this will also make you adept at creating PDFs, something growing in complexity in the business document world.
PHP Developer Opportunity Info
If you are looking to get a job as a web developer, or even as a freelancer in DFW, recruiting developers and procurement managers are putting a strong emphasis on PHP. The current average salary is over $65,000 per year. PHP Developers are also frequently hired as freelance independent contractors by organizations of all sizes. With Software Developer projected growth (per the US Bureau of Statistics) at 24% over the decade beginning as of 2016.
Organizations Currently Seeking PHP Developers
- Web entrepreneurs
- Software and web design companies
- Computer system companies
- Video game companies
- Internet App companies
- Educational institutions
- Government entities
Most of the top websites use PHP, including Wix and WordPress. With those websites, alone, PHP is invaluable as a skill in the modern web world seeing that many businesses turn to these for hosting their websites and blogs…and who can blame them? Over the years, PHP has developed compatibility with the Object Oriented Programming (OOP) paradigm (as well as Unicode), a great dependency management system, logical coding (to include tools for analytics and testing frameworks), and an authentic IDE experience. The latest version made the language more versatile for future use – performance was increased, exceptions got consistent handling, and junk features were removed. PHP has the 3rd largest StackOverflow Community and is the 5th most popular language at GitHub.
If you have questions on what PHP can do for you, how to implement PHP into your life, or need some work done on existing PHP, please feel free to contact me.
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