PHP: what is this programming language (in simple words), features, applications

It is believed that PHP is created every 6 web products. This open-source programming language is often used because of several of its advantages. It is suitable for beginners. In PHP they write both simple scripts and complex applications, creating websites.

How PHP works

In simple words, the site consists of two parts:

• The frontend - which displays all the elements of the site to users (what's visible).
• The backend - something that is hidden from the users, but is needed to run the site, the administrative panel, etc.

If the image is created in HTML and CSS, then PHP provides interactivity - the interaction of administrators and users with all elements of the site. In this language write engines for websites, plugins, themes, forms of feedback, etc.

PHP is very easy to develop sites because it is dynamic, in contrast to the static HTML. That is, to make a web resource for HTML, for each page and its elements will have to prescribe everything individually. In PHP blocks, common to all pages, enough to specify once. When the required blocks are loaded, they are pulled up and the user sees the resulting page on the monitor. The size of the code is reduced hundreds of times compared to, for example, if the site was on bare HTML.

Features of PHP

PHP programming language remains in demand for the following reasons:

• Simple syntax, it is easy to understand even a novice programmer. PHP in some ways similar to Java, Perl and C++.
• PHP is used on different platforms - Windows, Linux, MacOS. PHP applications run on any server software.
• Application written in PHP, you can host multiple servers, and it will run with great performance.
• Content written in PHP can be embedded into HTML pages as tags. The structure of the document will not be broken.
• The language is constantly being improved - there are new features and capabilities, simplified syntax and improved protection against attack.
• Numerous sites in the PHP community have information on each element of the syntax with detailed descriptions and examples of use.

Because PHP is a server-side language, its commands and functions are hidden from the end user. This ensures privacy in the development of web products.

PHP has these disadvantages:

• PHP has some vulnerabilities in its security system.
• PHP is focused primarily on web development, so for other tasks may not be enough functionality.
• There is no single standard for PHP. Development of the code involved in programmers from all over the world on a voluntary basis. Sometimes, their actions are not coordinated. This leads to the fact that functions with the same tasks may have different names, or some of the elements are displayed differently. You often have to turn to the documentation to figure out how a certain element works.
• It is not possible to write a threaded application with PHP.

Where to use PHP

PHP was originally created for programming web applications that run on the server side. Requests are sent to the server, it processes them into a language that the browser understands. The browser receives the information and displays the page to the user. For such an application to work, you need:

• A server;
• GPI-application - the parser;
• Software - the web browser that displays the interface to the user.

PHP is not only used to build websites, but also to write scripts that run on the command line. Mainly with their help process textual data. In PHP also write graphical interfaces.