DEV Community

nedajahanfar
nedajahanfar

Posted on

PHP Simplified: So, What Exactly Is PHP?

#php #laravel #backend #programming

What Does “PHP” Mean?

PHP stands for “Hypertext Preprocessor” — a bit confusing, since the acronym is recursive. It’s a widely-used, open-source scripting language that’s especially popular for building websites.
But what does “scripting language” mean?
A programming language is a broader term that refers to any language used to write software, including desktop, mobile, and web apps. A scripting language is a type of programming language designed for automating tasks, often within another environment (like a web browser or server).So yes — PHP is a programming language, and specifically a scripting language, because it runs on the server to automate the generation of web content.

PHP in Action:

Here’s a very basic example of PHP in an HTML page:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <title>Example</title>
</head>
<body>
  <?php echo "Hi, I'm a PHP thing!"; ?>
</body>
</html>
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

In this example:
You see regular HTML.
Inside it, there’s a special block that begins with <?php and ends with ?>.
Inside that block is the PHP code — in this case, echo is used to output a message.
Rather than writing lots of commands to output HTML (like in C or Perl), you just embed the PHP directly into your HTML.

How Does PHP Actually Work?

When someone visits a webpage written in PHP, here’s what happens:

  1. The visitor’s browser sends a request to the website.
  2. The server executes the PHP code on the backend (the visitor doesn’t see this).
  3. The PHP code generates output, usually HTML.
  4. The server sends the resulting HTML to the browser.

The user never sees the PHP code — they only see the final result.

This makes PHP great for creating dynamic content, like blog posts, user dashboards, or forms that save data.

What Can PHP Do?

PHP is mainly used in two ways:

1. Server-Side Scripting:

This is the most common use. PHP works with a:

PHP parser (a program that runs your PHP code)

Web server (like Apache)

Web browser

2. Command-Line Scripting:
You can also run PHP in your terminal or command prompt, with no browser needed. This is useful for:

Background tasks (like cron jobs on macOS/Linux)

Simple data processing

Script automation

Cross-Platform Freedom

PHP runs on all major operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux). You can choose your preferred :

Operating system

Web server (Apache, Nginx, etc.)

Programming style (Procedural or Object-Oriented)

_Procedural vs. Object-Oriented:
Procedural programming: You write code as a sequence of instructions (step by step).

Object-Oriented programming (OOP): You structure your code around objects (like reusable templates for things).
PHP supports both, and you can even mix them if needed._

What Tools Do You Need to Use PHP?
That depends on how you’re using it:

For Command-Line PHP:
You only need to install PHP. That’s it.

For Web Development:
You’ll need a bit more:

  • PHP
  • A web server
  • A database
  • A browser

To make your life easier, use a tool like XAMPP.

What Is XAMPP?

X (cross-platform): Works on Windows, macOS, Linux

Apache: A web server that delivers your site to the browser

MySQL: A database system (used to store information — kind of like localStorage in JS, but much more powerful and persistent)

PHP: Already included!

Perl: Another scripting language (optional)

Once installed, XAMPP lets you:

  • Host websites on localhost
  • Manage databases with phpMyAdmin (a user-friendly dashboard)
  • Run and test PHP code easily.

Top comments (0)