Released in 1994, PHP is a server-side scripting language designed for web development. Twenty-six years later, it is still one of the most used server-side programming languages around 78.9% of all websites that have a server-side language use PHP, and it does not look like the growth of PHP is going to slow down any time soon.
There are numerous reasons for the growth and dominance of PHP. In this article, let us discuss some of the reasons that make PHP the best option for web development in 2020.
Why PHP is best for Web Development in 2020
COST-EFFECTIVE
PHP is open-source, so you don’t need to pay anything for it. Using PHP helps in keeping down the cost of developing your website. There are no paid updates that you would need to install; there is no on-going cost of maintaining PHP. All you need to do is hire a PHP developer who can start building your website.
PHP IS EASY AND SIMPLE
PHP is easy to learn; the code is organized and clean. The syntax is simple to understand; anyone who knows how to code in any language can quickly learn to code in PHP. A short learning curve is beneficial for new developers to take up PHP as a scripting language.
The organized and clean code also makes it easier for new PHP developers to join the team in the middle of a project without getting lost in the code. You can hire a PHP developer for your project, and later if you want to add more PHP developers onto the project, you can easily do that.
PHP IS EASY TO INTEGRATE
PHP is not platform depended; you can run it with Windows, MacOS, Linux, and Unix. You can use PHP independently or integrate it with other languages, without any re-development. Web applications build in PHP run on any platform and web browser.
PHP also supports all the significant servers like; Apache, Microsoft IIS, Netscape, and even personal web servers. So when you hire PHP developers, you don’t need to worry about access to any particular platform or servers.
THE FASTEST AROUND
There are many programming languages around like; PHP, Java, Python, Ruby, and .Net. However, PHP is considered one of the fastest programming language among them. Applications built in PHP have a much faster loading time when compared with other languages. One can easily use web applications built in PHP over a slow interest connection.
PHP takes very little time in connecting to query to the database; this makes websites load a lot quicker.
FASTER TO CODE, EASY TO EDIT
While coding in PHP, the developers tend to write less code to do tasks while compared to other languages. Editing already written code is also easier in PHP. A developer can write clean code and update it when required without any issues.
PHP IS STABLE
As PHP has been around forever, there have been a lot of updates and fixes that it has had. It makes PHP one of the most stable programming languages. With every new version of PHP, it has become more reliable and stable to use.
With over two decades of testing, any experienced software developers would tell you that PHP is one of the best server-side programming languages around, even if they do not use it personally.
EASY TO MAINTAIN
The PHP framework is excellent at maintaining the code automatically. The PHP framework follows the MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture. It makes it easier to separate files for different modules.
AS PHP is easy to maintain, the PHP programmer does not spend much time doing this and can concentrate on writing code for the website.
IT IS SECURE
PHP is one of the most secure programming languages available. The PHP framework has underlying security measures in place that protect it against malware and virus attacks. It makes PHP one of the best options when you want a secure website. It is one of the reasons why online store management systems like; Joomla and OpenCart are built on PHP.
When you hire PHP developers to build your website, you automatically make a secure choice.
PHP APPLICATIONS ARE EASY TO TEST
Testing makes things perfect, but you don’t want the developer you hire to spend all their time in unit testing. PHP unit testing is easy and quick; this helps programmers to write test cases and perform checks. The PHP framework automates many testing tasks that would require additional coding when performed on other frameworks.
Applications built in PHP are easier to test; it is as simple as that.
SUPPORT
As PHP is open-source and has been around for 26 years, it has a vast community. Someone in this large community has already tackled every issue that a developer can face during development. A PHP developer can find answers to all development questions just by going through PHP forums and QnA sites.
The official website for PHP has tons of documents to help new developers with features of PHP and its framework. PHP updates are released regularly to improve the development experience.
CONCLUSION
As you now know, many reasons make PHP the best option for web development in 2020. Whether it is the ease of learning, support, stability, flexibility, or security, PHP outdoes almost all other server-side programming languages.
PHP is the most used server-side programming language. It has more live websites than all other server-side programming languages combined.
If you are looking to hire PHP developers for web development, mobile app development, or any other software development, an excellent place to do that is Optimal Virtual Employee.
They have an elite group of PHP developers with years of hands-on experience developing websites of various industries. You can hire a PHP developer from OVE on an hourly or monthly rate, based on your requirements.
