PHP - A Powerful Web Programming Platform
Published On :26 July,2012
Overview
PHP is a server side scripting language or a general purpose platform used for the creation of dynamic web pages. Rather than terming it as a mere scripting language to process data, PHP can be considered as one of the first server side scripting language developed and embedded into an HTML source document. The resulting web page is generated with a PHP processor module with which the web server interprets the HTML source code. PHP is more of a lethal weapon that offers an elegant toolkit to a developer, using which he can create a powerful web application. PHP offers an edge over other coding platforms in terms of flexibility, efficiency, security as well as a firm control that the developer exercises throughout the development process.
PHP: The Evolution
PHP Then,
Well, PHP is a powerful tool and also an eminent coding language that needs no introduction to even a person who is not into development because such has been the sheer popularity of the platform over the years. It was in the year 1995, this amazing coding language was created by 'Rasmus Lerdof', which was then known as PHP/FI. Not even in his wildest thoughts he would have imagined about his creation PHP/FI or Personal Homepage Tools/Form Interpreter becoming a revolution in the present era of web development. The very first version of PHP that is PHP/F1 was actually a collection of Perl scripts, which was used for managing form submissions. However, there were many restrictions too such as language feature for loops.
Here is a list of important functions that Personal Home Page Tools (PHP Tools) version 1.0 offered:
- Offering a real time view of this log information
- Logging of accesses in your pages through private log files
- Creating a good interface using which one can retrieve these log files
- Displaying daily access counters and all latest access details
- Allowing access to users based on domains
- Password protection
- Tracking user access, referring Url's- HTTP_REFERER support
- Easy display and creation of forms
PHP Today,
There are several important aspects to be considered by any average individual, who wishes to start his own website and these include prominent procedures of web development, designing, maintenance, hosting, scalability, flexibility and above all how you will be managing all the above mentioned aspects within the desired budget. All these aspects plus a smooth running attractive website today has been possible only because of PHP, the most popular web development scripting language available today. PHP proves to be much more efficient on multiple platforms like Windows, Linux, Unix etc. compared to counterparts like Java, .ASP and .Net.
This powerful platform is best suited for development of dynamic web pages, which is a hot trend today. PHP has traveled a long journey starting from small business websites to massive dynamic corporate portals and in these years, this scripting platform has converted many dreams into reality. PHP today has gifted entrepreneurs with informative web portals, forums, chat platforms, CRM solutions, e-commerce portals, massive databases, shopping carts and many more. Efficient file management feature in PHP has proved to be pretty handy on a long run for the developers.
Another benefit that the scripting platform offers to programmers is less strain on servers. Thanks to its inbuilt memory, the workload on servers is drastically reduced and as a result you have enhanced processing speed. Due to PHP's non-dependence on external plug-ins, it has a relative upper hand in dealing with multimedia files. PHP is executed by the server itself, which is why the end-user need not deploy any extra effort. What I love about PHP is the sense of absolute independence that it carries along! I mean to say is there is no such practices like restrictive license mentioning terms and conditions with the scripting platform.
PHP allows you to do anything you wish to and that includes customization of the language and creating you own libraries of PHP. You can deploy it for any application, commercial or personal without any restriction. PHP is available for free.
Why prefer PHP over others?
- PHP being an open-end software incurs less overhead compared to other scripting languages like ASP.NET or JSP. Also due to effective community contributions, the documentation involved is also very less.
- Easy deployment too as there are several hosting companies that offer hosting services for few dollars, which makes website deployment even easier.
- PHP is an optimized platform, which makes its compatibility with web HTML even easier. The rewritten XML functionality in PHP 5 makes manipulation of XML documents ridiculously easy.
Conclusion
Many a times my counterparts ask me as of, “why I recommend web development in PHP to my client?”. Let me give you all a straightforward answer! I prefer serious flexibility, which PHP has over other scripting languages. PHP as I believe is the only coding platform that is keeping the spirit of Open Source still alive with unrestricted distribution and numerous ready made framework widely available. Therefore, if you are aspiring to make quick bucks with your dream website then, PHP may be the perfect steppingstone for your dream to come true!
Author Profile
Maneet Puri is a professional web consultant and the Managing Director of Lexolution IT Services at present. A pure professional and a visionary, Maneet has a passion for writing on upcoming technologies and futuristic concepts that have a direct impact on mankind. With a decade long technical expertise in his stride, he has been offering valuable advise and suggestions to his clients located in different parts of the globe.
