Why PHP? Advantages and Best Practices

PHP language helps develop dynamic and interactive websites, web applications and APIs with just a few lines of code.

PHP is a highly demanding web development language used worldwide for designing and developing dynamic web applications with MySQL or MariaDB database connections. For a programming language to be globally accepted by plenty of web developers, it should be user-friendly and flexible as PHP is with many open-source integrated development environments.

PHP is simple to install and configure. Learning PHP brings hundreds of advantages that will push you to create something exceptional. This is why learning PHP is the best choice. This article will discuss the significance of PHP, its advantages, and best practices.

PHP - Scalable, Flexible, and Agile

PHP, which stands for Hypertext Preprocessor, is one of the most widely used server-side scripting languages for creating interactive, data-driven web applications.

PHP is a robust, open, easy-to-implement web application environment with extensive community support and many apps and components to share. It is an open-source scripting language made specifically for creating Web applications.

PHP is frequently used for Web-based applications such as forums, blogs, wikis, customer relationship management systems, and database access.

Being an interpreted language, there is no compilation requirement with PHP. It is faster than other scripting languages, for example, ASP and JSP.

Advantages of PHP

Plentiful Documentation

There are many tutorials, manuals, and other reference resources available which help with development and may support in challenging situations. These resources are invaluable for new programmers as they gradually make learning easier with increasing difficulty.

Additionally, learning PHP is quite simple, albeit more complex than learning Python, which further adds to its popularity.

Compatibility with Cloud Services

Many modern products now frequently use cloud computing services like Amazon Web Services for various purposes. Different cloud services, such as AWS Lambda, support PHP-based applications. So, it is possible to deploy a PHP application on a cloud server and benefit from outstanding scalability and other features. Furthermore, PHP has replaced other coding languages in such implementations because other coding languages do not monopolize the area of cloud computing.

User-friendly and Familiar with the Syntax

One of the industry's most user-friendly programming languages is PHP. PHP is only one of the programming languages you can use as a web developer to create intricate, dynamic, and user-friendly web apps. Additionally, it offers greater versatility than C, C++, and ASP and generally helps increase website traffic. In addition, PHP offers enticing and simple syntax that makes programmers and other beginners comfortable coding. So, learning and using PHP will be pretty straightforward if you’re familiar with C and Perl programming.

A Helpful PHP Community

A large development community that routinely updates tutorials, documentation, online help, and FAQs exists for PHP. If you’re having issues, it is the finest source to obtain all the information regarding the PHP language. In addition, you can find advice on many websites and forums. Learning from these communities is one of the leading PHP advantages.

Extensive Library

A pre-written, optimized code in programming language libraries helps to speed up task execution and minimize underperformance. To ensure that your activities are completed as quickly and efficiently as possible, you can use the library and borrow code rather than beginning from scratch. Additionally, you can investigate tools like Symfony, Django, CodeIgniter, etc.

Database

PHP can easily connect with databases and makes the connections secured with them. It has an in-built, integrated module that helps connect with databases quickly. Numerous web applications call for a robust database management system and programming language. PHP and its database connection satisfy the need to create web applications. It also speeds up the process of connecting to a database management system. With PHP, various databases may be integrated.

Flexibility and Security

PHP is a very flexible programming language. It enables developers to quickly modify their code and add new features and capabilities during the various stages of development. This flexibility saves a lot of time for developers. In addition, PHP is a highly secure programming language. Its frameworks and tools make it simple for developers to keep the applications safe from numerous security risks such as SQL Injection, cross-site scripting, data manipulation, and more. PHP enables the implementation of two- or more-step authentication systems, and its users can generate secure, random tokens and save them on websites.

Best Practices for PHP

Use the latest version of PHP, updated code dependencies, and third-party solutions.

Each time a new version of PHP is published with some improvements, security flaws are fixed. With the most recent version, you can leverage these fixes, improvements, and any new features beneficial for your website. In addition, you should keep updating your code. Obsolete software is often vulnerable to attacks and breaches as attackers are familiar with this software. Any libraries or frameworks from third parties you employ fall under this category.

Keep your code's documentation up to date.

Keeping code documentation updated is more crucial than you would have imagined. Maintaining proper documentation helps users comprehend your code and recall what you wrote when you review it later. It's regrettable to see some novice or seasoned programmers not focus on adding insightful comments to their codes. Consider you write a crucial function today; you know how it operates for a day or two or even a week. But there are chances that you will only remember what it does when you review it for a month or two. Therefore, writing good comments to make your code understandable to everyone is a good practice.

Collaborate with the developers’ community.

One of the simplest methods to learn new things is collaborating and brainstorming with other developers. Many users are reluctant enough to admit they don't know a lot about a subject and need assistance from others. It can put you at the end of a futuristic way of discovering new and exciting information. Stack Overflow, Dream in Code, and other programming-related forums are suitable platforms to ask for help from other seasoned PHP developers. Many people are constantly willing to help others who need it.

Uphold a coding standard.

Maintaining a coding standard is crucial, especially when working in a group. Without established standards, everyone with their good and bad practices will make the code appear utterly absurd. Additionally, you will not be able to spot and fix the bugs. Furthermore, there will be a significant reduction in the time needed to build a project. You'll be more productive at your work if you maintain a resilient coding standard.

Pay attention to line length, white space, and indentation

Consider reading a paper without any formatting or white space. Without even giving it another glance, you'll trash it. The same is valid for coding. To ensure your code is readable, you should pay close attention to the indentation, white spaces, and line length. The following are some guidelines you need to abide by:

• Maintain at least a four-space indent

• Limit the line length to 80 characters or less

• Check your tab settings before you start coding

• Avoid using tab for spacing as different systems have varying tab settings

Use DRY to reduce redundancy

You must have heard that redundant code lowers code quality as a developer. However, there is a function that reduces repetition in PHP effortlessly. You can use the DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) approach to identify and eliminate code duplication in all programming languages, including PHP.