Introduction to PHP

Introduction to PHP

PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely-used open source general-purpose scripting language. It is a server-side scripting language that is used to create dynamic and interactive webpages. Its syntax is derived from C, Java, and Perl programming languages.

In its most basic form, PHP is used to add extra functionality to HTML pages. For example, developers can use PHP to create cookies, set time zones, store user input, and many other things. PHP also enables developers to access databases using a variety of functions.

Using PHP, developers can also create applications, websites, and portals that include web services, e-commerce, search engine optimization, web analytics, and more. PHP also enables developers to easily integrate third-party APIs into their applications.

PHP can be deployed on a variety of operating systems such as Unix, Linux, macOS, Windows, and more. The majority of web hosting companies support PHP so it can be easily deployed on shared hosting servers.

PHP has come a long way since it was first released in 1995 and now powers some of the largest websites in the world, including Facebook, Wikipedia, and WordPress. It is an incredibly powerful language and has become a great tool for developers to create powerful and dynamic web applications.