PHP ( Hypertext Preprocessor) is a server side scripting language that allows you to make interactive webpages. Examples of PHP technology that we encounter everyday can include discussion forums, feedback forms, email forms, registration or login forms etc. In all these examples, a user is interacting with a webpage, supplying some information, which is then processed by the server.
The popular blogging platform, WordPress, is written PHP. Other notable open source packages written in PHP, include Zen Cart, an e-commerce platform and the popular content management system, Joomla. Many websites are using pHpBB, the open source forum software, which as the name implies, is also written in PHP.
The PHP language has a syntax that closely resembles the syntax of C/C++ programming languages. A PHP file can be edited in any text editor and can contain HTML elements, text or scripts, however when you view a PHP file in your browser, it is rendered by your browser as plain HTML. Any processing of the scripts, including your input is carried out server side having been done before the page is returned to your browser.
With the use of both cookies and session variables, PHP is able to deliver an experience to you based on your interaction with previous pages of the site. For instance, when you login, either a cookie or session variable is used to store your information. So when you login using your credentials, the cookie or session variable can be used to make sure that you are restricted to your own profile and cannot edit data in other users’ profiles.Like C++, PHP also allows for object oriented program, where you can define and use your own objects.
PHP supports a number of different databases, most notably MySQL. Other supported databases include Oracle, PostgreSQL, Sybase and even ODBC (open database connectivity). It has a whole range of functions that allow you to open a connection to a database by supplying the required credentials, then interacting with it. PHP with MySQL is cross-platform. You can, for instance develop your application on a Windows server, and then deploy it on a Linux server. All the open source applications previously mentioned are all running on PHP and MySQL.
Another advantage of PHP is that all the major platforms, such as Apache, Microsoft’s IIS support PHP. You can either install it on your own server or you can even find many 3rd party paid hosts that support PHP and MySQL.
