Web Development Beginner

What is PHP?

A widely-used server-side scripting language designed for web development that powers over 75% of websites including WordPress.

PHP (PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) runs on the server, generating dynamic HTML pages. It integrates seamlessly with databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL), web servers (Apache, Nginx via PHP-FPM), and supports object-oriented and procedural programming.

Modern PHP (8.x) includes type declarations, named arguments, fibers, enums, and match expressions. Popular frameworks include Laravel, Symfony, and WordPress. PHP excels at web applications, CMSs, and e-commerce platforms.

Related Terms

DOM (Document Object Model)

A programming interface for HTML documents that represents the page structure as a tree of objects that can be manipulated with JavaScript.

Web Caching Strategies

Techniques for storing copies of web resources at various levels to reduce server load, bandwidth, and response times.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

The practice of optimizing websites to rank higher in search engine results, increasing organic traffic.

A communication protocol that enables full-duplex, real-time data exchange between a browser and server over a single connection.

Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS)

An HTTP mechanism that allows web pages to request resources from a different domain than the one serving the page.

An automatic OPTIONS request sent by browsers before certain cross-origin requests to check if the actual request is permitted.

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