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.

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Related Terms

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

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

An HTML element that tells search engines which URL is the preferred version of a page when duplicate or similar content exists at multiple URLs.

HTTP Status Codes

Standardized three-digit codes returned by web servers to indicate the result of a client's HTTP request.

Hypermedia As The Engine Of Application State — a REST constraint where API responses include links to related actions and resources.

An XML file that lists all important URLs on a website, helping search engines discover and crawl content efficiently.

Brotli Compression

A modern compression algorithm developed by Google that achieves better compression ratios than Gzip for web content delivery.

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