WHAT IS PHP??

PHP

PHP is a server-side scripting language designed for web development but also used as a general-purpose programming language. Originally created by Rasmus Lerdorf in 1994,PHP originally stood for Personal Home Page,but it now stands for the recursive acronym PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor.

PHP code may be embedded into HTML code, or it can be used in combination with various web template systems, web content management systems and web frameworks. PHP code is usually processed by a PHP interpreter implemented as a module in the web server or as a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) executable. The web server combines the results of the interpreted and executed PHP code, which may be any type of data, including images, with the generated web page. PHP code may also be executed with a command-line interface (CLI) and can be used to implement standalone graphical applications.

The standard PHP interpreter, powered by the Zend Engine, is free software released under the PHP License. PHP has been widely ported and can be deployed on most web servers on almost every operating system and platform, free of charge.

The PHP language evolved without a written formal specification or standard until 2014, leaving the canonical PHP interpreter as a de facto standard. Since 2014 work has gone on to create a formal PHP specification.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding with this tutorial you should have at least basic understanding of computer programming, Internet, Database, and MySQL etc is very helpful.

PHP - Introduction

1. PHP is a recursive acronym for "PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor".
2. PHP is a server side scripting language that is embedded in HTML. It is used to manage dynamic content, databases, session tracking, even build entire e-commerce sites.
3. It is integrated with a number of popular databases, including MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, Sybase, Informix, and Microsoft SQL Server.
4. PHP is pleasingly zippy in its execution, especially when compiled as an Apache module on the Unix side. The MySQL server, once started, executes even very complex queries with huge result sets in record-setting time.
5. PHP supports a large number of major protocols such as POP3, IMAP, and LDAP. PHP4 added support for Java and distributed object architectures (COM and CORBA), making n-tier development a possibility for the first time.
6. PHP is forgiving: PHP language tries to be as forgiving as possible.
7. PHP Syntax is C-Like.

Common uses of PHP

• PHP performs system functions, i.e. from files on a system it can create, open, read, write, and close them.
• PHP can handle forms, i.e. gather data from files, save data to a file, through email you can send data, return data to the user.
• You add, delete, modify elements within your database through PHP.
• Access cookies variables and set cookies.
• Using PHP, you can restrict users to access some pages of your website.
• It can encrypt data.

Characteristics of PHP

Five important characteristics make PHP's practical nature possible −

1. Familiarity
2. Simplicity
3. Efficiency
4. Security
5. Flexibility