Why Use PHP? Main Advantages and Disadvantages

Hey guys, today in this blog post, we are going to discuss why to use PHP. Main advantages and disadvantages of PHP. So keep reading.

PHP, no doubt, is one of the most used server-side languages for web development. However, it is not the best-reputed one among web developers. PHP has been around for roughly 27 years and tends to elicit strong beliefs among web developers. Despite its disadvantages, such as the lack of higher security, developers stills prefer PHP for web development, and nearly 80% of websites for platforms like WordPress is built using PHP. However, PHP has slipped down from the popularity rankings, 5th in 2017 to 11th in 2022, as per Tiobe’s list of the most popular languages. So the question is, Why use PHP?

In this article, we are going to discuss why developers use PHP and What is PHP advantages and disadvantages. But before that, let’s take a quick over on what PHP is-

What is PHP?

PHP stands for Hypertext Preprocessor, categorized as a general-purpose scripting language developed by Danish-Canadian programmer Rasmus Lerdorf in 1994. A PHP interpreter implemented as a module or daemon is utilized to process PHP codes. And these codes are generally processed on a web server. The processed, interpreted, and executed PHP code on a web server might form the entire or region of an HTTP response. Besides web context, you can also use PHP for many programming tasks such as Graphical applications, Database management, Robotic drone control, etc.

Furthermore, the standard interpreter for PHP is software powered by the Zend Engine and released under the PHP License. It is free software that you can acquire easily. Nowadays, PHP is one of the widely used and deployed Languages on web servers with built-in web development capabilities. It helps developers execute large and complicated sites and web applications through various Web frameworks.

So let’s start our topic is why to use PHP. Main advantages and disadvantages of PHP.

Why Should We Use PHP?

PHP frameworks enable fast web app development and streamline the process by supplying a fundamental structure. Also, PHP web frameworks provide lots of practical features and tools that enable developers to embed various functionality in the web app and execute standard web development tasks without using long and complicated code. Besides this, Many PHP frameworks are available now, so web developers have a wide range of options to choose from.

Most of these PHP frameworks are Open-source, so you can use them without purchasing a license. Also, some of them are micro frameworks, whereas others are full-stack. Besides this, there are other several advantages of PHP too.

Main Advantages of PHP

1. Outstanding Loading Speed

PHP framework can make the pages load faster when used in website development. Compared to other website development technologies, PHP is working a lot quicker and more efficiently. It roughly gives three times faster loading speed than Python. Besides this, the loading time is considered a crucial aspect of SEO ranking. Since PHP delivers better loading speed, it gives websites the opportunity to get ahead of their competitors. Also, the faster the app or site speed, the more clients and visitors get satisfied, allowing you to create a loyal customer/client network.

2. Easy Custom Web App Development and Maintenance

These days, many PHP developers need to build web apps based on convoluted business provisions. Also, they need to explore new ways to make the web app deliver a superior flawless user experience to users. Here PHP comes in handy the tools, code snippets, and functionalities offered by PHP frameworks help developers to speed up custom web application development. Many companies hire professional PHP development services providers for custom web apps and software development to fulfill their requirements.

Also, PHP does not emphasize code readability. So, maintenance is much easier in PHP compared to web development languages. Besides this, PHP frameworks support model-view-controller (MVC) architecture that allows PHP developers to split a web application into views, models, and controllers. This way, they can maintain the app’s business logic layers and user interface separate for easy management of the web application.

3. Cross-Platform Compatibility

The next advantage of PHP is the coding flexibility that allows it to operate on various platforms easily. Thus, you do not need to bother about which OS is used by the end-user while using PHP. The PHP codes can easily execute on various OS without any flaw. And you can find the server-side scripting language with ease. Also, due to its open-source nature, PHP is highly recommended in web development.

4. Flawless Unit Testing

PHP language also allows you to execute flawless and efficient component or unit testing of the custom web applications. Because of that web developers prefer PHP frameworks to check web app units or components. These PHP frameworks allow us to execute unit testing without mistake and operate with the PHP elements aboriginally. Furthermore, web developers use PHP Units to efficiently execute unit tests, and these Units also assist developers in coding. It is another great advantage of PHP.

5. Database Management

PHP is also used in database management systems. Several PHP frameworks let developers function with broadly used relational databases, and some even streamline database operations further by delivering ORM (object-relational mapping) systems. The developers can use these ORM systems to execute database operations easily. Also, the ORMs let developers write object code in the PHP language directly.

Disadvantages of Using PHP

1. Security Drawbacks

One of the main disadvantages of using PHP is security flaws. Products based on PHP often offer less security compared to other trendy web development languages, such as Python. Its open-source advantage is the main reason that makes it vulnerable and less secure. Also, its library is filled with many unproductive or unnecessary codes, making the server slow and sluggish. Hackers and data thieves can easily take benefit of these loopholes to sabotage or steal your project data.

2. Rigid Behavior of PHP Frameworks

Surely, PHP frameworks offer a fundament structure for web application development and speed up the process. However, in some cases, developers find PHP frameworks rigid and less user-customizable, making them unfriendly to new users. Also, users find fewer prospects to make changes to the core manners of these PHP frameworks, and these frameworks even force developers to adapt a particular web development pattern and use specific tools limited to individual frameworks only.

So that’s all from this blog post. I hope you like this article on why developers use PHP and What is PHP advantages and disadvantages.