PHP is a widely-utilized web development language that has been around since the mid-90s. It is applied to build dynamic web pages and websites, and it is one of the most popular programming languages worldwide. But with the ever-transforming landscape of web technologies, is PHP still pertinent today, and will it remain advantageous in the future?
The Benefits of PHP
- When PHP first came onto the scene, it gained instantaneous traction from developers who respected its easy-to-use nature and suppleness. It was also open source, meaning anyone could download it free of charge and start using it straight away. This made it ideal for smaller businesses who did not have a big budget but still needed a way to generate a website.
- Because it is so flexible, PHP can be utilized to construct almost any type of website imaginable. From small personal blogs to large corporate sites, PHP can do it all. And because it is so extensively used, there are numerous frameworks and libraries available that make coding with PHP even easier.
PHP’s Popularity Today
- Despite its age, PHP remains one of the most popular web development languages currently. According to W3Techs’ usage statistics, more than 80% of all websites use some form of PHP. This makes it more favored than other languages such as Java or Ruby on Rails.
- But popularity does not always mean permanence—just look at how quickly Flash became obsolete once HTML5 became broadly accepted. So will the same thing happen with PHP?
The Future of PHP
- At this point, there is no definitive answer as to whether or not PHP will remain applicable in the future. However, given its current popularity and broad range of applications, it appears likely that it will continue to be an important language for web development in years to come.
One thing that could influence its future is the rise of JavaScript-based frameworks such as React and Angular. These libraries are becoming more and more commonplace for creating interactive websites and apps, which could eventually replace traditional server-side coding with PHP.
Conclusion
Overall, there is no definite indication whether or not PHP will stay practical in the future. However, given its current popularity and suppleness, there’s a good chance that it will remain an essential part of web development for many years to come.