Advantages of PHP for Web Projects in 2024

With the rise in popularity of programming languages like Python, other options like PHP may fall behind. Let’s look at the advantages still offered by PHP in 2024, examine its capability and functionality and compare it with other scripting languages.

What is PHP used for?

PHP is a popular open-source scripting language primarily used for web development. It's embedded within HTML code and used to create dynamic websites or web applications.

PHP can interact with databases, manage user sessions, encrypt data and perform various other tasks. It's often used to create content management systems (CMS) like WordPress, Joomla and Drupal. PHP can also be used for creating ecommerce platforms, forums, social networking sites and more. 

PHP is server-side, meaning it runs on the server before it sends the HTML to the user's browser. This makes PHP more secure and efficient for handling data and heavy traffic. PHP's versatility, ease of use and strong community support make it a preferred choice for many developers.

How we leverage PHP frameworks on our projects at EPAM

In the past decade, PHP has undergone a significant transformation by embracing object-oriented programming and modern development practices, leading to the emergence of robust frameworks like Laravel and Symfony. These modern frameworks are comparable to those in other popular languages, enhancing PHP's capabilities and popularity. 
 
Volodymyr Klyuka, Software Engineering Manager and leader of the PHP Competency at EPAM, shares two examples of using the language on our high-profile projects. 

In the first project, EPAM collaborated with an industry leader to enhance their airport IT solutions, supporting the refinement and development of market-leading products. Our efforts focused on designing and implementing secure, scalable architectures, introducing comprehensive service suites and developing distribution APIs and white-label solutions. Utilizing Laravel, AWS and advanced technologies, we helped the client expand into new markets, ramp up a 100+ expert team and significantly reduce their time-to-market.

In another project from the entertainment industry, EPAM transformed the client’s payment suite into a robust SaaS tool, addressing key challenges in payment automation for broadcasters and advertisers. We developed a scalable multi-tenancy solution, integrated it with multiple payment processors and implemented a mobile-friendly UX.  

Leveraging Symfony, GCP, MariaDB cluster, React and TypeScript, we achieved significant milestones, including a swift onboarding process, a consistent 30% annual revenue growth and the processing of over 50 million invoices. 

Advantages of PHP over other languages

Summing up PHP’s advantages for web projects in 2024, let’s highlight the following:

1. Scalable
   If you’re working on a large-scale project and need the help of a scripting language that can get the task done well, then PHP is the language for you. One of the main advantages  is that it loads fast, which means the people coming to your website won’t experience long wait times.
2. Free to use
   Scripting languages can be of two types: open-source and closed-source. Open-source languages are free, while closed-source languages are paid. PHP is one of the most popular languages in the server-side scripting world. It doesn’t require any fee, and you can use frameworks, syntax, libraries, databases and all its functionalities for free.
3. Community support
   One of the biggest advantages of using PHP in web development is that the support of the PHP community is solid. If you’re stuck with a problem somewhere in development, you can pose a question to the community and have multiple software developers worldwide available to help. 
4. Ease of use
   When it comes to programming languages, PHP is among the easier ones to learn. This is because even though its syntax is rigid, it is forgiving. Aside from this obvious benefit, you can access multiple libraries and resources to ensure your code is optimized for speed and efficiency.

Conclusion

Despite its inconsistent syntax and less sophisticated debugging tool, PHP remains a popular choice among web developers due to its longevity in the field. Its syntax can be somewhat rigid, as its frameworks lack the versatility found in languages like Python. However, many developers have become proficient in PHP due to its longstanding presence in web development. One of PHP's standout features is its speed, a critical factor for companies aiming to avoid long website load times and potential customer loss. Furthermore, the importance of community support cannot be understated. Even the most skilled developers encounter issues, so having a community to turn to for solutions is invaluable.

If you are looking for exciting job opportunities, check out our current PHP job openings.