PHP
The server-side language that powers about 75% of the web — including WordPress, Laravel, and many large e-commerce and CMS platforms.
PHP is the server-side scripting language that underpins a disproportionate share of the internet — WordPress alone accounts for ~43% of all websites, and major platforms like Wikipedia, Shopify, and Facebook's early codebase were built on PHP. The modern PHP ecosystem (PHP 8+, Laravel, Symfony) is significantly more capable than its reputation suggests, with strong type systems, async support, and a mature package ecosystem. PHP skills remain in high demand for roles involving WordPress, e-commerce (Magento, WooCommerce), and enterprise CMS platforms.
Typical time to job-readiness: ~3 months.
Learning PHP
Beginner
Learn PHP syntax, variables, arrays, functions, and how PHP integrates with HTML. Build a basic CRUD app with a MySQL database to understand the full request/response cycle.
Intermediate
Learn the Laravel framework — routing, Eloquent ORM, Blade templating, Artisan CLI, and authentication. Write unit and feature tests with PHPUnit. Laravel is the de-facto modern PHP standard.
Advanced
Service container and dependency injection in Laravel, queue workers, broadcasting with WebSockets, and API development with Laravel Sanctum. PHP 8+ features (match expressions, fibers, enums) are expected in senior interviews.
Key concepts
- PHP runs server-side — executed on the server, not the browser; outputs HTML, JSON, or other responses
- Laravel: the dominant modern PHP framework; MVC, Eloquent ORM, Blade templating, Artisan CLI
- Composer: PHP's package manager (equivalent to npm for Node.js)
- Eloquent ORM: ActiveRecord-style database interaction; each model maps to a table
- PHP 8+: typed properties, match expressions, nullsafe operator (?->), named arguments, enums
- WordPress is PHP: understanding PHP fundamentals directly applies to WordPress theme and plugin development
Common interview topics
- What is the difference between include and require in PHP
- How does Laravel's Eloquent ORM work
- Explain dependency injection in Laravel's service container
- How would you prevent SQL injection in a PHP application
- What are some PHP 8 features you use regularly