Research & Documentation
The History of PHP
Who and Why PHP Was Created
PHP was created in 1994 by Rasmus Lerdorf. Initially, it was a simple set of tools written in C to help manage his personal website, specifically to track visitors. The tools were originally called "Personal Home Page Tools" (PHP Tools). Lerdorf's goal was to simplify the process of developing dynamic web content, which was a challenge at the time.
PHP Environment
PHP was designed to run on a web server, such as Apache or Nginx. It processes server-side scripts, which means the PHP code is executed on the server, and the resulting HTML is sent to the client's browser. This setup makes PHP ideal for creating dynamic and interactive websites that can interact with databases, manage sessions, and handle form data, among other tasks.
Usage of PHP on the Internet
PHP is one of the most widely used server-side programming languages on the web. As of 2024, approximately 77.4% of all websites using server-side languages utilize PHP. This includes major platforms like WordPress, which powers over 40% of the web, Facebook, and Wikipedia. The language's simplicity, flexibility, and extensive community support contribute to its widespread adoption.
Summary of the Documentation
This documentation provided an overview of the PHP programming language, covering its origins, the environment in which it operates, and its current usage on the internet. Created by Rasmus Lerdorf in 1994, PHP has grown to become a cornerstone of web development, particularly in the creation of dynamic and interactive websites.