I am actually a PHP programmer by myself and it is very great that I am writing this post today.
What Is PHP?
Just for anyone who is a newbie to the subject and reading this for informational purposes, I am going to go into what PHP is in just a few lines below.
PHP is actually a programming language that is used to design websites, and other applications. PHP simply stands for Personal Home Page and was created by Rasmus Lerdoff.
PHP works together with HTML (HyperText Markup Language) as a server side scripting language. PHP also works together with many other great programming technologies like Javascript, and more.
A Little Story About My Journey And How I Started With PHP
Actually, I never intended to learn PHP. I started with Java. That’s what I thought I wanted. I wanted to develop software that run on PC. I wanted to have power in my hands.
I took 1 to 2 years learning Java, then half way in to it, I discovered that a lot of demand on the market was on Web Design. Many and more people were looking for someone to create websites for them than those who were looking for windows application.
Although Java could be used to create web applications, but I never realized it then. I searched for the best Programming language to create websites and I came across HTML. On learning HTML, I got to know about PHP.
That’s just a bit of my story.
What PHP Can Do?
It may interest you to know that the major website you use everyday called Facebook was written in PHP.
PHP can be used to create robust very dynamic web applications that change according to the users interaction and activities.
Since Facebook was created with PHP, I believe you can understand the power of PHP without further explanation.
Having said, that I would like to talk about the best alternative to PHP.
JavaScript
The fact is that although JavaScript is a totally different programming language on it’s own, you will definitely come across JavaScript while you are learning programming with PHP. JavaScript also has some kids too. The two most common are Ajaxand JQuery
While programming with PHP you are most likely to come across Ajax. Ajax Helps PHP language to become more flexible.
The difference Between JavaScript and PHP is that JavaScript is a client side programming language while PHP is a server side programming language.
What is Server Side and Client Side Programming Language?
PHP being a server-side programming language, here is what it means. PHP only executes its functions from the server, while client side programming languages like JavaScript execute their functions from the Browser.
If this is not very clear to you, then let me give you a clearer example. Server Side programming languages need you to refresh your browser before they perform an action which you programmed in them.
Client side programming languages do not need you to refresh your browser before they perform their functions.
Here is a great example.
Do you ever remember filling out a form online while signing up on a website, and then after typing your username, while going to type your password, you get an error that says “Username is already taken”. This is JavaScript at work here. JavaScript works immediately and shows you errors without the need to refresh your browser.
On the other hand, the most common one you experience is typing in all the information required while filling out your form, and while you try to click on the “Sign Up” button, you get some errors.
The form validation here is programmed with PHP, so when you click on the “Submit” button, and your browser refreshes, then you get those errors.
This should be very clear to you now on how the two works.
Which Is Best? JavaScript Or PHP?
It all depends on how you want your web application to work. Since JavaScript and PHP can work together. What most programmers do is to use the both together.
Here is why.
People enjoy the fast sweet validation and performance of JavaScript without the need to refresh their browser page to see result. JavaScript applications are actually very great with regards to ease in user experience, and speed.
But although PHP needs the user to refresh the browser before it processes its functions, I do suggest to use both PHP and Javascript. This way, the user can get both experience while using your website.
This is because there some type of web applications or some parts in your web applications where user necessarily needs to click the button before you perform some actions, so you will definitely need PHP.
It is best to combine, JavaScript and PHP.