Learning PHP from Scratch: Start Your Career as a Back-End Developer

PHP is a server-side scripting language, powering millions of websites with its capabilities for back-end development. It is the language that developers use to connect to a database for retrieving, modifying, or deleting data. By learning PHP, you can start your career in web development as a professional server-side guru. I should note that PHP is not the most beginner-friendly language. Its conventions and use take some getting used to, but if you dedicate your time to the learning process, it will be easier. 

In this PHP tutorial, I will be addressing the beginners that have never encountered PHP code nor attempted to write their own script in this language. I know that many people are interested in PHP, especially for web development. However, they seem to lack direction, and quickly give up. This PHP training will provide a balanced learning experience: theoretical concepts side by side with practical exercises. 

Benefits of learning PHP

As I have mentioned, learning PHP is very beneficial for those who want to create websites. While knowing HTML, CSS and JavaScript is enough for a front-end developer, PHP is a necessity for anyone looking for a job as a back-end specialist. If you already know the holy trio (HTML, CSS and JavaScript), learning PHP will be the break you need to launch a career as a full-stack developer. 

The close relation between PHP and web development is no coincidence. Many languages were created with a specific purpose in mind. Creators of PHP designed this language specifically for back-end web development. In fact, many content management systems (CMS) are based on PHP, meaning that people are unknowingly exposed to PHP. 

After learning PHP basics (or vanilla PHP), many developers turn to frameworks. PHP can take pride in its frameworks such as Laravel or Symphony that have been responsible for creating millions of websites worldwide. With the help of these frameworks, developers can create fast and scalable websites very efficiently, without having to build most of the back-end logic on their own. 

Upon watching all the lectures of this PHP tutorial, you could turn to learning the application and the benefits of frameworks. As a rule, frameworks help developers create websites much more efficiently, with fewer inconsistencies and flaws. 

What will you find in this course? 

During this PHP training, we will go over every step of starting to use PHP on your computer. First of all, I will explain the installation process, including the configuration of different operating systems, which code editor to choose, and how to set it up. 

After preparing your device for action, we will start writing the first program using PHP. Along the way, we will discuss the PHP basics: syntax rules, how to write comments, how to print your name on the website, and the use of tags. Learning PHP should not be mainly about learning the theoretical material. Therefore, in this course, I provide you with many opportunities to practice (for instance, the examples and exercises found in this course).