PHP Introduction

PHP is a server-side programming language used to build dynamic websites. It runs on the server, generates HTML, and sends it to the browser.

What does “server-side” mean?

When a user opens a page:

1. Browser sends a request to the server
2. PHP code runs on the server
3. PHP builds HTML
4. Server sends HTML back to the browser

The user never sees your PHP code. They only see the result.

Where PHP is used

PHP powers:

• WordPress (most popular CMS)
• Facebook (originally built in PHP)
• Wikipedia
• Millions of small and large websites

If you know PHP, you can work almost anywhere.

Simple PHP example

<?php
echo "Hello, PHP!";
?>

This prints text to the page.

Why developers still love PHP

• Easy to start, no heavy setup
• Huge community and libraries
• Works great with MySQL
• Perfect for APIs and backend services

Next: Set up PHP on your machine and run your first script.