Learn PHP - Step-by-Step Tutorial | Erudiax

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:

Browser sends a request to the server
PHP code runs on the server
PHP builds HTML
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

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.

PHP Tutorial

PHP Introduction

Install PHP and Run Your First Script

PHP Syntax and Mixing with HTML

Variables and Data Types in PHP

PHP Operators and Basic Math

Conditional Statements: if, else, elseif

Loops in PHP: for, while, foreach

Arrays in PHP: Indexed and Associative

Functions in PHP

Variable Scope in PHP

PHP Superglobals: $_GET, $_POST, $_SERVER

Handling Forms in PHP

Working with Strings in PHP

Date and Time in PHP

File Handling in PHP

Include vs Require in PHP (and When to Use Each)

Sessions in PHP (Login Memory Explained)

Cookies in PHP (Remember Me Feature)

PHP Error Handling and Debugging (Professional Basics)

Working with JSON in PHP (API Ready)

Connect PHP to MySQL Using PDO (Safe Setup)

Prepared Statements (Stop SQL Injection)

CRUD in PHP with PDO (Create, Read, Update, Delete)

Password Hashing in PHP (Do It the Right Way)

Build a Simple Login System (PDO + Sessions)

OOP in PHP: Classes and Objects

Constructors and Visibility (public, private, protected)

Inheritance in PHP (Extend Classes Correctly)

Interfaces in PHP (Flexible, Testable Design)

Namespaces in PHP (Organize Code Like a Framework)

Autoloading in PHP (Stop Writing require_once Everywhere)

Composer Basics (Dependencies + Autoload PSR-4)

MVC Pattern in PHP (How Laravel/Symfony Think)

Build a Simple REST API in PHP (GET + POST)

PHP Security Basics: XSS and CSRF (Must Know)

MySQL Transactions in PHP (Commit and Rollback)

Database Indexes Explained (Speed Up Queries)

Pagination in PHP with PDO (LIMIT and OFFSET)

Secure File Uploads in PHP (Images, PDFs, and Safety)

Password Reset Flow (Token-Based, Secure Design)

Simple Router in PHP (Clean URLs, Controller Style)

Dependency Injection in PHP (Simple and Practical)

Exceptions in PHP (Try/Catch Like a Pro)

CORS in PHP (Allow Frontend Apps to Call Your API)

JWT in PHP API (Protect Routes with Authorization)

Rate Limiting Basics (Protect Your PHP API)

Logging in PHP (Structured Logs You Can Trust)

Environment Variables in PHP (No More Hardcoded Secrets)

Image Resizing in PHP (Create Thumbnails Safely)

CSRF for Cookie-Based Auth (Web Apps vs APIs)

Cookie Security Flags: HttpOnly, Secure, SameSite

Sending Emails in PHP (SMTP, Safer Than mail())

Background Jobs and Queues (Scale PHP Like a Pro)

Standard API Responses (Consistent Success and Errors)

Validation Strategy in PHP (Centralized and Clean)

Laravel Introduction (What It Solves and Why Teams Use It)

Database Migrations Concept (Track DB Changes Like Code)

Caching in PHP (Reduce DB Load and Speed Up Pages)

PHP Performance: OPcache, N+1 Queries, and Practical Fixes

Webhooks in PHP (Receive External Events Safely)

PHPUnit Basics (Write Your First Unit Test)

Mocking in PHPUnit (Test Services Without Real DB)

API Documentation Basics (OpenAPI / Swagger Concept)

Deploy PHP Like a Pro (Environment, Logs, and Safe Releases)

Mini Project: Blog API + Admin Login (Putting It All Together)

PHP Basics: Getting Started with Server-Side Programming

PHP Arrays and Functions: Working with Data

PHP Object-Oriented Programming

PHP Introduction

What does “server-side” mean?

Where PHP is used

Simple PHP example

Why developers still love PHP