PHP Programming

PHP remains an excellent fit for server-rendered websites, APIs, background jobs, internal tools, and business applications. This section moves from syntax into the practices needed to operate PHP safely in production.

Practical PHP, Without Hiding the Important Parts

I first used PHP to modify PHP-Nuke modules in the mid-2000s. The language and ecosystem have changed dramatically since then: strict types, modern object syntax, Composer, static analysis, robust testing tools, and mature deployment patterns make modern PHP a very different environment.

The examples here use plain PHP so the request lifecycle, validation, SQL, authentication, and error handling remain visible. The same concepts transfer directly into frameworks.

Recommended order: Syntax and types → conditionals → arrays and functions → forms → PDO → sessions → security → project structure → testing → deployment.

Language Fundamentals

Web Application Basics

Structure and Reliability

Production and Maintenance

A Minimal Modern Starting Point

<?php
declare(strict_types=1);

require dirname(__DIR__) . '/vendor/autoload.php';

use App\Infrastructure\Database;

$pdo = Database::connect();

$stmt = $pdo->prepare(
    'SELECT id, name, status FROM customers WHERE status = :status ORDER BY name'
);
$stmt->execute(['status' => 'active']);

header('Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8');
echo json_encode($stmt->fetchAll(), JSON_THROW_ON_ERROR);

Habits That Pay Off

Enable strict types in new source files.
Use parameter and return types wherever they clarify intent.
Treat every request value as untrusted input.
Use prepared statements and explicit transactions.
Store configuration outside the public document root.
Log enough context to diagnose failures without logging secrets.
Automate syntax checks, tests, and database migrations before deployment.