PHP Tutorial

PHP Tutorial remains one of the world’s most widely used server-side programming languages. Millions of websites, including WordPress, Drupal, Magento, and Laravel applications, are powered by PHP.

If you want to become a backend developer or build dynamic websites, PHP is one of the best programming languages to learn.

In this complete tutorial, you’ll learn PHP from beginner to advanced with practical examples.

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What is PHP?

PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is an open-source server-side scripting language used to create dynamic websites and web applications.

Unlike HTML, PHP executes on the server and sends only the generated HTML to the user’s browser.

Example:

Browser → Web Server → PHP Executes → HTML Output → Browser

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Why Learn PHP?

PHP is still one of the best backend languages because it offers:

• Easy to learn
• Open Source & Free
• Cross-platform support
• Large developer community
• Excellent database integration
• Fast performance with PHP 8.x
• Used by WordPress (over 40% of websites)
• Works with Apache and Nginx
• Supports Object-Oriented Programming
• Huge job opportunities

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Features of PHP

• Server-side scripting
• Dynamic web pages
• Database connectivity
• Session & Cookie support
• File handling
• JSON support
• REST API development
• Object-Oriented Programming
• Exception handling
• Secure password hashing

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Installing PHP

Windows

Download and install:

• XAMPP
• WAMP
• Laragon

Check PHP version

php -v

Output

PHP 8.4.x

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Your First PHP Program

Create

index.php

<?php

echo "Hello, PHP!";

?>

Output

Hello, PHP!

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PHP Variables

<?php

$name = "John";
$age = 25;
$isStudent = true;

echo $name;
echo $age;

?>

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Data Types

PHP supports:

• String
• Integer
• Float
• Boolean
• Array
• Object
• NULL
• Resource

Example

<?php

$city = "Delhi";
$price = 599.99;
$status = true;

?>

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Constants

<?php

define("SITE_NAME","GuruGyaan");

echo SITE_NAME;

?>

---

Operators

$a = 20;
$b = 10;

echo $a + $b;
echo $a - $b;
echo $a * $b;
echo $a / $b;

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If Else

<?php

$age = 18;

if($age >= 18){

    echo "Eligible";

}else{

    echo "Not Eligible";

}

?>

---

Switch Statement

<?php

$day = "Monday";

switch($day){

case "Monday":
echo "Start Work";
break;

case "Sunday":
echo "Holiday";
break;

default:
echo "Normal Day";

}

?>

---

Loops

For Loop

<?php

for($i=1;$i<=5;$i++){

    echo $i."<br>";

}

?>

---

While Loop

<?php

$i=1;

while($i<=5){

    echo $i;

    $i++;

}

?>

---

Foreach Loop

<?php

$colors=["Red","Green","Blue"];

foreach($colors as $color){

    echo $color."<br>";

}

?>

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PHP Functions

<?php

function add($a,$b){

    return $a+$b;

}

echo add(10,20);

?>

Output

30

---

Arrays

Indexed Array

$fruits=["Apple","Banana","Orange"];

Associative Array

$user=[

"name"=>"Vikash",
"city"=>"Panipat"

];

Multidimensional Array

$students=[
["Rahul",90],
["Amit",95]
];

---

String Functions

echo strlen("PHP");

echo strtoupper("hello");

echo strtolower("PHP");

echo str_replace("PHP","Laravel","Learn PHP");

---

Date and Time

echo date("d-m-Y");

echo date("H:i:s");

---

Include & Require

include "header.php";

require "config.php";

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Forms

HTML

<form method="post">

<input type="text" name="username">

<input type="submit">

</form>

PHP

<?php

if(isset($_POST['username'])){

echo $_POST['username'];

}

?>

---

GET and POST

GET

$name=$_GET['name'];

POST

$email=$_POST['email'];

---

File Upload

move_uploaded_file(

$_FILES['image']['tmp_name'],

"uploads/".$_FILES['image']['name']

);

---

Sessions

<?php

session_start();

$_SESSION['user']="Admin";

echo $_SESSION['user'];

?>

---

Cookies

setcookie(

"username",

"Vikash",

time()+3600

);

---

Exception Handling

try{

throw new Exception("Something went wrong");

}catch(Exception $e){

echo $e->getMessage();

}

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Object-Oriented PHP

Class

<?php

class Student{

public $name;

public function show(){

echo $this->name;

}

}

$obj=new Student();

$obj->name="Rahul";

$obj->show();

?>

---

Constructor

class User{

public function __construct(){

echo "Constructor Called";

}

}

new User();

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Inheritance

class Animal{

public function sound(){

echo "Animal Sound";

}

}

class Dog extends Animal{

public function bark(){

echo "Woof";

}

}

$dog=new Dog();

$dog->sound();

$dog->bark();

---

Database Connection (MySQL)

<?php

$conn=new mysqli(

"localhost",

"root",

"",

"school"

);

if($conn->connect_error){

die("Connection Failed");

}

echo "Connected";

?>

---

Insert Data

$sql="INSERT INTO students(name)

VALUES('Rahul')";

$conn->query($sql);

---

Select Data

$result=$conn->query("SELECT * FROM students");

while($row=$result->fetch_assoc()){

echo $row['name'];

}

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Prepared Statements (Secure)

$stmt=$conn->prepare(

"SELECT * FROM users WHERE email=?"

);

$stmt->bind_param(

"s",

$email

);

$stmt->execute();

---

Password Hashing

$password=password_hash(

"mypassword",

PASSWORD_DEFAULT

);

Verify

password_verify(

$mypassword,

$password

);

---

JSON

Encode

echo json_encode($data);

Decode

$data=json_decode($json,true);

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PHP vs JavaScript

Feature	PHP	JavaScript
Runs On	Server	Browser & Server
Primary Use	Backend	Frontend + Backend
Database Access	Excellent	Via APIs
HTML Generation	Direct	Dynamic DOM
WordPress Support	Native	Limited

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PHP Best Practices

• Use PHP 8.x or newer.
• Validate all user input.
• Use prepared statements.
• Escape output to prevent XSS.
• Never trust user input.
• Use Composer for dependency management.
• Follow PSR coding standards.
• Separate business logic from presentation.
• Use environment variables for secrets.
• Keep PHP and dependencies updated.

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Popular PHP Frameworks

• Laravel
• Symfony
• CodeIgniter
• CakePHP
• Laminas
• Yii

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Real-World Applications

PHP is used to build:

• WordPress websites
• E-commerce stores
• CRM systems
• ERP software
• REST APIs
• School Management Systems
• Blogging platforms
• Online Learning Platforms
• Admin Dashboards
• Content Management Systems

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Common Interview Questions

What does PHP stand for?

PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor.

Is PHP frontend or backend?

Backend.

Is PHP free?

Yes.

Can PHP connect to MySQL?

Yes.

Which CMS uses PHP?

WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Magento, and many others.

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Conclusion

PHP continues to be one of the most powerful and beginner-friendly backend programming languages. From simple contact forms to enterprise applications, PHP can handle projects of every size. Combined with MySQL, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, it provides a complete stack for developing dynamic and secure web applications. Learning modern PHP and following best practices will prepare you for careers in web development, freelancing, and full-stack engineering.

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FAQ

Is PHP worth learning in 2026?

Yes. PHP powers a significant portion of the web and remains in high demand, especially for WordPress, Laravel, and backend development.

Which PHP version should I use?

Always use the latest stable PHP 8.x release.

Is PHP easy for beginners?

Yes. Its simple syntax makes it one of the easiest backend languages to start with.

Can I build APIs using PHP?

Yes. PHP is widely used to build secure RESTful APIs and backend services.