Web Hosting Reviews & Ratings

February 26, 2009

Web Hosting with PHP

Static web pages are easy to come by these days and simple to create.  In general, creating them doesn't call for you to have any working knowledge of HTML, the most common web programming language of them all.  On the other hand, you may feel that your site requires a more dynamic construction that appeals to visitors with interactive features.  Programming languages are widely available but one of the most powerful of all is PHP.

What is PHP?

Short for Hypertext Preprocessor, PHP is an object orientated server-side scripting language used to build dynamic web pages and applications.  As an open-source language, PHP is actively supported by a large community of developers.  The mere open-source nature gives it numerous advantages over proprietary server-side scripting languages, mainly from a cost perspective.  Because there are no expensive licensing fees involved, PHP has now become the most popular server-side programming language in the world, offered by almost every web hosting provider on the market.

PHP in Action

A web host using PHP filters a document request at the server and then generates the output to a web browser in PHP.  Like other languages, these documents are typically written in the client-side HTML language with PHP tags inserted.  Despite being open-source, these tags are cross-platform, having the ability to run on both Windows and Linux platforms.  In regard to output, PHP can generate almost any format be it XHTML or XML.

The Advantages of PHP

PHP offers several benefits to developers.  It allows you to perform any CGI tasks including generating dynamic web applications and sending or receiving cookies.  You can also use PHP to output Flash videos, PDF files and instant graphics at lightning speed.  This is all made possible by the language's ability save the necessary files in a built-in file system and run a server-side cache.  PHP delivers a number of advanced features that can be of great assistance to the seasoned developer.  The power of PHP isn't limited to experienced users.  Beginners will be happy to know that this is one of the easiest server-side scripting languages to learn and code with.

A PHP-based solution generally comes included with a variety of programs scripted in the language, giving you applications that range from the WordPress blogging platform to the phpBB forum software.  You will also find that PHP is typically offered in more affordable web hosting solutions.  This is especially true when other open-source technologies are involved.  Some of the features you may find bundled together with PHP include Perl and Python programming languages as well as MySQL or Postgre SQL databases.  These technologies generally integrate seamlessly with one another and allow you to enjoy the best PHP has to offer.

PHP is one of the most efficient programming languages available, offering ease of use to the beginner and sophistication for the advanced user.  You can really get tremendous value from PHP when finding it in a web hosting package that offers the latest version on a reliable platform.

Tags: Wordpress,  windows,  server-side scripting language,  linux,  Hypertext Preprocessor,  HTML,  scripts,  Scripting,  Python,  php,  Perl,  CGI