Quick Summary:  PHP has come a long way since 1995. Today it is one of the most popular programming languages. It is also used to build dynamic and database-driven websites. This article summarizes how the future of PHP applications will look in 2023 and beyond, based on framework, development trends, evolution in features, popularity of PHP, and major planned releases.

What is PHP?

PHP came into existence in early 1994, and it has been gaining recognition ever since. Rasmus Lerdorf began his work on being a scripting language for websites, but it didn’t happen until mid-1993 when the internet was a fresh trend. The program was finally released around early 1995. By 1996, PHP gained popularity throughout the globe and was used to build dynamic web pages because of its support from diverse databases. The PHP frameworks provide help to developers on creating large-scale projects faster. As the frameworks are huge in size and are very compatible with other languages, it is easy to connect to different operating systems like Mac OS, Windows, Linux, etc. The frameworks also save time by generating codes quickly.

Key Factors That Elevate PHP Significance in the Web Development Market

Easy to Learn and Use: – PHP has had a long-standing reputation for easy-to-use code and has been adopted by many institutions, webmasters, and developers as a versatile and efficient language to create dynamic online solutions. PHP is especially useful for content management systems (CMS), forums, closures, surveys, and various business applications. 

Open-source Language: PHP is free of cost and offers decent support for frameworks like Laravel, Symfony, etc. The open-source nature of PHP is helpful in controlling the development cost of the new application.

Strong Community Support: PHP benefits from a substantial and dedicated online community, offering an abundance of tutorials, FAQs, and valuable tips. These resources serve as a valuable asset for newcomers and businesses looking to navigate the language’s latest updates and nuances.

Fast & Secure: Whether a website or application is large or small, speed and safety are important aspects of its architecture. Speed impacts the UX while cyber security means a safer experience for the visitors. Over the last few years, PHP has undergone significant development work to ensure it provides an optimal experience and delivers a high-quality standard of security despite the challenges of modern web hosting environments.

Tried & Tested: In the past two decades, PHP has undergone tremendous changes that have made it more reliable. Significant issues are identified and fixed in order to make PHP web development more safe, faster, and more productive.  Web developers continue to choose PHP because of its support for several operating systems like Windows and Unix-like (such as Linux).

Top 4 Competitive PHP Frameworks in the Market

Laravel: Laravel is a free, open-source framework written in PHP which is one of the best options for developers because it can be used on any application. Laravel framework provides the structure and tools required for creating web applications too. Laravel is a simple and flexible framework that specializes in the development of modern web applications.

Yii: Yii provides a powerful framework and a set of non-intrusive utilities for developing, maintaining, and scaling web applications in PHP 5. It also describes itself as “a secure, fast, and high-performing framework written with a code generator.” An additional feature that is worth mentioning is that it is absolutely free.

Symfony: Symfony is a PHP framework that provides an alternative to traditional end-to-end application development. The framework provides a standard structure and set of components that help in the rapid development process. It consists of pre-configured components for templating, translation, form configurations, and more. Symfony is one of the oldest PHP frameworks and it has gained popularity due to its versatility, flexibility, and scalability.

CodeIgniter: CodeIgniter is an open-source PHP framework that allows you to develop custom eCommerce websites and apps, thanks to its extensibility and many built-in security features. Developed by EllisLab, this well-rounded framework comes packed with a collection of amazing tools that speed up web development.

Latest PHP Development Trends in 2023

Web app development with PHP & Cloud: According to the survey of Cloud computing subscribers, 78.9% of currently active websites and app development companies use PHP and related technologies.   This statistic is one reason that makes PHP an important part of web development.  It has a number of supportive elements that allow users to create flexible and scalable web applications and websites.

PHP with IoT Integration: IoT is one of the most trending development trends of the last few years. With the growing popularity of the Internet of Things, PHP works with IoT to take on projects in various industries. IoT radically facilitates life and allows you to control everything around you from your mobile phone. Many companies make their products more innovative and user-friendly by adding artificial intelligence. This is how smart homes work with a variety of devices, including lights and appliances, which can be controlled remotely.

PHP and Smart Chatbots: With the rise of Artificial Intelligence, chatbots are the new wave of customer support. Intelligent chatbots are one of the most recent developments in PHP development. Due to competition, customers are demanding help almost all the time. A study found that 83% of customers expect a response within 60 minutes and 43% expect an action within the hour. In order to keep your clients happy, you need intelligent chatbots to provide them with instant responses to their queries even at odd hours. It is also essential because these bots can engage your customers without human intervention so they are available 24/7.

PHP and Voice Search Optimization: Voice search optimization will be a common PHP web development trend in 2023, Search engines have already started recognizing the importance of voice commands and their place in SEO. Voice searches are starting to move into the mainstream. As a result, many brands are now providing more content on their websites through text, images, and video.

PHP User Interface Trends: User interfaces in web applications play a significant role in users’ experience and are responsible for the success of many websites. Thus, usability is becoming a well-established trend in PHP web development and is taken into consideration by both business owners and developers.

Conclusion  

PHP is a widespread server-side scripting language intended for web development. It is one of the most popular, in-demand backend technologies today. PHP can be used to create myriad full-fledged and feature-rich websites and web applications, including social networking and e-commerce sites. PHP developers are in great demand. Brain Inventory provides PHP Web Development Services that offer end-to-end solutions for e-commerce websites, business-to-customer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) online portals, mobile-based web applications, etc., in major PHP frameworks. Our team of skilled, process-driven PHP developers has vast experience in building scalable and highly available web applications using different frameworks and technologies like CodeIgniter, Yii, Laravel, and CakePHP.