CINXE.COM

<!doctype html> <html lang="en"> <head> <title>PHP Definition - What is the PHP scripting language?</title> <link rel="canonical" href="https://techterms.com/definition/php"> <meta name="description" content="Learn about PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) and how web developers use PHP scripts to create dynamic websites."> <meta name="keywords" content="PHP, Hypertext Preprocessor, definition, scripting, language, programming, code, parse, dynamic, Web server, HTML"> <meta name="robots" content="max-image-preview:large"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> <meta name="apple-itunes-app" content="app-id=923672016"> <meta charset="utf-8"> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://www.google-analytics.com"> <link rel="preconnect" href="securepubads.g.doubleclick.net"> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://www.googletagservices.com"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://techterms.com/css/tt.css?v=1" media="screen, print"> <link rel="icon" href="/svg/favicon.svg"> <script>window.dataLayer=window.dataLayer||[];function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments)}gtag('consent','default',{'ad_storage':'granted','ad_user_data':'granted','ad_personalization':'granted','analytics_storage':'granted'});gtag('consent','default',{'ad_storage':'denied','ad_user_data':'denied','ad_personalization':'denied','region':["NO","DE","FI","BE","PT","BG","DK","LT","LU","LV","HR","FR","HU","SE","SI","MC","SK","MF","SM","YT","IE","GF","EE","MQ","MT","GP","IS","GR","IT","ES","AT","RE","CY","CZ","AX","PL","RO","LI","NL"]})</script> <script src="https://cdn.cookielaw.org/scripttemplates/otSDKStub.js" data-domain-script="018decfc-da98-7112-b546-affa65c740cd"></script> <script>let adsLoaded=!1;let cmpReady=!1;let adsReady=!1;function OptanonWrapper(){cmpReady=!0;loadAds()}function loadAds(){if(!adsLoaded&&cmpReady&&adsReady){if((typeof __tcfapi!=="undefined")||(OnetrustActiveGroups.indexOf('C0004')!=-1)){googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.pubads().refresh()});!function(e,t,a,n,o,s){o=e.createElement(t),s=e.getElementsByTagName(t)[0],o.async=1,o.src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js",o.setAttribute("data-ad-client","ca-pub-0087137714961591"),s.parentNode.insertBefore(o,s)}(document,"script")}else{googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.pubads().setPrivacySettings({nonPersonalizedAds:!0}),googletag.pubads().refresh()});!function(e,t,a,n,o,s){o=e.createElement(t),s=e.getElementsByTagName(t)[0],o.async=1,o.src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js",o.setAttribute("data-ad-client","ca-pub-0087137714961591"),o.setAttribute("data-privacy-treatments","disablePersonalization"),s.parentNode.insertBefore(o,s)}(document,"script")} adsLoaded=!0}}</script> <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-5K7VMN5PX3"></script> <script>window.dataLayer=window.dataLayer||[];function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments)}gtag('js',new Date());gtag('config','G-5K7VMN5PX3')</script> <script>for(var ca=document.cookie.split("; "),i=0;i<ca.length;i++){var c=ca[i];if(-1!=c.indexOf("tt_theme=")){var theme=c.substring(9,c.length),html=document.getElementsByTagName("html")[0];html.classList.add("theme-"+theme),USERTHEME=theme;}else-1!=c.indexOf("tt_size=")&&(USERSIZE=c.substring(8,c.length))}</script> <script async src="https://securepubads.g.doubleclick.net/tag/js/gpt.js"></script> <script>var sizes_tlb = [[970, 90], [728, 90], [468, 60], [320, 100], [320, 50]];var sizes_ss = [[300, 600], [160, 600], [468, 60], [320, 100], [320, 50]];var sizes_ra = [[336, 280], [300, 250], [320, 100], [320, 50]];var sizes_lb = [[728, 90], [468, 60], [320, 100], [320, 50], "fluid"];window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; googletag.cmd.push(function() {function defineAdSlot(e,d,g,i){e="/1009901/"+e,g="div-gpt-ad-"+g+"-0",slot0=googletag.defineSlot(e,d,g).defineSizeMapping(i).addService(googletag.pubads())}var mapping_tlb = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([1000, 0], [[970, 90], [728, 90], [468, 60], [320, 100], [320, 50]]).addSize([758, 0], [[728, 90], [468, 60], [320, 100], [320, 50]]).addSize([488, 0], [[468, 60], [320, 100], [320, 50]]).addSize([0, 0], [[320, 100], [320, 50]]).build();var mapping_ss = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([981, 0], [[300, 600], [160, 600]]).build();var mapping_ra = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([971, 0], [[336, 280], [300, 250], [320, 100], [320, 50]]).addSize([551, 0], [[300, 250]]).build();var mapping_lb = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([1178, 0], [[728, 90], [468, 60], [320, 100], [320, 50], "fluid"]).addSize([966, 0], [[468, 60], [320, 100], [320, 50], "fluid"]).addSize([820, 0], [[728, 90], [468, 60], [320, 100], [320, 50], "fluid"]).addSize([520, 0], [[468, 60], [320, 100], [320, 50], "fluid"]).addSize([0, 0], [[320, 100], [320, 50], "fluid"]).build();var mapping_qlb = googletag.sizeMapping().addSize([758, 0], [[728, 90], [468, 60], [320, 100], [320, 50], "fluid"]).addSize([488, 0], [[468, 60], [320, 100], [320, 50], "fluid"]).addSize([0, 0], [[320, 100], [320, 50], "fluid"]).build();if (window.innerWidth >= 0) defineAdSlot('tt_tlb_2020', sizes_tlb, '1589388248615', mapping_tlb);if (window.innerWidth >= 551) defineAdSlot('tt_dra_2020', sizes_ra, '1589302365809', mapping_ra);if (window.innerWidth >= 0) defineAdSlot('tt_dlb_2020', sizes_lb, '1589236206757', mapping_lb);if (window.innerWidth >= 980) defineAdSlot('tt_dss_2020', sizes_ss, '1589233879778', mapping_ss);});googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.pubads().disableInitialLoad(),googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(),googletag.pubads().setTargeting("page_url","/definition/php"),googletag.enableServices()});adsReady=true;loadAds();if (window.innerWidth >= 0) googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1589388248615-0")});if (window.innerWidth >= 551) googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1589302365809-0")});if (window.innerWidth >= 0) googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1589236206757-0")});if (window.innerWidth >= 980) googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1589233879778-0")});</script> <script type="application/ld+json"> {"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article","dateCreated":"2006","datePublished":"2006","dateModified":"2024-11-06","copyrightYear":"2006","copyrightHolder":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Sharpened Productions"},"name":"PHP","description":"A technical definition of PHP","headline":"PHP","abstract":"Definition of PHP","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Per Christensson","url":"https://techterms.com/authors/per_christensson"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TechTerms.com","logo":"https://techterms.com/img/main/techterms.png"},"teaches":{"@type":"DefinedTerm","url":"https://techterms.com/definition/php","name":"PHP","description":"A technical definition of PHP"},"audience":{"@type":"Audience","audienceType":"everyone"},"genre":"Technology","inLanguage":"en-US","isFamilyFriendly":"True","keywords":"scripting, language, programming, code, parse, dynamic, Web server, HTML","locationCreated":{"@type":"Place","name":"United States"},"text":"Stands for \"PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor.\" PHP is a scripting language web developers use to create (dynamic websites|dynamicwebsite). It is often installed by default on (Apache|apache) web servers, alongside (MySQL|mysql) as part of a \"(LAMP|lamp)\" configuration.","alternateName":"Hypertext Preprocessor","image":"https://techterms.com/img/md/php_163.png","url":"https://techterms.com/definition/php"} </script> </head> <body> <div id="full"> <header id="siteheader"> <div class="content"> <a href="#main" class="visuallyhidden">Skip to main content</a> <a href="/" class="logo"><img src="/svg/logo.svg" width="212" height="24" alt="TechTerms.com"></a> <div class="siteheader-middle"> <div class="searchwrapper collapsed"> <form id="search" class="search" action="/search" method="post"> <div class='autocomplete' role='combobox' aria-expanded='false' aria-owns='autocomplete-results'> <input type="text" id="term" name="term" placeholder="Search (e.g. php, CPU, GPU, RAM)" aria-label="Search (e.g. psd, docx, exe, jpg, zip)" autocomplete="off" class='autocomplete-input term' aria-autocomplete='both' aria-controls='autocomplete-results'> <button id="searchsubmit" class="searchsubmit"></button> </div> <ul id='autocomplete-results' class='autocomplete-results hidden' aria-label='Search'> </ul> </form> </div> <a href="/random" class="headerbutton random" id="random"><img src="/svg/random.svg" alt="random" width="16" height="16"></a> <button id="searchtoggle"><img src="/svg/search-white.svg" alt="search" width="18" height="18"></button> </div> <div class="siteheader-right"> <button id="menuopen"><img src="/svg/menu.svg" alt="open menu" width="18" height="16"></button> <nav id="sitemenu" class="collapsed"> <button id="menuclose"><img src="/svg/close.svg" alt="close menu" width="14" height="14"></button> <ul> <li><a href="/browse/">Terms</a></li> <li><a href="/quiz/">Quizzes</a></li> <li><a href="/help/">Help Center</a></li> <li class="mobile"><a href="/random">Random Term</a></li> <li class="settings"><button id="settings"><img src="/svg/settings.svg" alt="settings" width="22" height="22"></button> <div class="settingsmenu"> <fieldset> <legend>Theme</legend> <input id="theme-default" value="default" type="radio" name="theme" checked> <label for="theme-default">Light</label> <input id="theme-dark" value="dark" type="radio" name="theme" > <label for="theme-dark">Dark</label> <input id="theme-hc" value="hc" type="radio" name="theme" > <label for="theme-hc">High Contrast</label> </fieldset> <div class="fontsizewrapper"><label for="fontsize">Font Size<input type="range" id="fontsize" name="fontsize" min="14" max="26" step="2" value="20"></label><span class="currentsize">20</span></div> <button id="resetsettings">Reset</button> </div> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> </div> </header> <main> <div class="adTopLB"> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1589388248615-0'> </div> </div> <div id="main" class="def"> <div id="left"> <div class="card hasheader"> <div class="cardheader"> <div class="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Home</a><svg viewBox="0 0 9 14" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="m0 14 9-7-9-7z"/></svg><a href="/category/internet">Internet Terms</a><svg viewBox="0 0 9 14" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="m0 14 9-7-9-7z"/></svg>PHP Definition</div> </div> <article> <h1>PHP</h1> <div class="adDefRect"> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1589302365809-0'> </div> </div> <p>Stands for "<b>PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor</b>."</p> <p>PHP is a scripting language web developers use to create <a href="/definition/dynamicwebsite">dynamic websites</a>. It is often installed by default on <a href="/definition/apache">Apache</a> web servers, alongside <a href="/definition/mysql">MySQL</a> as part of a "<a href="/definition/lamp">LAMP</a>" configuration.</p> <p>Each PHP <a href="/definition/snippet">code snippet</a> starts with <span class="command"><?php</span> and ends with <span class="command">?></span>. PHP pages may contain multiple snippets inserted throughout the <a href="/definition/html">HTML</a> that generate dynamic content. When a website visitor accesses a PHP page, the <a href="/definition/web_server">web server</a> processes, or "<a href="/definition/parse">parses</a>," the PHP code before sending the <a href="/definition/html">HTML</a> to the client's browser. In the example below, the PHP function gets the local time and date from the server and inserts it into the HTML. (<span class="command">"F d, Y"</span> formats the date as December 31, 2021.)</p> <div class="codeblock"> <pre><code><p>The current date is <?php echo date("F d, Y"); ?></p></code></pre> </div> <p>Below is a behind-the-scenes look at some of the PHP code used to generate quiz questions on TechTerms.com.</p> <div class="baguetteBox gallery"> <a href="https://techterms.com/img/xl/php_163.png"> <img src="https://techterms.com/img/il/php_163.png" alt="TechTerms PHP Code Example" width="750" height="423" class="defimg"> </a></div> <p>PHP <a href="/definition/script">scripts</a> can range from simple one-line commands to complex <a href="/definition/function">functions</a>. Some PHP-based websites generate nearly all webpage content dynamically using a series of PHP scripts. While early versions of PHP were not <a href="/definition/oop">object-oriented</a>, PHP3 introduced support for <a href="/definition/class">classes</a>, including object attributes and methods. Developers can create custom <a href="/definition/object">object</a> libraries and import them into various PHP pages, similar to a <a href="/definition/compile">compiled</a> language.</p> <div class="summary">Because PHP code is processed before the HTML is loaded, users cannot view the PHP code within a webpage. They can only see the HTML output by the PHP scripts.</div> <p>Much of PHP's <a href="/definition/syntax">syntax</a> is similar to other languages such as <a href="/definition/cplusplus">C++</a>, <a href="/definition/java">Java</a>, and <a href="/definition/perl">Perl</a>. However, PHP contains several proprietary functions, including MySQL-specific methods for accessing records from a MySQL <a href="/definition/database">database</a>. Because of its integration with MySQL, its consistent maintenance, and overall ease of use, PHP remains a popular choice for creating dynamic websites.</p> <p><b>File extension: <a href="https://fileinfo.com/extension/php" target="fileinfo">.PHP</a></b></p> <div class="adBotLB"> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1589236206757-0'> </div> </div> <div class="cardfooter"> <div class="upDate"><div class="author">Updated <span class="pdate">November 6, 2024</span> by <a href="/authors/per_christensson">Per C.</a></div></div><div id="citations"> <div class="tabs"> <div role="tablist" aria-label="citations"> <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="apa" tabindex="-1">APA</button> <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="mla" tabindex="-1">MLA</button> <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="chicago" tabindex="-1">Chicago</button> <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="html" tabindex="-1">HTML</button> <button role="tab" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="link" tabindex="-1">Link</button> </div> <div class="citationwrap"> <div id="apa" role="tabpanel" class="citation" hidden> </div> <div id="mla" role="tabpanel" class="citation" hidden> </div> <div id="chicago" role="tabpanel" class="citation" hidden> </div> <div id="html" role="tabpanel" class="citation" hidden> </div> <div id="link" role="tabpanel" class="citation" hidden> <div>https://techterms.com/definition/php</div> </div> <button id="citecopy"><span class="visuallyhidden">Copy</span><svg enable-background="new 0 0 488.3 488.3" viewBox="-7.5 -7.5 495.8 503.3" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="m314.25 85.4h-227c-21.3 0-38.6 17.3-38.6 38.6v325.7c0 21.3 17.3 38.6 38.6 38.6h227c21.3 0 38.6-17.3 38.6-38.6v-325.7c-.1-21.3-17.4-38.6-38.6-38.6zm11.5 364.2c0 6.4-5.2 11.6-11.6 11.6h-227c-6.4 0-11.6-5.2-11.6-11.6v-325.6c0-6.4 5.2-11.6 11.6-11.6h227c6.4 0 11.6 5.2 11.6 11.6z" stroke-width="15"/><path d="m401.05 0h-227c-21.3 0-38.6 17.3-38.6 38.6 0 7.5 6 13.5 13.5 13.5s13.5-6 13.5-13.5c0-6.4 5.2-11.6 11.6-11.6h227c6.4 0 11.6 5.2 11.6 11.6v325.7c0 6.4-5.2 11.6-11.6 11.6-7.5 0-13.5 6-13.5 13.5s6 13.5 13.5 13.5c21.3 0 38.6-17.3 38.6-38.6v-325.7c0-21.3-17.3-38.6-38.6-38.6z" stroke-width="15"/></svg></button> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div id="defquiz" class="card"> <h2 class="heading logoheading"><img src="/img/main/quiz.png" alt="quiz" style="width:45px">Test Your Knowledge</h2> <div class="quizBox"> <div class="quizBody"> <p class="quizQuestion">Which of the following is a learning management system?</p> <div class="quizTable"> <div id="ansButtonA" class="answerButton activeButton" data-answer="Anum" data-date="2020-12-30"><span class="ansLetter">A</span> <div class="answerCell"><span id="answerA" class="quizAnswer">Moodle</span> <div class="answerBar"> <div id="quizBarA" class="quizBar"></div><span id="quizPercA" class="quizperc">0%</span> </div> </div> </div> <div id="ansButtonB" class="answerButton activeButton" data-answer="Bnum" data-date="2020-12-30"><span class="ansLetter">B</span> <div class="answerCell"><span id="answerB" class="quizAnswer">Weebly</span> <div class="answerBar"> <div id="quizBarB" class="quizBar"></div><span id="quizPercB" class="quizperc">0%</span> </div> </div> </div> <div id="ansButtonC" class="answerButton activeButton" data-answer="Cnum" data-date="2020-12-30"><span class="ansLetter">C</span> <div class="answerCell"><span id="answerC" class="quizAnswer">GoDaddy</span> <div class="answerBar"> <div id="quizBarC" class="quizBar"></div><span id="quizPercC" class="quizperc">0%</span> </div> </div> </div> <div id="ansButtonD" class="answerButton activeButton" data-answer="Dnum" data-date="2020-12-30"><span class="ansLetter">D</span> <div class="answerCell"><span id="answerD" class="quizAnswer">LinkedIn</span> <div class="answerBar"> <div id="quizBarD" class="quizBar"></div><span id="quizPercD" class="quizperc">0%</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="quizResult"><div class="qmsg"> <b class="quizPass">Correct!</b> <b class="quizFail">Incorrect!</b>   <span class="customMessage"></span>  View the <a href="/definition/moodle">Moodle definition</a>.</div> <a href="/quiz/#morequizzes" class="quizNext btnprimary">More Quizzes →</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="right"> <div class="prevnext"> <a href="phishing"><span class="arrow">‹</span>  <span class="linktext">Phishing</span></a><span> | </span><a href="phreaking"><span class="linktext">Phreaking</span>  <span class="arrow">›</span></a></div> <div class="tf card"> <h2 class="heading">Tech Factor</h2> <a href="/help/tech_factor" class="info" title="What is the Tech Factor?">?</a> <a href="/techfactor/5"><span class="factor">5</span><span class="denom"> / 10</span></a></div> <div class="listBox card related"> <h2 class="heading">Related Terms</h2> <div class="rlists"> <ol> <li><a href="/definition/dynamicwebsite">Dynamic Website</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/script">Script</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/mysql">MySQL</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/html">HTML</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/perl">Perl</a></li> </ol> <ol start="6"><li><a href="/definition/python">Python</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/c_sharp">C#</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/oop">OOP</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/parse">Parse</a></li> <li><a href="/definition/source_code">Source Code</a></li> </ol> </div> </div> <div class="adRightSky"> <div id='div-gpt-ad-1589233879778-0'> </div> </div> </div> <div class="techterms card"> <h2 class="heading">The Tech Terms Computer Dictionary</h2> <p>The definition of PHP on this page is an original definition written by the <a href="/authors/">TechTerms.com team</a>. If you would like to reference this page or cite this definition, please use the green citation links above.</p> <p>The goal of TechTerms.com is to explain computer terminology in a way that is easy to understand. We strive for simplicity and accuracy with every definition we publish. If you have feedback about this definition or would like to suggest a new technical term, please <a href="/contact">contact us</a>.</p> </div> </div> <div class="popupwrapper"> <div id="newsletter_popup"> <button class="close">×</button> <div id="ttnform"> <h3 class="heading">Sign up for the free TechTerms Newsletter</h3> <form id="subscribe"> <div class="field"><label for="newsletter_email">Email (required):</label> <input type="email" id="newsletter_email" name="newsletter_email" required aria-label="email address"> </div> <div class="row1"> <div class="field"><label for="first_name">First Name:</label> <input type="text" name="first_name" id="first_name"></div> <div class="field"><label for="first_name">Last Name:</label> <input type="text" name="last_name" id="last_name"></div> </div> <fieldset class="row2"> <legend>How often would you like to receive an email?</legend> <input type="radio" name="frequency" id="daily" value="d" checked><label for="daily">Daily</label> <input type="radio" name="frequency" id="weekly" value="w"><label for="weekly">Weekly (Every Tuesday)</label> <input type="text" id="newsletter_message" name="message" class="cfieldhid" aria-hidden="true" aria-label="If you are a human, please do not fill in this field." tabindex="-1"> </fieldset> <input type="submit" class="btnprimary" value="Subscribe"> <div id="ttnerror"> </div> <p>You can unsubscribe or change your frequency setting at any time using the links available in each email.<br><br>Questions? Please <a href="/contact">contact us</a>.</p> </form> </div> <div id="ttnconfirm" style="display: none;"> <h3>Thank You</h3> <p>We just sent you an email to confirm your email address. Once you confirm your address, you will begin to receive the newsletter.</p> <p>If you have any questions, please <a href="/contact">contact us</a>.</p> <button class="ok btnprimary">Ok</button> </div> </div> </div> </main> <footer id="sitefooter"><a href="https://sharpened.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span class="copyright">© 2024 Sharpened Productions</span></a>  |  <a href="/terms">Terms of Use</a>  |  <a href="/privacy">Privacy Policy</a>  |  <button id="ot-sdk-btsn" class="ot-sdk-show-settings">Cookie Settings</button>  |  <a href="/about">About</a>  |  <a href="/contact">Contact</a></footer> </div> <script defer src="https://techterms.com/js/tt.js"></script><script> var cterm = 'PHP'; var curl = 'php'; quizDate = '2020-12-30'; T = cterm; C = "287c86f61baf5b80d6f23967e6c96094"; </script> <script defer src="https://techterms.com/js/quiz.js?v=1"></script> </body> </html>