

PHP’s server-side actions introduce a whole new level of dynamic possibilities to a website (above and beyond the static features offered by HTML and CSS, and even the dynamic client-side content made possible by JavaScript). The script can further state that if the admin does not upload a link, then the page will show “y” default image instead. This can include actions such as dictating that if the site administrator uploads a video link to “x” field, then the site will load the video from its server and display it for the user.

PHP scripts can also involve conditional (if/else/endif) statements that direct your site to change its display and add content from your web server as needed.
#PHP DEVELOPMENT MEANING UPDATE#
This avoids both preloading the posts on your site and necessitating a site admin to load and update the posts when new stories are published. In this instance, the posts themselves are stored on the site’s server and called up when they occupy one of the three most recently published slots. In order to maintain website efficiency, loading speeds, and storage capacity, not all assets can be stored locally on web pages at all times.įor example, a PHP script can make your three most recent blog posts appear automatically on your site’s front page. In other words, a client-side scripting language like JavaScript can automate tasks involving content that’s already available to a user in their web browser, but a server-side scripting language like PHP is used to request content from a website’s server or database and make that content visible and accessible for the site’s user. The main difference here from client-side activity is the fact that this process involves communication with a server and isn’t completed entirely within the client’s browser.
#PHP DEVELOPMENT MEANING SOFTWARE#
On the other hand, server-side activity involves a web browser sending requests to a web server (the software or hardware that stores a websites pages, images, media, and other assets), which then responds to the request with HTML code that can be processed and rendered by the web browser and turned into content on the user’s screen. Client-side is the side you see when you’re using the internet. Again, the processes scripted by JavaScript take place on the client-side-JS provides instructions that can be understood by and executed in your web browser. Notice JavaScript (a scripting language like PHP) is on that list. Client-side languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript give instructions that web browsers can parse and translate into content on your computer screen. So what does that mean? In programming terms, client-side refers to website activity that takes place locally on a user’s computer through the user’s web browser. PHP Is Used For Server-Side ScriptingĪs mentioned previously, PHP is typically used as a server-side language (as opposed to a language like JavaScript that’s generally executed on the client-side). So is PHP just another way of accomplishing the things you can do with JavaScript? Not exactly.

If you’ve spent any time reading about JavaScript, this might sound familiar. Scripting languages like PHP are distinct from markup languages like HTML and CSS in the sense that while HTML and CSS determine the layout and look of web pages, scripting languages tell a static web page (built with HTML and CSS) to “do” specific actions. This includes things like dialogue boxes opening on a screen in response to a user’s actions, chatbots responding to defined user behavior with corresponding messages, or animation that happens when a user scrolls past a certain point on a page-any dynamic website functions that need to occur on screen without the user having to manually reload a site. Scripting languages (a family of programming languages including PHP as well as languages like JavaScript and Ruby) are a subset of coding languages used to automate processes that otherwise would need to be executed step-by-step in a site’s code every time they occur. (Don’t worry, I’ll explain exactly what this means below.) In order to sort it all out, it’s crucial to first understand what a scripting language is. PHP (an acronym for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a scripting language that’s generally used in “server-side” web development. You Will Learn: If a career in tech is right for you What tech careers fit your strengths What skills you need to reach your goals

Is Tech Right For you? Take Our 3-Minute Quiz!
