PHP is one of the best programming languages around. That may not only be on its merit but may also have a lot to do with how it has integrated with various different platforms. Being open source has its own perks, one of which is how other similar technologies can form wonderful collaborations and offer amazing products.
PHP with its open source nature and control lying completely to the core developers has seen an evolution like no other programming language has. Frameworks like Laravel, CodeIgniter and website building tools like WordPress have optimized the quality it possessed. Be it designing bits or integration with database management systems, PHP has at most compatibility with every technology.
What Consists Of A Website?
A website consists of a few blocks that come together and function smoothly. PHP continues to serve the dynamic demands of web development. So it makes sense that apart from knowing the programming language, a developer also ventures into other aspects that are equally important if not more.
As a developer it is important to know which other things are needed for a website to go live and function properly. It is also quite handy for businesses to know what it takes for a website to form and function. Here are the blocks that form a website.
Frontend
The frontend consists of the design layout of the website. This is the interface that a user will come to contact with. These days, a lot of emphasis is given on the way a website looks. The concept of digital product design has evolved from the practices of user interface and user experience designing.
Backend
The backend is where you write programs through coding. These codes are written in a programming language. These programs perform micro operations simultaneously. Once these programs are executed simultaneously, they enable the website to run smoothly based on the user input.
Database
Database is a physical storage space where the data of your website is stored. This data consists of the text, image and video files on your website. Note that when a user accesses certain functionality or a page from your website, a network calls for the data to appear. The database management system that stores this data then responds and sends the relevant data back to the requester.
Hosting
As the name suggests, hosting is a concept where a physical server hosts your website and shares your files, data and user interface to every browser that requests for it from anywhere in the world. Note that servers establish networks and do not store the entirety of your website’s data. They just offer an infrastructure that acts as a location for your website.
What Technologies Should A Developer At A Custom PHP Web Development Company Know?
Now that we expanded upon the concepts and the building blocks that are needed for a website to form and run, now let us take a look at some technologies that PHP developers must be aware of. It always helps to know every technology briefly in case there needs to be cooperation from other departments like the database and the hosting.
Here are some technologies a PHP developer can learn to offer better services.
Frontend: Design Tools
Design as iterated earlier, is a very important phenomenon in today’s times. It used to be a uniform set of HTML or CSS files that used to define the look of a website earlier. Nowadays things have completely changed. Every corner of the website demands attention and should be utilized to create a unique brand identity.
Learning design tools like Illustrator or Corel could be complex since they are intense graphic designing softwares. Sighting the void, some companies offer tools that are dedicated to UX/UI design. Tools like Figma could work wonders for you if you want to create bespoke designs. Knowing website building tools like WordPress or a sub tool like Elementor can also be handy if you want resourceful tools that help you create unique designs.
Backend: Programming Languages
Of course a PHP developer would know PHP throughout. What distinguishes good PHP developers from the rest is their ability to understand other programming languages as well. Sometimes it helps when you have to understand a rival or a benchmark website that may be built on another platform.
Although PHP remains undefeated as the most used programming language for websites worldwide, there are many websites that use JavaScript & Java as their backend support. Knowing the concepts in brief for these languages can help you understand the reference or benchmark.
Database Management Systems
Database management systems are very crucial. They handle the data of a website which in today’s times is very sensitive. Not only does the system have to be efficient and fast, it also has to be supremely secure to protect the data from any attempt of theft.
MySQL, Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server are some popular DBMS. SQL stands for structured query language. This is an encrypted language that assigns synchronized storage of the data of your website and responds to any call from a server for the same.
Hosting Services & Technologies
Hosting is a very important part that puts all these pieces together. A good hosting plan will ensure that your website has enough resources at the storage space to perform functions faster. Shared hosting is a popular concept where multiple websites share a storage space. There are dedicated storage plans as well that ensure your website always has resources at its disposal.
Hostinger and Amazon Web Services are very popular these days. Because of how big they are and the legacy they carry, it can be safely assumed that their efficiency would be better than others. Google too offers cloud hosting services that are very efficient. Cloud hosting stores your data in a cloud layer that is faster to access and more secure against possible breakdowns or attempts of theft.
Knowing these concepts can pretty much enhance the scope of any project for a PHP developer. It is of course not possible to learn all the technologies inside out. But knowing the basic concepts and understanding how they function can enable you to write the programs accordingly.
Conclusion
As things get competitive, it is essential that developers learn other forms of technology as well. This not only helps them stay ahead of the queue but also enables them to write programs that are in perfect sync with integral parts of the website like the frontend and the database. Having clear concepts could be enough for that to happen. But as they say, the more the merrier when it comes to knowing technologies.
