Glossary · Web & App Development
PHP
Overview
What PHP is
PHP (originally 'Personal Home Page,' now a recursive acronym for 'PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor') is an open-source, server-side scripting language built for the web. Code runs on the web server, not in the visitor's browser, processing requests, talking to databases, and producing the HTML that gets sent back. It is one of the most widely deployed languages on the internet.
Where it is used
PHP powers a large share of the web, most visibly through WordPress, which alone runs a substantial portion of all websites, along with WooCommerce, Drupal, and Magento. Modern frameworks like Laravel and Symfony bring structure to larger applications, and PHP 8 added major performance gains and features. A vast hosting ecosystem makes it inexpensive to run.
How a full-service agency applies it
Because so much of the web runs on it, PHP is central to our WordPress and ecommerce development work: building custom themes and plugins, extending WooCommerce, and integrating third-party systems. With 20+ years and 700+ projects behind us, we also modernize legacy PHP applications, upgrading versions, tightening security, and improving performance without a costly rebuild from scratch.
Where we use it
Related Zen in Tech services
How our team puts PHP to work in real projects.
FAQ
PHP — common questions
Is PHP still relevant?
Yes. PHP still powers a large majority of websites, largely through WordPress, and modern versions (PHP 8 and later) are fast and actively maintained. It remains a practical, cost-effective choice for content sites, ecommerce, and many web applications.
What is PHP used for?
PHP is used for server-side web development: generating dynamic pages, handling forms, managing user sessions, and connecting to databases. It is the language behind WordPress, WooCommerce, Drupal, and frameworks like Laravel.
PHP vs JavaScript?
PHP runs on the server to build pages and handle backend logic, while JavaScript runs primarily in the browser for interactivity, and on servers via Node.js. Most modern sites use both: PHP or another backend language on the server, and JavaScript on the front end.
Need PHP done right?
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