PHP

What is PHP, really?

WordPress runs on PHP. That alone means PHP powers most of the internet. Add Laravel — which honestly is one of the most pleasant frameworks I have ever used — and PHP suddenly looks modern again. Facebook started on PHP and still uses a custom version (Hack) at scale.

Why learn it in 2026?

WordPress jobs alone could employ you for life. There is also a steady stream of Laravel work for SaaS, custom CMSs, and e-commerce. Indian agencies (including ours) run a lot of PHP because it is fast to ship and cheap to host.

What it looks like

<?php
// Fetch user from database
$user = User::where('email', $email)
    ->first();

return view('dashboard', [
    'user' => $user,
    'orders' => $user->orders
]);

▶ Try this code live →

What you can build with it

• WordPress sites
• Custom CMS
• E-commerce backends
• API services
• Internal tools

Major apps using PHP

These are real platforms with public engineering posts confirming they use PHP in production:

Featured platforms in our database

Tap any to see the full stack:

How to get started with PHP in 5 steps

1. Install PHP Download PHP from the official site or use a package manager like Homebrew (Mac) or apt (Linux).
2. Set up your editor Install VS Code (free) and add the official PHP extension for syntax highlighting and autocomplete.
3. Write Hello World Create a file, write your first 'PHP Hello World' program, and run it from the terminal.
4. Build a small project Pick something tiny — a calculator, a to-do list, a number guessing game. Building beats reading.
5. Join a community Join the official PHP Discord, subreddit, or Stack Overflow tag. Ask questions when stuck.

Should you learn it first?

Reasonable choice. Strong job market and a manageable learning curve. Make sure your goals match what PHP actually builds.

Frequently Asked Questions about PHP

Sources & References

Salary ranges, popularity data, and tech stack information on this page were verified using:

• Official PHP documentation — Primary language reference and getting started guides
• Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025 — Salary, popularity, and trend data
• GitHub Octoverse 2025 Report — Most-used languages and growth trends
• Naukri.com & LinkedIn India job listings — India salary verification (Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune)
• OneCity internal hiring data (2020–2026) — 650+ client projects across web, mobile, and AI work

Last verified: April 26, 2026. See an error? Email hello@onecity.co.in and we will fix it.

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