PHP is very important to CMS websites constructed with WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal. Therefore, you have to make sure that you got the newest and also most secure version of PHP.
Practically PHP supports all web hosts. But a perfect PHP environment is a fast server. This provides the full LAMP stack including Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP. This server runs the most modern version of PHP. It should allow changes to the PHP.ini file and comprise PHP extensions.
According to our survey, we got the best 5 hosts for PHP and those are,
- SiteGround – This has the facility of fast servers and excellent customer support to make sure the brand new PHP version
- Bluehost – 50 GB SSD, Free SSL certificate, and Cloudflare CDN
- A2 Hosting– Limitless resources and anytime money-back guarantee
- InMotion Hosting – No limit for emails, resources, and robust security suite
- WP Engine – Conduct 24/7 WordPress specialist technical support
Later we will explain more details about the above-mentioned hosts and conclude hosts according to their performance under this article.
How Did We Pick the Best Hosts For PHP?
We surveyed more than 1500 hosting plans after that we selected which can meet all the technical requirements to run a PHP site. But, later we ranked the hosts which offer fast servers, a LAMP stack, and PHP extensions.
What is PHP?
If you do not have a static HTML site, you definitely need to use scripts and applications to serve up your website content.
Because PHP supports PHP Hypertext Processor. This is created to make powerful websites easier. And this is essentially available on Linux web hosting plans.
How Do You exactly Know You Really Need PHP Hosting?
The main two things can be identified. And that is you need a web hosting provider that can supports PHP. If…
- Your Blog or Business website trust on a CMS (Content Management System)
Example: WordPress
- If you want to secure your site’s code and customer data after a robust line of defense
For most providers, it is a well known and famous web hosting. Because it offers an open-source code and versatility.
Where should you install PHP?
Normally your host provides website control panel application (such as cPanel). So there you can find your PHP installation and configuration.
Does PHP Hosting ask more costs than others?
PHP does not include any extra cost for your web hosting fees. But you must ensure the support for this application with your host when you starting a plan.
How the PHP Changed the Web
In the previous era, the content of the web was designed using raw HTML in text editors. But rarely a page creator put a bitmap image.
So that websites became powerful with the help of PHP. Also, it acted well with fast responses, and therefore, it was very easy to create.
Different Versions of PHP
PHP initially launched to the world in 1995. But the most important successive was arguably version 5. So as an overall PHP had to take five years to become a famous and useful common feature among web hosting accounts.
- PHP 4: This was originally released in 2000. This PHP 4 was a highly powerful programming language. But it contained a limited object-oriented function. However, PHP 4 does not support for a long time officially. Therefore, you should transition to version 7 if you need to code as public.
- PHP 5: In 2004 this released initially. This introduced a vivid approach to object-oriented programming. PHP 5 offered better security. But in 2019 it did not support for a longer time.
- PHP 6: To make PHP totally Unicode supported, the path was open to produce new PHP 6. But this was never issued because it was failed with all efforts.
- PHP 7: The present usage version of PHP is PHP 7. This was released originally in late 2015. Now it is famous as version 7.4 of PHP.
- PHP 8: The new version will release in 2020 or 2021. This version will contain just-in-time compilation. Also more new features and with highly accurate.
Why People Use PHP?
Since PHP links HTML pages with excellent content in databases and also multimedia applications then it produces the best way to create interactive content.
To develop your site, then there are so many reasons for use PHP;
- It is well famous among beginners. Because PHP can incorporate into HTML documents. But the PHP interpreter just read only the things that contain delimiters. Every other thing worked as regular HTML. So this will make it very easy to add small powerful chunks of code for the present site.
- For all hosting accounts, it runs the programs very soft and smooth.
- First of all, to find a PHP web host is quite easy. Also, PHP is totally free of charge. So that most hosts now offer it in their hosting plans.
- It helps you to get content from the database easily. It means that your one-page template can famous among different content.
- But PHP cannot read by any visitor. And this advantage helps you to give maximum security as an application. As an example, authorization and payment processing
- There is a benefit that you can easily install by yourself through your control panel if you are not installed.
- WordPress and other similar pages can also run using PHP.
What to Look for In PHP Hosting Plans?
The advantage is most hosting plans provide with PHP. And this will not charge any extra amount. Also, it includes free web host plans and less charged plans. But those supporting you by providing a limitless resource allocation and a free domain name.
The above-mentioned plans have a range of PHP scripts. But those can help you to improve your website. For the scripts, most hosts give technical support. But it will not happen if you choose the less-famous language.
However, you can gain PHP hosting at an affordable price.
How do you start to learn PHP?
This is very easy to learn and it is very simple to understand. Because there are thousands of little tutorials to learn by yourself. Examples:
- learn-PHP.org
- PHP.net
PHP Hosting Advices
You must check before you buy a web hosting plan which PHP version that web hosts support for.
WordPress Recommends Prompt PHP Updates
WordPress is a content management system. That is the main driver of PHP. So it supports web hosting. Since to make sure that the security is high, they offer an option for you to confirm the version that you use is a new version.
Why Some Hosting Companies Tend To late PHP Updates?
Some hosts do not like to upgrade quickly when PHP new versions are released. Because they cannot assure the newly released versions will heavy or not. So you need to concern about the host’s upgrade policy.
Linux vs Windows for PHP
In the beginning, PHP was written for only Linux web servers. But today you can install it for most operating systems and platforms. Because the advantage is PHP 7.2 and the above versions are supported on Windows web servers.
Why Do You Choose Linux Hosting For PHP?
There are several issues that occurred in Windows when running PHP web hosting and PHP scripts. Because of
- In previous times Linux and PHP are combined very closely. So to find support for scripts that can run on Windows can be tough.
- The workload is high for the web hosting company. So that they try to avoid supporting those.
- Normally Windows hosting charges more. So that if you have other options than choosing Windows, then try that option.
Totally we can say Linux runs the most of sites on the web. So remember not to choose the windows server if it is not needed for some other purposes. Because Linux and PHP are superb combinations ever.
PHP Development Hosting
So think that you need to do more rather than running a PHP-powered CMS. Just like developing your own software and standalone or extensions to the existing applications.
The major facilities are to access FTP and SSH. But these hosting features are helpful to developers basically. And FTP always lets you upload your code to the server easily. All other hosts also allow this but including some limitations. But you never limit for control panel interface. However, when you work with other people, you need extra control.
When talking about SSH, it allows you to log in to your server. Also provides the feeling of you just work in front of it. So you are free not to upload it and just code right on the server. But SSH access is quite limited in hosting plans. So you must sign up before you work on it and check other relevant hosts.
According to your work, there are many features. You only have to do is just make sure you know everything about the host. Because that will help you when you gain the advantage of SSD storage, an SSL certificate (for encryption), It can access CDN, and so on. So you may need to access for the Programming languages like Python and Ruby.
PHP Terminology and Acronyms
When you buy a hosting account for the support of PHP, definitely you need to know the below-mentioned terms and abbreviations
- PHP: This is a repeated acronym. And this refers to the PHP Hypertext Processor. But initially, it appeared in Personal Home Page.
- Foo: This is used as a replacement or wildcard. So it can be seen on PHP forums. Also in working code and Illustrations online.
- PEAR: This is the PHP Extension and Application Repository. But this acts as a library of codes. Hence it makes it easy and simple to speed up web development.
- LAMP: This is known as a common hosting set-up. Linux, Apache (webserver), MySQL(database), and PHP. LAMP has other terms which are known as LAMP stack and solution stack.
- Zend: This is a software company. It develops PHP applications very much. o that the Zend Engine is included in their products. This Zend Engine act as the driving force behind the execution of PHP code.
The Top Three PHP Hosts
| SiteGround | Bluehost | iPage | |
| Price(month) | $3.95 | $2.75 | $1.99 |
| Renewal(month) | $11.95 | $7.99 | $7.99 |
| Storage | 10 GB | 50 GB | Unmetered |
| SSD | Yes | Yes | No |
| Bandwidth | Unmetered | Unmetered | Unmetered |
| SSH | Yes | Yes | No |
SiteGround
SiteGround describes itself as carefully designed site hosting and we comply with that. But hey treat their customers well. (over 2900 customers have contributed to their 4.8/5 star ratings). And in addition to offering a full slate of feature-rich offerings at a range of price points.
They have their own data centers all over three continents. But they improve technology to become the top of others in the title of the performance. Also, they provide an uptime guarantee of 99.9%.
Bluehost
Bluehost is renowned for its strong partnership with and optimum help for WordPress, but they provide a variety of alternatives that would cater to anyone searching for web hosting (regardless of whether or not they use WordPress)
They offer full-featured hosting plans for a range of prices and provide 24/7 help. Also, give a money-back guarantee and additionals as marketing credits with all buyings.
iPage
If you find a web hosting that act easily and usage is simple and less amount of troubles when you run your website, then the iPage is the superb choice.
But the iPage plans are not the same as robustly supported by SiteGround and Bluehost and you still can work on and you can gain whatever you need to initiate your website using iPage.
The configuration of its administrative areas is making iPage less productive. But they try to make website management that easy to use and more attractive.
PHP Hosting strengths and weaknesses
Let’s have a look into the strengths and weaknesses in PHP
Strengths
- PHP is a less weighted host. But it is very easy to use and learn. However, this cannot be read by any end-users. So the advantage is that can be used as an app secure.
- PHP is a normally well-supported host. Therefore, you need not upgrade to another advanced level. Like VPS or dedicated hosting that supports your website or apps.
Weaknesses
- When some parts of your apps or websites require Windows-only tools then you face a big issue to find an appropriate hosting option. So at that time, you need to accomplish your all requirements by one. So you have to look for another option.
- However, PHP came in a good development path. But it is still open to writing insecure codes. That is an issue. So programmers should know what they are doing.
More PHP Resources
PHP’s Other features in Languages and Frameworks
- ASP.NET
- .NET Framework
- VB.NET
- Laravel
- Ruby on Rails
- Perl
- Django
- Python
- Server Side Includes
- Java
- ColdFusion
- ASP
- CodeIgniter
- CakePHP
- node.js
- Symfony
- PHP 5
- PHP 7
PHP Frequently Asked Questions
- What is meant by PHP?
PHP is an interpreted scripting language used for developing interactive web applications. But this language is very powerful. It contains libraries which coders can get access to databases. Also, it allows us to modify images and communicate with other web servers and hence we can conclude PHP is the foundation of many web applications.
- What does mean by an interpreted scripting language?
This means an application to write in its initial form that is written by an interpreted language. But this is not the same as code writing in a made language. And before running it, you need to convert it into executable machine code because the difference is now becoming a minimum clear in between interpreted and compiled scripting languages.
As an example, PHP can act as interpreted and compiled also. HHVM (HipHop Virtual Machine) is a new invention to PHP as an execution engine. But this converts PHP to machine code too.
- What is a powerful web application?
The dynamic web application is known as a web page or a set of web pages. But it can get information through databases. Also, it can change the stuff of that page according to the user intended.
PHP is now the best language for creating dynamic web applications. But that can gain information through databases. So when you need just static content then try to use HTML avoiding PHP. Also, you can try CSS and sprinkling of JavaScript.
- Does scripting languages less powerful than compiled languages?
Theoretically, the scripting language is not less powerful compared to a compiled language. But compiled languages can be faster. And the kind of low-level coding performed well while creating an operating system. So this is usually restricted to compiled languages. But, that does not mean scripting languages is not effective.
Because PHP is famous for its complete programming language and from the point of view of creating web applications, with that, you can do almost everything you like. And using a more “powerful” language such as C++ to create a web page would be a terrible idea. Because it is powerful in a way and that does not match the needs of that effort.
- What does PHP stand for?
Personal Home Page is the long term of PHP. But after releasing PHP 3, a new acronym was created. Then it is named as Hypertext Preprocessor.
- What reason is behind that so many popular applications written in PHP?
Since the late 1990s, PHP has been used in the industry-standard web server setup known as the LAMP stack(Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP, Perl, or Python). And Its ubiquity, open-source origins, and user-friendliness render cause it a perfect match for the internet.
But today PHP a little bit down because of new web developers. But, the most popular application of WordPress is also written by using PHP. So it will never lose its popularity and will remain at the top of the other languages.
- Is PHP famous?
PHP is extremely popular in the world. Especially it makes by very interesting web applications like WordPress. Also, it is a very easy language when compared with other languages in web applications. But some do not like it because it contains some technical issues. Also, it has a bad history of security issues. However, PHP is developing every year, and PHP 7 now famous as a solid language.
But modern developers try to avoid PHP and pay attention to well-planned languages like JavaScript, Ruby, Erlang, Java, C#, and Python.
- Do I need PHP writing?
Many modern Web applications are written in PHP, such as content management systems and e-commerce platforms. However, if you plan to use a PHP application then it is necessary to know the language and how it supports your web hosting provider. Additionally, there are a variety of PHP modules that any specific program may require.
Practically all hosting plans come with PHP. However, the specific modules and PHP version standards of the applications you plan to use should do research and then check with your web host to confirm that they can comply with the regulations.
- Do I need to learn PHP?
If you need to create or modify PHP applications then you need to learn PHP. But you do not need to know PHP. Since you want to use the most famous PHP applications like WordPress and Joomla. Although the PHP knowledge of your, is less you can troubleshoot it with PHP easily. PHP is very easy to understand.
- Who must learn PHP?
Practically every web developer should learn PHP. It is the most popular language on the server-side, and website designers are pretty likely to run into it frequently. But learning a lot of good tutorials and other educational resources available online is fairly simple and normal too.
Most of the web designers start their career using WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal. However, all are in the PHP form. For a budding developer, it is a normal progression to go from experimenting with a WordPress theme and to change a simple plugin, then to create their own themes and plugins.
- What method can I use to display static HTML as part of a PHP script?
PHP mixes with HTML when it designs. In PHP designs you are free to go back. You also can use echo functions that prints HTML in the PHP code. This will make PHP a very easy-going language among users. So this choice is better than other languages when creating web applications.
- What is meant by a PHP framework?
PHP framework is a combination of classes that confirms the security level and make it faster. Each framework contains different classes. Those designs create according to their target. Therefore, you need to concern what you really need.
The famous PHP framework is Zend. This develops by the same company that now works on designing the development of PHP. Laravel and CodeIgniter are other popular frameworks. There are many frameworks in the world that can help you to improve your speed and help to follow the best coding practice.
- What is newly made in PHP 7?
The iconic improvement in the new version is speed. It is popular because its performances are double than previous versions. Especially PHP 5.6. PHP 7 can enhance the error detecting method. Also, it has so many facilities. Those are changing type declarations, the most secure number generation method that picks numbers randomly and limited Unicode support. And also it has a new spaceship operator that uses for testing the relationship between two values.
- What happened to PHP 6?
A little work was done on improving PHP 6 with the Intention of adding full native support for Unicode to PHP. But the project failed and some of the tasks were eventually forced back into minor updates of PHP 5 version and hence full Unicode help was never added.
When development started on the next version of PHP, initially called PHP Next Generation (phpng). Then it was decided to name the PHP 7 version in order to avoid causing some ambiguity as to whether or not the features edited for inclusion in PHP 6.
- Can I use PHP 5?
yeah but you are not meant to. PHP 5’s final update was 5.6. But it was released in August 2016. And it started to receive strong participation through January 2017 for both bug and safety fixes, and instead major security updates through the end of 2018. So you should not be using PHP 5.
- Is PHP secure?
PHP can use for the construction of secure Web applications. But if they are not cautious and it is also relatively straightforward for novice developers to create major security holes in their web apps. However, when you are developing a web application that is publicly available but takes time to educate yourself about the most popular security risks that PHP developers face and make sure you have protected your codebase against those pitfalls.
- How do I get PHP?
PHP is preloaded on nearly all web applications that are managed and but If you are going to run your own VPS, cloud, or dedicated hosting, you may need to download it. But depending on the version and applications on your server and there are several various ways to do so.
In general, by linking to your server over SSH and running a series of commands, you can install PHP. Detailed installation information is on PHP official website.