Is PHP Dead? No! At Least Not According to PHP Usage Statistics
The phrase “PHP is dead” has been floating around for a couple of years now, but judging by its usage numbers, PHP can’t kick the bucket just yet! There are nearly 2 billion websites and 77.4% of them use PHP, making it one of the most popular technologies out there.
In fact, in terms of web development programs and software systems, PHP is the number one choice worldwide – meaning that no matter what you’re trying to build with a web-based language, there’s a good chance that PHP code will fit the bill.
So if you’re planning to develop a web application using PHP, you might be wondering how to hire web developers who are skilled in PHP. While developing our own automation system for EOR service, the team chose PHP as the primary language for this platform.
PHP Usage Statistics
The popularity of PHP as a server-side programming language appears to be only increasing over time. In October 2024 W3Techs reported an impressive 75.8% (-2.0% Y2Y) of all websites are still relying on it, a slight decline from the 78.9% that used it in 2022. Needless to say, it’s clear that PHP will continue to maintain its dominance for most server side languages for the foreseeable future., with the most popular versions being PHP 7.x (48.9%), PHP 8.x (38.1%), and PHP 5.x (12.8%).
Why is PHP Still Relevant and Widely Used?
Short history overview:
- 1994 – Creation by Rasmus Lerdorf: Development of PHP to track visits to his online resume.
- 1995 – PHP/FI (PHP Tools/Form Interpreter): Public release of PHP/FI 2.0 source code.
- 1997 – PHP 3: Rewritten by Zeev Suraski and Andi Gutmans; renamed PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor.
- 1998 – Establishment of the PHP Group: Formation of the PHP Group to manage PHP development and distribution.
- 2000 – PHP 4: Introduction of the Zend Engine 1.0; improved performance and scalability.
- 2004 – PHP 5: Based on Zend Engine II; introduced object-oriented programming (OOP) support.
- 2015 – PHP 7: Major release with Zend Engine 3.0; significant performance improvements and new features like scalar type declarations and null coalescing operator.
- 2020 – PHP 8: Introduction of JIT (Just-In-Time) compiler, union types, named arguments, attributes, and match expression.
Even though there has been a slight decline in the number of websites that are using PHP as their server-side scripting language, it would be foolish to write off its presence. As nearly 74% of such sites still use this technology despite a slight decrease, it is unlikely that this powerful development tool will go away anytime soon.
Although it is true that some hosting providers deliberately remove X-Powered-By HTTP headers from broadcasting on their servers for security reasons, which could throw off the statistics slightly. However, the reason PHP continues to dominate year after year is due to PHP’s reliable performance and dynamic features; indicating an continuing trend among developers worldwide to choose it as the first option for their software development.
It’s not exactly mind-blowing that PHP is one of the world’s most popular coding languages. According to the Buildwith portal, WordPress stands as the most popular system used globally, powering 43.0% of all websites worldwide. However, in the United States, its usage is notably lower, accounting for only 17.0% of websites. That’s 810 million websites powered by PHP code – which is more than a third of interactive websites on the entire internet.
Erik Klein, who worked at YouTube as an engineer from 2006 to 2009, answered a question on Quora about whether YouTube is still written in PHP. He stated that YouTube was originally written in PHP, but was later migrated to Python in a rewrite process that started in December 2005 and lasted until about February 2006.
PHP Is Faster and Better
PHP has come a long way since it hit the development scene, and the latest version, PHP 8.3.12, is one of its most impressive achievements yet. With awesome new features such as typed properties and optimizations for better memory usage, CPU usage, and garbage collection, there’s no doubt that this version is faster and better than ever before. The OPCache preloader makes loading applications super speedy too, so now your site will be zipping along in a flash.
The improvements brought by the PHP 8.X versions are a tech-lover’s dream come true!
Combining comparison operators, null coalesce operators, and new type, which make debugging a breeze; anonymous classes, nullable data types, and multi-catch exception handling to create efficient and effective coding; keys usable in lists, number operators, and malformed numbers, trailing commas – the list goes on and on!
Despite all this exciting news for developers, however, most aren’t actually utilizing the latest version of PHP.
Other PHP Popularity Reasons
- Mature Ecosystem and Community SupportPHP has been around since 1995, which has allowed it to mature into a stable, reliable, and feature-rich language. Its longevity has also cultivated a vast and active community. Developers can find countless tutorials, forums, and libraries to solve almost any problem, making PHP highly accessible to beginners and professionals alike.
- Ease of Learning and UsePHP’s syntax is beginner-friendly, making it an attractive starting point for new developers. Its simplicity doesn’t sacrifice functionality, allowing even novice developers to build robust web applications. This accessibility ensures a steady stream of new PHP developers entering the industry.
- Dominance in Web DevelopmentWith a significant percentage of websites still relying on PHP-based platforms like WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla, the demand for PHP developers remains high. WordPress alone powers over 40% of the internet, showcasing how embedded PHP is in the web development ecosystem.
- Flexibility and VersatilityPHP’s ability to seamlessly integrate with various databases, servers, and frameworks makes it highly versatile. Whether you’re building a simple blog or a complex enterprise system, PHP can handle a wide range of use cases effectively.
- Continuous EvolutionContrary to the belief that PHP is outdated, its development team has been actively improving the language. Modern versions like PHP 8 and beyond introduce significant performance optimizations, better type safety, and modern programming features such as attributes and JIT compilation. These advancements make PHP competitive with newer languages.
- Cost-EffectivenessPHP is open-source, meaning there are no licensing fees, and it works seamlessly with open-source databases like MySQL and PostgreSQL. This affordability makes PHP an ideal choice for startups, small businesses, and developers working on tight budgets.
- Strong Hosting SupportMost web hosting providers offer native support for PHP, often pre-installed and optimized for PHP applications. This ubiquity simplifies deployment and reduces overhead for developers, contributing to PHP’s enduring popularity.
Why PHP Is Bad?
If you’ve ever heard of Stack Overflow, you know that its annual developer survey can tell us a lot – and the latest one is no exception.
- PHP requires a full web app restart each startup.
- Difficulties managing separate versions of PHP.
- PHP function names are not intuitive, frequent documentation referencing needed.
- PHP lacks built-in security compared to newer languages.
- .NET Core and Java offer better security and performance than PHP.
- PHP might be replaced by superior backend alternatives.
PHP, the open-source language that’s long been used to create amazing websites, has consistently ranked among the least favorite of the most popular programming languages out there. It’s an easy-to-use language with a bustling active community – so why don’t devs fancy it? It turns out there are some pretty notable issues that make it not the most beloved choice. Over 90,000 professionals shared their gripes with PHP in recent surveys, begging the question: will PHP die and is it really worth all this dread?
For a language that’s been around for 25 years, you’d think that PHP would be going strong. Sadly, it’s only in its 8th major version and doesn’t seem to be quick to change. Although some believe its performance has always been lethargic, but the real nail in the coffin is that it requires you to restart the entire web application each time it starts up. Managing separate versions of the language and its libraries? Not a chance – you’ll practically need your own set of containers just for that! It’s pretty clear why many feel PHP has become something of a relic in these modern times.
Another pain point is that PHP is not intuitive. Many of the function names are difficult for programmers to anticipate; also, developers do not appreciate the frequent referencing required for documentation.
Can the age-old debate of “is PHP dead” finally be put to rest? Of course not! But when are we going to bury it, you ask?
PHP itself is not particularly secure by design and so would quickly be outclassed in modern development. Compared to the new wave of languages like .NET Core and Java, these are built with security concerns in mind, making them difficult to learn, develop and support. Despite this, they often show better performance than PHP and provide more flexibility. So while PHP isn’t going anywhere soon, it may very well be replaced by better backend alternatives. If you’ve been following development trends, you know that Node.js is hot right now and it’s definitely worth considering when it comes to creating backend applications. It’s a great alternative to PHP due to its ability to handle multiple requests simultaneously, being a synchronous language, and having faster execution speed.
2024 Update: Is It Finally Over for PHP?
Recently, we noticed that the usage of PHP has significantly dropped during the few last years. The New Stack writes that PHP’s popularity dropped by 40% in the last two years. Most likely, the reason behind this shift is that WordPress is moving away from PHP towards JavaScript. According to Matt Mullenweg, the co-creator of WordPress and CEO of Automattic, the majority of new code in WordPress is JavaScript now.
WordPress has always been the building block of PHP’s popularity. Time will show what the future of PHP is going to be, but with WordPress dependence on PHP sliding away, we can expect that the significance of this programming language might further go down.
How to Find a Job as PHP Developer
Landing a job as a PHP developer requires a mix of technical skills, strategic job searching, and effective self-presentation. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you secure a role in this field:
- Build a Strong Skill Set: learn core PHP, frameworks, databases, web development basics, version control.
- Create an Impressive Portfolio: include projects built with PHP frameworks, contribute to open-source PHP projects, real-world examples like e-commerce sites, content management systems, or APIs.
- Leverage Online Job Platforms: explore TurnKey Tech Staffing career page, LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, Stack Overflow Jobs, GitHub Jobs, We Work Remotely, Upwork, Toptal, Fiverr.
- Network in PHP Communities: attend meetups and conferences, join online communities, contribute to open source.
- Tailor Your Resume and Cover Letter: focus on PHP projects and frameworks, include measurable achievements, mention your soft skills, like teamwork and problem-solving.
- Practice for Technical Interviews: practice common PHP interview questions, solve problems on coding platforms like HackerRank, LeetCode, or Codewars, review PHP concepts like error handling, object-oriented programming, and RESTful APIs.
- Stay Up-to-Date: modern PHP practices (e.g., Composer for dependency management, JIT in PHP 8), emerging technologies like headless CMS or cloud integrations, CI/CD tools.
Ready to take your PHP development to the next level? Contact TurnKey today!
No Matter If You Love or Hate PHP, TurnKey Can Help
Looking to hire backend developers using an offshoring hybrid model to squeeze the juice from software development? We’re your perfect partners.
With TurnKey Tech Staffing, you get the best of both worlds: control and cost-effectiveness. Outsource your backend development needs with a hybrid solution that blends outsourcing, offshoring, and recruitment; customized to fit your specific software development needs.
You pick the talent for YOUR team – no more wasting time or money on substandard results. Plus your offshore squad will be packing an in-house attitude so you can leverage them into agile success while keeping costs low & manageable. TurnKey gives ya’ access to quality developers without breaking the bank… now that’s what we call smart business savvy (wink).v
Don't let the pros and cons of hiring a PHP developer hold you back from achieving your goals. Call TurnKey today!
FAQ
PHP has been declining in popularity since 2014 according to GitHub data and similar results from the TIOBE index, dropping from the 3rd to the 16th position among the most popular programming languages.
The future of PHP is always up for debate and there is no clear answer on whether or not the programming language is going to start fading come 2024. The industry of web development is constantly changing; staying ahead of the curve needs continuous innovation – something that frameworks like PHP may not be able to keep pace with in the coming years. Nevertheless, you can always find top offshore web developers for your project with TurnKey Tech Staffing.
In 2024, PHP will remain a staple in web development. Despite the increasing prevalence of newer technologies such as Node.js or Vue.js, PHP has been resilient in maintaining its important place in the web development ecosystem. Much of the existing codebase powering the internet is written in this language, and it continues to be an important part of any full-stack developer's skillset. If you are looking for skillful PHP developers, contact TurnKey Tech Staffing - we can hook you up with the best offshore tech talent.
Recently, for example, there have been conversations claiming that PHP is losing its popularity as a programming language and the number of developers is decreasing. This might be the case in some areas, but on the whole, PHP is still one of the most popular languages around. Although PHP today faces stiff competition from other programming languages, its adaptability and long-standing presence in web development will ensure it remains popular for many years to come.
With such widespread adoption, there is little doubt that businesses that choose PHP will have a lasting presence within the development landscape for years to come.
TurnKey Staffing provides information for general guidance only and does not offer legal, tax, or accounting advice. We encourage you to consult with professional advisors before making any decision or taking any action that may affect your business or legal rights.
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