Over half of all websites use PHP (hypertext preprocessor). This web development technology is popular but has its critics.

PHP is a widely used server-side scripting language. It is used to create web pages that interact with databases. It can be embedded into HTML when building websites.

PHP Advantages

  • PHP is open-sourced and free.
  • Data flexible: PHP supports numerous databases such as Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and more.
  • Cost-effective: as PHP is free and requires no license to use, this makes it affordable to all.

Today we’re going to look at PHP trends in 2021.

Smart Chatbots

Traditional forms of customer service are not meeting the demands of today’s consumers. Businesses and customers both need more efficient and accessible ways to handle queries, and as a result, some businesses have begun to use chatbots.

Chatbots produce a scripted response customized for each user’s request to the website. They are helpful in providing general guidance or IT queries, for example, more quickly and consistently. PHP can be utilized to build more intelligent chatbots for their specific business needs.

Website Security

Fighting back against cyber attacks is a priority for businesses. Using PHP tools provides an opportunity to merge security modules such as the Laravel framework into your website for robust protection. You can also use the PHP framework to build highly protected websites and apps.

UI Trends

One of the more recent trends in website development is the recognition of the importance of making the customer’s experience more user-friendly.

This is a prominent feature of PHP, and developers can avail of many tools to enrich features and customers’ user experience. Some of the more popular frameworks available with PHP are Codelgniter, CakePHP, and Laravel PHP.

Cloud Integration

More and more businesses are investing in cloud technologies, and PHP cloud integration is an emerging trend. The potential of both technologies, when combined, brings flexible and cost-effective web solutions to businesses.

 PHP and IoT

IoT (Internet of Things) refers to physical items connected to the internet. The integration of PHP with IoT is a fast-emerging trend, with frameworks like Laravel, CodeIgniter, Symfony being particularly appropriate for the job. Combining the two will assist with the smoother processing of IoT objects.

Top 4 PHP web development frameworks

Cake PHP

A rapid development framework for PHP, Cake PHP is open-sourced. It enables developers to build applications quickly. Key features include support of databases (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite) and composer-based installer MVC support code generation tools.

CodeIgniter 

CodeIgniter is an easy-to-use framework that is MVC-based. Its libraries, components, and tools are extremely user-friendly. The ready-to-use libraries connect databases as well and perform operations such as sending emails, uploading files, and session management. Key features include form and data validation, XSS filtering, security, and query builder database support.

Laravel

Developers like Laravel: it facilitates rapid application development using advanced features and development tools. However, it also allows a simplified development process with clean, reusable code. Key features of this open-sourced framework include access to libraries, MVC architecture support, and ORM support.

Zend Framework

A collection of PHP packages, Zend provides a pure object-orientated code built around the MVC design pattern. Features include simple cloud API, data encryption, and support for databases such as PostgreSQL and SQLite.

Conclusion:

PHP is an attractive server-side language used for developing web solutions. Its codes run faster than other frameworks, and it offers flexibility in database connectivity. Recent upgrades and more relevant tools being added will only increase its relevance in 2021 and beyond.