What Is the Best Way to Learn PHP?

Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) is a widely used scripting language that plays a central role in building websites and web applications. Known for its simplicity and flexibility, PHP continues to power a large share of the internet, from small businesses to major platforms. As web technologies evolve, PHP remains a valuable skill for developers pursuing careers in back-end development, full-stack roles, and beyond. 

Whether you're just starting out or building on existing skills, you can learn PHP through self-paced online courses, bootcamps, or degree programs. Your ideal learning path depends on your goals, experience, and learning style.

What is PHP?

PHP is a general-purpose scripting language commonly used in web development. It is the backbone of popular platforms like WordPress and supports both server-side and command-line scripting. Known for being beginner-friendly, PHP tends to feel accessible for new programmers and supports rapid development for common web tasks. Although PHP has been on the programming scene for longer than some of the newer languages like Python and Java, it remains widely used, especially for back-end development.

Why learn PHP?

You can learn PHP because it's beginner-friendly, widely used, and well-supported by a strong developer community. While other scripting languages such as Python, Java, and JavaScript have risen in popularity recently, PHP can still offer you many positives as a developer and/or new learner.

Learning PHP can lead to a range of career options, including web developer, software engineer, or full-stack developer. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) anticipates an 8 percent job growth for digital developers, which includes PHP developers. This rate is faster than average [1]. Additional reasons to choose PHP include:

• Beginner-friendly: PHP is beginner-friendly and offers advanced features for professionals with more experience. You can learn from a range of libraries and frameworks that are easy to access. 

• Free to use: PHP is an open-source language, which means it is completely free to use. Its free functionalities include databases, syntaxes, frameworks, and debugging tools.

• Compatibility and flexibility: PHP is compatible with web development technologies and platforms such as WordPress and the cloud, and you can embed it into HTML.

• Community support: PHP has a solid history and has built up a community of users over time. These communities can help you gain access to PHP developers and users who can answer questions, make recommendations, and support each other.

Is PHP easy to learn?

PHP is beginner-friendly, offering you the potential to write simple scripts quickly. However, how easy you find PHP to learn depends on a number of factors, including your current level of understanding of PHP, whether you have programming experience in other open-source languages, and the type of learning you prefer to engage in. 

You’ll find a wide community of support that can help you gain access to open-source libraries, frameworks, and experienced PHP professionals who can answer your questions. 

What is the best way to learn PHP?

To discover the best way to learn PHP, consider the context of your own life and learning preferences. Learners are all different, and you’ll want to consider factors such as how you like to learn. For example, do you like to learn in a hands-on, practical way, or more theoretically? 

Also factor in whether you have the capacity for full-time or part-time study, your budget, and your current skill level. If you have programming skills, your learning journey will look different from someone who is a complete beginner. Take a look at the options below to discover the best way to learn PHP for you.

Understand the basics.

If you are transitioning from another technical career or already have programming skills, you may not need to spend time learning the basics. However, if you are new to PHP and programming in general, a great place to start is by mastering the foundations. Learn other web programming languages, such as HTML, which PHP pages contain, or CSS, to grasp how to write website code. 

Take an online course. 

A great option to help you learn PHP, whatever level you’re at, is with an online course. Online course options are vast; you can find something for a beginner, if that’s you, or more advanced options. Online courses also come in many different forms, so you can study in a way that suits you and your schedule. You can find online courses that include written tasks, video content, tutorials, live lectures, hands-on assignments, and even exams. 

If you have a basic understanding of web design and would like to learn to use PHP, the Web Applications for Everybody Specialization offered by the University of Michigan might be a good option. 

Choose a boot camp.

If you prefer a more hands-on learning style and you already have some experience or knowledge of programming, you might learn best by signing up for a boot camp. Boot camps use an accelerated learning model whereby you learn intensively over a short period of time, developing hands-on experience through practical exercises. This means you may be able to start working sooner and build a portfolio that you develop through the course.

Use free resources.

If you’re looking to learn the basics of PHP programming or if you want to learn a specific skill, you might find what you’re looking for from free resources. Free tutorials, including those on YouTube, can support your learning, along with podcasts, books, and other resources online. Free resources are useful for building a foundation and upskilling to keep up-to-date with new developments in the field. Free options are also a great way to discover whether you want to move on to learning a subject in more depth through a paid online course.

Work on personal projects.

To fully learn PHP, you need to practice and learn theoretically. The more you use it, the more familiar you will become with the language. Use libraries and participate in community projects, complete your own projects, and use PHP to build a website for your portfolio. However you choose to learn PHP, practice will cement your skills. 

Join communities. 

PHP’s solid community exists because it is an established language. Use this as one of your learning tools and to complement other ways of learning. By joining a community, you can take part in projects, have a sounding board for any questions you may have, and gain access to learning materials such as tutorials and libraries.

Study for a degree.

Programming and developing don’t always require a degree, and whether or not you want to choose this option will depend on a few factors, such as your learning style, time constraints, and budget. Degrees typically take around four years to complete, but they offer in-depth training and can lead to more career options. In addition, you can earn a degree at your own pace and online, as well as have the full-time, in-person option. You might consider a major like computer science, information technology, computer engineering, or a similar field. According to Zippia, 70 percent of PHP developers have a bachelor’s degree and 18 percent have a master’s degree, so it is a popular option if you’re looking to pursue a career as a developer [2]. 

Career options for PHP

PHP is a useful programming language, especially if you want to work in web development. However, this isn’t the only option. PHP skills can help open up opportunities for you to pursue roles like PHP developer, software engineer, front-end developer, full-stack developer, and PHP technical architect. These skills can even help you move into a leadership position, such as technology director or chief technology officer. 

PHP skills are useful in various industries, as web development and web applications are important across sectors. Finance, professional services, and technology are some of the highest-paid industries.

Learn PHP with Coursera

PHP is a general-purpose scripting language with roots in web development and web applications. As a popular language suitable for beginners and advanced users alike, you’ll find multiple ways to learn PHP. A great starting point if you’re a beginner is with an online course such as the IBM Full-Stack Developer Professional Certificate, which will give you the opportunity to learn the basics of developing and fundamental languages such as HTML before beginning with PHP.

For a more advanced option, you might consider a degree such as the Bachelor of Information Technology, delivered by the Illinois Institute of Technology. Both options are available on Coursera.