Learn PHP 2024: What You Need to Know and Where to Start

When you learn PHP 2024, a server-side scripting language built for the web. Also known as Hypertext Preprocessor, it powers over 75% of websites that use a content management system—including WordPress, Drupal, and Magento. Even with all the buzz around JavaScript and Python, PHP still runs the backend of most online stores, blogs, and business sites. You don’t need to chase the latest framework to be useful—you just need to understand how PHP talks to databases, handles forms, and serves content fast.

Most people who learn PHP 2024 do it because they want to build or customize WordPress sites. That’s not an accident. WordPress is built on PHP, and if you want to tweak themes, write plugins, or fix performance issues, you’ll need to understand how PHP works under the hood. You don’t need to be a full-stack developer to start—just know how to read and modify basic PHP code. And yes, you can learn it even if you’ve never coded before. The syntax is straightforward: you write commands, the server executes them, and the browser gets clean HTML back. No complex build tools. No bundlers. Just files, a server, and a browser.

PHP doesn’t run in the browser like JavaScript. It runs on the server, which means it’s perfect for handling login systems, saving user data, and pulling content from databases. That’s why companies still use it—even big ones. Sure, some avoid PHP because of outdated practices or bad code, but modern PHP (8.0+) is fast, secure, and clean. It supports type hints, unions, and arrow functions now. You can write it like a professional language, not a hacky script. And tools like Composer make managing libraries easier than ever.

When you learn PHP today, you’re not just learning a language—you’re learning how to connect websites to data. You’ll work with MySQL or PostgreSQL. You’ll handle form submissions securely. You’ll understand sessions, cookies, and user authentication. These aren’t optional skills. They’re the core of any dynamic website. And while JavaScript handles what users see and interact with, PHP handles what happens behind the scenes. You need both. But if you’re starting out, PHP gives you immediate results. Change a line of code, refresh the page, and you see the difference. No waiting for webpack to compile. No debugging browser dev tools. Just instant feedback.

You’ll find posts here that cut through the noise. No fluff about "the future of PHP." Just real talk: why big companies avoid it, what code you actually need for WordPress, how it compares to JavaScript for backend tasks, and whether it’s worth learning in 2024. Some posts show you how to build a simple login system. Others break down why PHP still powers the web, even when everyone’s talking about Node.js. You’ll see what works, what doesn’t, and how to avoid the traps beginners fall into.

If you’ve ever looked at a WordPress theme and thought, "I wish I could change this," then PHP is your next step. You don’t need a degree. You don’t need to master every framework. You just need to start writing code, one small change at a time. The posts below are your roadmap—no theory, no hype, just what you need to know to build, fix, and understand real websites today.