PHP is a server-side
scripting language.
What You Should Already Know
Before
you continue you should have a basic understanding of the following:- HTML/XHTML
- JavaScript
What is PHP?
- PHP stands for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor.
- PHP is a
server-side scripting language, like ASP.
- PHP scripts are
executed on the server.
- PHP supports
many databases (MySQL, Informix, Oracle, Sybase, Solid, PostgreSQL,
Generic ODBC, etc.)
- PHP is an open
source software.
- PHP is free to
download and use.
We use MySQL database in our tutorials.
What is a PHP File?
- PHP files can
contain text, HTML tags and scripts
- PHP files are
returned to the browser as plain HTML
- PHP files have
a file extension of ".php", ".php3", or
".phtml" (usually we use .php).
What is MySQL?
- MySQL is a
database server.
- MySQL is ideal
for both small and large applications.
- MySQL supports
standard SQL (Structured Query Language).
- MySQL compiles
on a number of platforms.
- MySQL is free
to download and use.
PHP + MySQL
- PHP combined
with MySQL are cross-platform (you can develop in Windows and serve on a
Unix platform)
Why PHP?
- PHP runs on
different platforms (Windows, Linux, Unix, etc.).
- PHP is
compatible with almost all servers used today (Apache, IIS, etc.).
- PHP is FREE to
download from the official PHP resource: www.php.net
- PHP is easy to
learn and runs efficiently on the server side.
Where to Start?
To
get access to a web server with PHP support, you can:- Install Apache
(or IIS) on your own server, install PHP, and MySQL
- Or find a web
hosting plan with PHP and MySQL support
