The world of online business is ever-evolving! What was relevant a few months ago might not even be considered today.
So is the case with the languages used to develop these eCommerce businesses. The massive growth of online stores and the advancements of different programming languages and tech stacks have led to innovation.
However, among the numerous programming languages, PHP web development services are in high demand, even in 2023. Since its release, PHP has become one of the most relied programming languages, powering over 77% of all websites on the World Wide Web.
But is PHP going to be relevant beyond 2023? If yes, what’s the future of PHP development? Let’s find out as we learn more about it in the following sections of the blog.
Table of Contents
What Makes PHP Popular? A Quick Insight
There are several reasons why PHP is a top-ranking programming language for business owners. Here are some reasons why business owners consider PHP for developing web applications and interactive and dynamic websites.
- Extremely Fast
- Open-source nature
- Regular Updations
- Adaptability
- Customization opportunities
Interestingly, however, that’s not all. A few modern aspects of PHP development remain relevant for 2023 and beyond. Let’s check it out in the table below:
| Updated Module | Functionality |
| Enums | A method for defining a collection of named constants that may be applied as a type. |
| Read-only Properties | Declaring class attributes that cannot be changed after initialization. |
| Fibers | A technique for developing small, concurrent jobs with resumable execution. |
| Array Unpacking | The ‘…’ operator can unpack arrays into function parameters or literal arrays. |
| Intersection Types | A module combines different intersection types into one using the ‘&’ operator. |
| Named Arguments | Parameters that are sent to functions by name rather than location. |
| Attributes | With the ‘#[…]’ syntax, attributes may be used to add metadata to classes, parameters, functions, methods, and properties. |
Thanks to these features, PHP continues to be a more robust, readable, expressive, and maintainable mode of development that levels the requirements of evolving businesses.
So, now that we have an idea of what makes PHP powerful and relevant, let’s explore some key trends that push the development language to a new era.
Latest PHP Trends Shaping The Industry In 2023
Increased Adoption of PHP 8
Several significant enhancements have been made to the language’s functionality, syntax, and features in the language’s most recent version (PHP 8). Today’s PHP developers have access to a wide range of cutting-edge features and enhancements that can assist the website in reaching higher levels of success. Additionally, this version of PHP includes a Just-in-time (JIT) compiler. It aids in much better numerical computation efficiency for typical PHP web applications.
Increased Use of AI and Machine Learning
In web development, AI and machine learning are becoming commonplace. Additionally, PHP programmers are not an exception. More PHP developers will likely include AI and machine learning in their web development projects in 2023.
Progressive Web Applications (PWAs)
PWAs give consumers a mobile app-like experience. React.js and Vue.js frameworks will help PHP programmers create more PWAs in 2023.
Increasing Use of Cloud Platforms
Cloud computing systems like Microsoft Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud are likely to be used by PHP web developers for hosting and delivering their websites and online applications.
Serverless Computing
Web applications may be hosted as a service using serverless computing, eliminating the need to maintain the server. The phrase “Function as a Service” is another name for it. The application of serverless computing using a PHP backend is known as serverless PHP.
Takeaway To The Best PHP Web Development Frameworks
Let’s face it: No two businesses are alike! Every business is divided by its operations, workforce, and way of executing different tasks.
Considering the same, is it possible to use only one PHP framework for your website?
Keeping the same in mind, let’s have a look at the top PHP frameworks that you could ask your PHP web development service provider to work on:
CakePHP
CakePHP includes a great selection of libraries and many helpful components. It offers a quick web application development process as a contemporary PHP framework. The simple web-building procedure aids organizations in creating feature-rich and customized websites.
Key features of CakePHP
- Support databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, etc.
- Scaffolding and code generation tools
- Supports MVC architecture
- Composer based installer
CodeIgniter
A complete set of libraries, parts, and tools called CodeIgniter creates unmatched online solutions. It is an MVC-based PHP framework intended for rapid web development. It includes ready-to-use libraries for connecting to databases and performing various actions such as sending emails, uploading files, and managing sessions, among other things.
Key features of CodeIgniter
- Form and data validation
- MVC-based system
- XSS filtering and security
- Email sending class
- Session management
- Full-featured databases classes
- Query builder database support
Laravel
Next, we have Laravel, one of the most dominating PHP modules in the industry today. Developers may concentrate on the foundations of the PHP server-side language thanks to Laravel. What’s more? The module also allows users to leverage project expansion and quick development, allowing developers to manage their tasks seamlessly.
Key features of Laravel
- Libraries and modules
- Artisan system
- ORM support
- Support for MVC architecture
- Database migration system
Zend Framework
Zend is an entirely object-oriented, open-source PHP framework built on the MVC model. It includes several PHP packages that may be used to build different types of web applications.
Key features of Zend Framework
- Simple cloud API
- Data encryption
- Session management
- Pure object-oriented framework
- Flexible URI routing
- Advanced MVC implementation
- RESTful API development
- Supports databases like PostgreSQL, SQLite, etc.
Conclusion
This brings us to the end of our blog on the possible future of PHP development for 2023 and beyond. So now that you have an idea of the several possibilities over the world’s most recognized development language, when do you plan to connect with your PHP web development services team?
