What is PHP?
The acronym comes from Hypertext Preprocessor. This is a scripting language, which is used to write scripts for web applications. It appeared in 1995, the main task was to generate pages in html. It incorporates many features from Perl. The language is interpreted, which means that its work does not need compilation, the result of the execution is visible immediately after execution. The entry threshold into the language is low, but that does not mean that without knowledge in mathematics, algorithms can quickly become a successful programmer.

And yet you can start with the study of CMS – a content management system, usually a set of ready-made modules for specific tasks. There are CMS for product and order management (prestashop, Magento), for blogs (WordPress), news sites (DLE), etc.

CMS allow you to create sites without writing a single line of code, the disadvantage of this approach is the inability to make the necessary changes to the site (design, logic).

What you should know and be able to:
experience developing for one of the popular cms (wordpress, modx, opencart, magento or others)
understanding of the principles of OOP/MVC – the initial stage you need only an understanding of these principles, but further growth without the practical application is impossible
knowledge of PHP and MySQL
basic knowledge of Git

PHP it is necessary to have knowledge in areas such as:

• algorithms, MVC
• be able to use ajax
• be able to optimize code
• Programming patterns, understand what patterns are good for what tasks
• Database architecture, data normalization, and the ability to write nested queries
• distribute the load efficiently
• efficient use of tools
• code flexibility
• generally accepted coding standards (PSR)
• know and be able to use at least several frameworks
• know how to use composer
• ability to write auto-tests
• knowledge of html, javascript (jquery), css

Indeed, the amount of knowledge of php-developer is quite large, but the whole list is really necessary, because it is not enough to write PHP-code for good results.

PHP developer makes it possible to work on the project for all participants, in fact, the main task is to make a user-friendly interface for the caster, customer, SEO specialist, marketer, etc.

Tips for beginner developers
Learn to read documentation
Constantly read the profile resources, attend thematic meetings
Learn Linux, ideally if it becomes the main OS on your computer
Improve your practical skills, get familiar with popular APIs
Most company websites are developed in different frameworks, so study the most popular ones.
The specifics of working with PHP suggest knowledge of programming theory, so don’t ignore textbooks to avoid unfortunate consequences.

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And since PHP is still too early to write off from the accounts, let’s understand – where it is used, why PHP is needed and what it is all about.

Features of PHP
These features determine how PHP performs tasks, communicates with sites and applications and who can change it (spoiler – all).

PHP is a scripting language. In such languages, scripts or scripts are written – programs that automate small routine tasks. Otherwise they would simply have to be done manually.

Why do we need scripts?
They help to avoid mistakes. And saves users time – you can change the program without fear that everything else will stop working and the whole system will fall to pieces. If there is suddenly an error in the script, then when you run it you will see it in the result. In this case, the site will remain functional.
Allow you to easily implement cross-platform. The same scripts without problems perform browsers in different operating systems and on different devices.
Execution of the script is also called its interpretation, and PHP itself – the interpreter.

PHP is an interpreted language. Since PHP is an interpreter, this has many advantages:

you don’t need to free allocated memory or close files when you’re done with them – the interpreter does all the routine work;
program debugging and error detection are simplified – the interpreter has full control over this process;
The server does not “hang” if the application does not work correctly.
PHP – the server language. All work takes place on a remote web server. You open the site – the server sends a request, performs the specified actions, gives the result and ends.

PHP is a language with dynamic typing. This means that variable types are determined at runtime, different types can be used together, and implicit conversions are done automatically.

Why PHP was invented
PHP was invented in 1994 by the Danish programmer Rasmus Lerdorf. At that time it was not yet a full-fledged programming language, but only a set of scripts, which allowed Lerdorf to make the first online HTML page.

PHP stands for Personal Home Page and refers to what the language was originally: a tool for designing personal web pages

At that time, the only way to create sites was to not have to read a volume on programming.

Now PHP is supported by Zend Technologies: in 1997, she released the third version of the language and is actively developing it to this day.

As a result, the project has grown to the point that it has received its own syntax, many new features and recognition among developers.

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Who is suitable for Python development
As a Python developer you don’t need to know math or physics. But mastering the language will be easier if you:

• Like complex tasks,
• Can focus on one thing for a long time and finish it,
• and you’re good at organizing things;
• you have an attention to detail,
• have a basic knowledge of English.

Scope, widespread use and fork in specialist salaries make Python very popular and in demand among beginners. But let’s take a detailed look at the pros and cons of this language and working as a Python developer to make an objective picture.

Pros of Python.
Let’s start with the advantages of the Python language and why you’ll enjoy programming in “Python”.

Simplicity of the language. The syntax is clear and similar to English. If you know the basics, you’ll get the hang of it in no time. The code itself – the parts of the constructor, which is enough to learn how to assemble correctly.

Ready-made solutions. Python has libraries, aka frameworks. There are already a lot of ready-made libraries, and as the language develops there are more and more.

A strong community. Programming is considered a difficult area: you have to learn a lot on their own. But this is another advantage of the Python language – a well-developed community of developers. You can easily find the information you need on the Internet or get a quick response from experienced colleagues.

Versatility. You can grow and develop in backend website development and for mobile applications. As an option, you can move into machine learning and data analytics. And after Python it is easier to learn other languages. The main algorithms are already known, all you have to do is master the syntax.

Demand. Python developers are in demand in the market: there are more vacancies than specialists. Employers are willing to compete for strong candidates.

Disadvantages of Python.
Now let’s list a number of disadvantages of a Python developer’s daily routine.

Monotony. There’s a lot of routine in programming in any language – it’s important that you enjoy the tasks at hand. The product needs to motivate. This is where diligence comes in handy.

A lot of communication. Not that this is a disadvantage, if you don’t mind chatting. In effective teams, developers only spend half their time writing code. The rest of the time is occupied by communication: meetings with customers, analysts and designers. It is important for a programmer to understand what task to solve and how. Communication with colleagues helps to choose the best solution for a particular request.

Continuous learning. Pythonists are constantly developing professionally: technologies are updated rapidly, and one should not lag behind the trends. You will need to read a lot, watch videos, and figure it out.

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Web Development
In web development, python is used to handle the server side of web applications. There are several well-known frameworks for this purpose: Flask, Pyramid and Django. A framework is a framework for application development that provides the necessary tools for the programmer to work with.

Data Analysis
Python is the most efficient language for dealing with big data. There are several popular and productive libraries for analysis, visualization and prediction. For example, Pandas is the fundamental Python library that is used for data analysis. NumPy, SciPy, Seaborn, and Matplotlib are also suitable for this purpose.

Machine Learning and AI
Machine learning and artificial intelligence are often programmed in Python. This is conveniently done in a simple language with efficient performance when processing data. Python uses two popular libraries for machine learning: Scikit-learn and TensorFlow. The former is more popular with beginners because it is built into many popular machine learning algorithms.

Parsing, scraping, and crawling sites
Python allows you to efficiently extract relevant information from websites for subsequent analysis. Any web page can be examined for information, and anything on it can be extracted by parsers. One popular framework for data extraction is Scrapy. It is based on autonomous scanners with a set of instructions.

Scripting
Scripting is mostly used for writing simple programs and automating simple tasks. It allows to delegate routine manual work to a machine. One only needs to write a couple dozen or a hundred lines of code and then forget about it. The script will take care of the rest of the task.

Why is it relevant today?
The language is now at the peak of its popularity, and will be at it for at least another five to ten years. Here are five reasons why python is still relevant.

• Python puts an end to the myth of development complexity. The language has a clear syntax that is based on the English language. Python is easy to write and easy to read.
• There is a large amount of reference literature. You will not experience a lack of relevant information, because there is a lot of it in the public domain – books, websites, forums, videos, paid and free courses.
• Lots of tools. For python created many tools, frameworks and development environments that can simplify many tasks. You can use a ready-made solution and not waste your time.
• Minimalism. You don’t need to write canvases of unnecessary when. Dynamic typing and other functions of the language allow you to care less about code templates and simplify them.
• Specialist demand. If you start learning python now, you won’t have a problem that you will be out of work in five years. And becoming a python developer makes it easy to learn any other language.

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