PHP
Of the 1 million most popular websites worldwide, 35.9% run on PHP. With such a large share you would almost think we have to be big fans of it too, right?
Deeply rooted in the web ecosystem.
Quick to deploy for content-driven sites.
And there is an overwhelming choice of hosting and tooling.
What is PHP?
In addition to being a staple of the Web since its inception, PHP can be found running thousands of sites, portals and management systems. This is particularly true if your Glossary · In brieflegacy softwareLegacy software still serves an important purpose but is difficult to maintain, change or replace because of technical limitations, missing knowledge or strong dependencies.Read more (from WordPress to Magento) was developed with PHP. As such you will typically have to deal with PHP in production environments due to either legacy applications which are critical to business operations or other operational limitations that would make it difficult to replace these immediately.
When PHP is still logical
It may be behind the times in terms of new technologies, however it makes no difference to its suitability. When a website is about content; when you are working with a traditional back office; or when so many layers of essential logic have developed over time, then PHP is fine.
This is one of the main reasons why conversations with customers are always contextual (and very rarely focused on the pure language), as they need to understand how important is the legacy code already in existence, how much "custom" has really gone into an application, how many of their existing integrations have functioned for years, and how much would cost a completely new path.
Not everything has to be redone at once
We tend to use something other than PHP at 10KB to build an entirely new critical project; for developing today, we are most interested in using TypeScript, Python or Ruby . Existing PHP applications often call for a different approach, based on what is already working.
If an application is still useful, targeted improvements often make more sense: improve performance, reduce Glossary · In brieftechnical debtTechnical debt is the extra work required because earlier software decisions make later changes harder, slower or riskier.Read more, increase Glossary · In brieftest coverageTest coverage measures which parts of the code execute during automated tests. It can count lines, functions and branches, among other things.Read more, clean up integrations, or replace specific parts in stages. This helps manage risk and avoid a full rewrite that causes more problems than it solves.
Where we find PHP especially useful
When you start to treat existing software with respect, we see PHP in an entirely different light. Customizing portals, internal applications, or websites that are still creaking under a heavy burden of business logic is much easier if the people on your team understand how the application works currently, where they can best improve the application, and just as importantly - whether the business requirements have been met when they are met.
That changes the focus of your entire inquiry from "is PHP the greatest language ever?" to a much more pragmatic one: "What is at least the smartest course of action right now within this specific situation." At times, the smartest thing to do is continue developing tightly. Other times it's building a migration path through a series of steps, under controlled conditions. And at times, it may be cost prohibitive to remain static as opposed to working towards replacing a solution.
Key takeaways
PHP still runs just fine. Countless CMS-driven environments and existing business applications still rely on it blindly, every day.
For brand-new custom work we lean more toward other stacks. Existing PHP applications, however, you can take further perfectly with a compact, focused approach.
Not every PHP codebase needs a rewrite; targeted modernization often makes more sense.
The best choice always turns on risk, maintainability, integrations, and how firmly the value of what already proved to work still sits there.