PHP is a server-side scripting language that allows your Web site to be truly dynamic. PHP stands for
PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor (and, yes, we’re aware PHP is a “recursive acronym”—probably meant to
confuse the masses). Its flexibility and relatively small learning curve (especially for programmers who
have a background in C, Java, or Perl) make it one of the most popular scripting languages around.
PHP’s popularity continues to increase as businesses and individuals everywhere embrace it as an
alternative to Microsoft’s ASP language and realize that PHP’s benefits most certainly outweigh the
costs (three cheers for open source!). According to Zend Technologies, Ltd., the central source of PHP
improvements and designers of the Zend Engine, which supports PHP applications, PHP code can now
be found in approximately 9 million Web sites.
The version of PHP referenced in this blog is the most recent stable release at the time of publication: ver-
sion 4.3.3. Although we discuss several of the most common uses and functions of PHP, you can find a
complete list of PHP functions in Appendix B of this blog. As you continue to program in PHP and your
comfort level increases (or the demands of your boss grow), we encourage you to expand your use of
built-in PHP functions to take advantage of its tremendous power. You can download the PHP software
from PHP’s Web site at www.php.net.

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