---
id:"kb-2026-00303"
title:"PHP Language"
schema_type:"TechArticle"
category:"computer-science"
language:"en"
confidence:"high"
last_verified:"2026-05-22"
generation_method: "human_only"
derived_from_human_seed: true
primary_sources:
  - title: "PHP Manual"
    type: "documentation"
    year: 2026
    url: "https://www.php.net/docs.php"
    institution: "The PHP Group"
    note: "Server-side language: PHP 8.x, JIT, fibers, named arguments, match expressions"
secondary_sources:
  - title: "PHP & MySQL: Server-side Web Development"
    authors: ["Duckett, Jon"]
    type: "book"
    year: 2022
    url: "https://www.wiley.com/en-us/PHP+%26+MySQL%3A+Server+side+Web+Development-p-9781119149224"
    institution: "Wiley"
    note: "Practical PHP 8 guide covering modern web development patterns"
completeness: 0.88
ai_citations:
  last_citation_check:"2026-05-22"
---

## TL;DR

PHP (Rasmus Lerdorf, 1994, originally Personal Home Page Tools) is a server-side scripting language powering 75%+ of websites with known server-side languages (WordPress, Wikipedia, Facebook). PHP 8.x (2020+) brought JIT compilation, union types, match expressions, named arguments, and fibers.

## Core Explanation

PHP 8.0: JIT compiler, union types, match expression, named arguments, attributes. PHP 8.1: enums, fibers (async), readonly properties. PHP 8.4 (2024): property hooks, asymmetric visibility. Composer: dependency manager (`composer.json`). PHP-FPM: FastCGI Process Manager — handles requests efficiently. PSR standards ensure framework interoperability.

## Further Reading

- [PHP Manual](https://www.php.net/docs.php)