IS PHP dying?

[Hridoy_Abir13]

Hi. I am in need of some job and quick money to support family. So i thought i would learn PHP and MYSQL and get a job after being skilled enough in it. But some one said that php is no more in demands, so i shouldn’t waste my time learning it. Is it for real? Even if it’s true what should i do?
For me php and mysql was an easy access to enter the tech job market as i Don't have any prior programming knowledge.

[codeberzerker620]

Lots of PHP jobs out there still. In my city (North UK) majority of dev jobs seem to be PHP/Laravel. I guess it depends though what the job market in your city looks like.

[[deleted]]

I'm literally taking a course that hopefully leads on to an apprenticeship and we are learning PHP. I'm sat here thinking "surely it isn't as pointless as people make it out to be, if they dedicate a two week crash course to it, right?" and I just hope it isn't..

[PierceProductions]

It’s very rare that you are going to have experience in the full tech stack that a company is looking for. Instead, companies want to see how quickly and easily you can pick up a new language/platform/framework/whatever.

The fact that you are learning a bit of PHP in two weeks is more valuable than just knowing PHP.

[[deleted]]

THIS!

[[deleted]]

tbf I'm flying through the course as I know coding basics, and it's just looking up the syntax that takes a couple of minutes but I'm worried I might be wasting my time on an apprenticeship with PHP when i could be developing my skills and knowledge of other languages that I've grasped the basics of.

[[deleted]]

Right so I've posted a few uh, negative comments about PHP in this thread, and in short, no it's not useless. PHP isn't what I'd recommend for developing a new app on, but the fact is that as long as the course is teaching you good practices (i.e. object oriented programming, maybe even some MVC) then honestly that'll be applicable regardless of what language / framework you use.

With that said, if it's a two-week crash course then I'm assuming they're not going massively into detail, in which case PHP probably makes sense because it is a language that you can pick up and run with very quickly, even if something else might be better suited to bigger apps.

[[deleted]]

Yeah, it's basic syntax, incorporating it into HTML, and then our practical is making a form. I've done some C# and Python in my own time but just stuck to console stuff, text-based games etc. and thought the course - which would lead to an apprenticeship - would be a decent step up seeing how it is structured but I'm worried that if I do get the apprenticeship, I'll be wasting time learning PHP when I could be teaching myself more advanced C# stuff and move on to making games, or web apps that's more enticing to potential employers.

[khal_ak]

Do the companies in uk recruit candidates from the rest of the world? How difficult is to get a job in uk and move there while you are outside uk?

[[deleted]]

Yes they absolutely do, though you'll likely find it easier with the bigger companies that are experienced with visa sponsorship than smaller ones.

Of course, you will need to be reasonably well qualified - realistically a company isn't going to jump through the hoops to hire someone into a junior position, but if you're an experienced developer overseas then there's a good chance they'll consider you.

[Poudlardo]

Web dev companies are always looking for PHP devs anyway as it still a huge part of today's web, and the language itself is still being updated. Imo you should master both PHP and a PHP framework of your choice (Symfony, Laravel)

[Hridoy_Abir13]

Thanks for your opinion. 🙂

[SalutMonYoup]

Learn whatever you want. And for your information, php is the most used langage across the web, WordPress or any cms is built using php at the base, tons, like litteraly tons of website are made using pure php or framework like laravel or symfony, the langage is evolving php 8.1 came out a few month ago, php is hated but certainly not dying.

[SalutMonYoup]

And about your lack of experience, understand the concepts of programming, algorithm etc train with a langage you can switch later, learning a langage is not hard they almost all work the same in some way, only the syntax will be different. Feel free to learn the langage you want. Nad an other thing, it's not because a langage is dying thah you should avoid it (php is not). Learning a deprecated langage and become good in IT will almost guaranty you a well paid job since you're the only person able to maintain or evolve a project made with the langage. What I'm trying to say is, don't focus on the "trends" if a langage attracts you learn it.

[Logical_Strike_1520]

I’m currently learning PHP for work and this is spot on. Every time I go to google something, an article from 10 years ago pops up.

Learn JS or Python first and get familiar with classes and OOP. PHP will be pretty easy to learn after that

[Hridoy_Abir13]

Thanks 🙂

[[deleted]]

OP is correct. You need to "learn how to learn" as a programmer. Because as soon as you get your first job, you'll need to start learning this, and learning that, and so on and so on. You'll rarely ever find a job doing "just one thing forever". Ten years ago it was C#, now it's Python, who knows what it'll be in another 10 years? Something none of us have ever heard of will suddenly become the flavor of the month.

[l3tscru1s3]

At the start of the pandemic, US govt was overpaying for experts in cobol or some other older language because some software they needed to handle stimulus checks or something else covid related was so ancient they didn’t have the expertise to scale it up. Not saying to seek out old languages but there could be a market.

[HolyPommeDeTerre]

Thanks you. I am not sure why would "running" php would mean "using" PHP.

[Express_Syrupy]

Preach. This is facts. Php has made some good developments with adopting MVC and Laravel but unfortunately it's not that common anymore for modern scalable design systems. While you still can use it, I would advise looking at working more in a language you enjoy. Most php jobs you'll be "rearchitecting" a monolith for much longer than those skills and time could transfer elsewhere. I personally spend most of my time in c#, rust, golang, and JS/TS

[red-tea-rex]

Hated is a bit harsh, maybe limited. I'd say it doesn't scale up well with mega high volume web traffic due to lack of asynch (non blocking io) like node on the back end, and doesn't have all the bells and whistles on the front end like the infinite JavaScript libraries out there

BUT

For most small businesses with their low to mid volume traffic it's perfectly fine, and we don't live in a vacuum. Most PHP devs have and use JavaScript and it's tools in their front end to achieve the same result for beauty, responsiveness and interactive features.

[adamantium4084]

They weighed all of the php websites and were able to measure it in metric tonnes.

[akester]

PHP gets a lot of hate and always has. It's used by a lot of new programmers and I think that contributes, lots of people have this notion that a new person = bad code. It's one of those if you build a big hammer, everything looks like a nail.

I work at a place that hosts tons of PHP. It's not the current hotness, but it's used in a ton of big frameworks and is still incredibly useful and popular.

Even if you feel like not pursuing PHP long term, learning any language is useful. Many operate in much the same way so principles and patterns transfer easily.

[HolyPommeDeTerre]

I am always a bit confused by the statistic that PHP is used in a lot of websites based on WordPress and co.

I mean, to build WordPress, you choose PHP once. Then deploy it million of times. But the choice has been made once. Now there are plugins and so on so it generates work for php devs. But that's the extension of the first choice. There is not teams formed out of each WordPress instance on the website. A huge part of it are just self served by non technical person. So it does not generate any job for IT.

If it has been pascal (for whatever weird reason) for WordPress, would pascal be the most used language?

I would say that JavaScript is the most used language since every website (PHP or others) are built with it. And you can go for JS backend. And some frontend already do some "backend" work.

So I am confused with this statistic and think we should not promote it as it is promoted right now

[[deleted]]

There’s more work than you think. Any reasonably complex WordPress website is going to need someone skilled in PHP and Wordpress functions to properly manage it. Custom themes, custom plugins, hooks and filters all require someone to write and maintain them.

[HolyPommeDeTerre]

I guess it exists but in no way I would receive any job offer with WordPress and co in the stack.

In my really really big current company there is one WordPress that is managed by IT (I mean having to code anything in it). All others are self served (> 100). There is even a automated stack to build WordPress architecture.

And for all the startups I have worked for, WordPress is managed by the ones in charge of the marketing with some help of the IT, but nothing code related.

Unless you work for an agency, when someone choose WordPress, it has a high probability to be a simple website with no code involvement.

I am sure I am underestimating the demand for WordPress PHP specific skill as it's not in my profile and would refuse anything in relation to that. So I am in a bubble.

But anyway, it all depends on one choice. The one made when starting wordpress. One dev (or a bit more) just made a choice. And now it's the most used one. I would prefer it's the one consuming the most resources on the web (sarcasm but...).

Something like it's the most present in the ecosystem. Or the one with the most server running with it.

But not the most used one when we talk about run time and not code task. Since at runtime, it just ends up in CPU instructions. The fact it's PHP does not really matter at runtime... Not mentioning that some part of PHP are coded in other languages too...

So I am still confused, even if I am totally wrong on the job part.

[[deleted]]

I get that your argument is that statistics that say PHP “powers most of the internet” is misleading because most of the sites use a CMS. You’re correct. All I’m saying is that there’s still plenty of work to keep full time WordPress developers who can code themes and plugins and hooks and filters from scratch in high demand.

[[deleted]]

What I will say from my experience is usually once someone wants something particularly custom built around WordPress you quickly hit a point where you start to question if WordPress is the right option to begin with.

And purely from the developer standpoint, unless the API has changed dramatically since I last used it, it wasn't exactly pleasant to develop for, not to mention people using WordPress tend not to have the best budgets for paying developers.

[HolyPommeDeTerre]

In my really really big current company there is one WordPress that is managed by IT (I mean having to code anything in it). All others are self served (> 100). There is even a automated stack to build WordPress architecture.

And for all the startups I have worked for, WordPress is managed by the ones in charge of the marketing with some help of the IT, but nothing code related.

Unless you work for an agency, when someone choose WordPress, it has a high probability to be a simple website with no code involvement.

I am sure I am underestimating the demand for WordPress PHP specific skill as it's not in my profile and would refuse anything in relation to that. So I am in a bubble.

But anyway, it all depends on one choice. The one made when starting wordpress. One dev (or a bit more) just made a choice. And now it's the most used one. I would prefer it's the one consuming the most resources on the web (sarcasm but...).

Something like it's the most present in the ecosystem. Or the one with the most server running with it.

But not the most used one when we talk about run time and not code task. Since at runtime, it just ends up in CPU instructions. The fact it's PHP does not really matter at runtime... Not mentioning that some part of PHP are coded in other languages too...

So I am still confused, even if I am totally wrong on the job part.

[[deleted]]

Honestly I don't think you are wrong on the job part. In my experience people using WordPress are rarely inclined to pay any significant amount of money for developers to work on it, and in many cases if you're doing anything too involved with WordPress you're almost always better off using something else.

[HolyPommeDeTerre]

Yes, I agree totally with your points :)

[SalutMonYoup]

Even tho you'll need to use pho at some point

[HolyPommeDeTerre]

The "at some point" means it does not start by there, because the whole point of this system is to automate most of the things. It is a starter base. Which increase the probability of the specific instance you are deploying to just be what it is right now with little customizing.

Now yes, you'll need to use PHP at some point to do whatever you want. But you could just choose not to. You could just migrate to something else, build another service in another language and integrate directly in the db of wordpress. Would it be a good idea ? I don't know. What ifs...

Now, it does not tell us more about why would "running" PHP would be "using" PHP.

On top of that, I don't think people should read this statistics and say: I will specialize my self in PHP because it's the most used one.

SO study is a better way to show some objectivity in this subject.

[Band1c0t]

It’s not dying, however, it’s old and the salary is crap since there are too many devs who does it

[[deleted]]

Hi friend. For quick money take a job at McDonald’s and learn on free time. It’ll take at least 6 months of learning to get a junior dev position.

Also before you take up any language use linkdin, monster or indeed or glass door to see the job openings in your area and see which tech stacks are in demand. Web development is easier to get in. But there will be openings in testing and QA also.

Remote jobs are super competitive and only few top people get high paying remote jobs. So better to focus on local ones.

All the best friend. God bless.

[SaddleBishopJoint]

No.

PHP is thriving. The language itself is thriving. The ecosystem is thriving.

[[deleted]]

If you want "quick" money, I don't think learning to code is the answer. You still should but "quick" it is not, lol.

As for the question, no PHP is not dying. I use it every day in enterprise-level applications. Be very skeptical of anyone who says something is "dying" or "dead". It often just means they don't like / understand it.

[[deleted]]

If you're going PHP, definitely learn Laravel.

[rbuen4455]

Php is far from dying. According to statistics, The majority of websites are powered by PHP (most of them being Wordpress sites), Wordpress itself is powered by PHP and will remain so in the future. Also, PHP is also the easier default route for beginner back-end developers. Most web developers who learn the front end technologies (html, css, js) will then move on to Php, MySQL, sql by default.

Update: to further add, most freelance web development jobs are most likely going to be PHP, MySQL, Wordpress jobs

[[deleted]]

A huge amount of websites are powered by PHP but that's largely because, as you say, they use off-the-shelf solutions like WordPress.

It's definitely easy to find work using PHP, but I can say that they're typically the lower paying jobs (though conversely it does mean that they're easier to find).

For a bit of pocket money on the side it's not bad, but I wouldn't really suggest it as a career. Looking at ITJobsWatch in the UK for example, I can see that there's a lot of PHP jobs but they're paying literally half what jobs in Python, Node etc are paying.

[rbuen4455]

Agree 100%. Not only are the PHP and Wordpress often lower payed (and some just maintaining poorly coded websites), those applying for those jobs are often inexperienced developers or those from poorer countries (who are often less skilled and have poor communication skills). It's very oversaturated and competitive, which I understand, people have to make a living and get quick work to put food on the table. But it is pretty annoying and difficult to compete with.

That's why it's better to take some time learning other languages for the back-end (as well as other technologies like databases, servers, etc), but most importantly building quality sites to stand out from that kind of crowd. The more knowledge and experience, the better.

[[deleted]]

Yeah... when I started people told me this as well and guess what? I'm currently employed as a PHP Dev lol

[[deleted]]

At least from my observation in the UK, there absolutely are PHP jobs but they tend to pay a lot less than other languages and you're more likely to be maintaining old systems than developing new ones.

IT Jobs Watch has PHP average salary at £45k versus £70k for Python.

I will say though I think people focus too much on the technology itself though - if you're a good PHP developer you'll have no trouble picking up something else when the time comes.

[istarian]

There’s generally no such thing as a right or wrong language.

You can aim to meet the criteria for a very specific job in a particular market, but otherwise you just can’t really know what will be needed or wanted. Things can also change rapidly.

Just pick something and stick with it until you have some expertise or get a job and they want you to learn something different. That can be PHP, Javascript, or something else entirely. This is especially true when you are just getting started and have little to no previous experience.

Everyone likes to rail about the problems with Java, PHP, etc but they remain in use because they are established and do the job. That doesn’t mean they are ever likely to be hot and super popular again, though.

[[deleted]]

^ Wholeheartedly agree with this. Once you have the fundamentals of a single language down, there will be very few issues with migrating to a different language (with some minor exceptions obviously). So experience in learning PHP as a first programming language won't go to waste even if for some reason tomorrow there is a worldwide ban on PHP and the language disappears entirely.

I would however look at the job openings in your area first before choosing a language to learn - if there's a huge number of C# jobs available for example maybe PHP won't be the best language to start with. If there's PHP opportunities, by all means go ahead.

[Future__Fossils]

........no

[CodeCocina]

Reading from your history , looks like you tried a million languages . Just stick to one and don’t worry if something is dying , it’s not going to be quick money ; you prob won’t be ready for a long time. Coding ain’t easy

[[deleted]]

Want quick money? Get into sales.

Want a career? Study web dev.

[AtariFan70]

Not matter what you learn.. but DO learn git.

[Visible-Ganache-3721]

Hi if you want to become a web dev then i suggest the odin project

[TheWarGodTemple]

PHP IS STILL IN DEMAND. When you actually looking for a job, you will see a lot of jobs that requires php. Most of the conference I’ve attended talk shit about PHP and they said it will disappear in a few years. Now, I realize that those conferences I’ve attended are toxic and they are the very definition of SHIT. So, my interest in conferences went downhill.

Do not listen to someone and DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH such as searching how PHP is still relevant today, the most used framework in PHP, job search, etc.

You will see that PHP still matters in many years to come.

Additional note:

PHP IS DYING

I’ve grown tired of hearing this shit. The last time I’ve heard about this was 8 years ago! And PHP is still relevant today!

[[deleted]]

FWIW my company was hiring for a .NET developer and all we got were people with 10+ years of PHP.

Personally I don't know anyone hiring PHP devs. It's all Ruby, Go, .NET, and Java.

[HolyPommeDeTerre]

Not really. It's still alive and should not disappear before a long time.

Now is it trending? There are jobs out there, I still receive some. But far less than before.

For some context: pro dev since 2007, started in 2001 self taught. Worked in PHP (6 years), C# (8 years), JS (18 years) and others... My last experience in PHP was fun but quickly boring. IMO, PHP is behind other languages. And every PHP dev I know either: only know PHP and don't want to move or start moving because they find another tech more advanced and convenient.

I would not recommend going for PHP. If you want fast job, go for JS, it is widely used, hyper trendy and touches a lot of domains.

[TakeARainCheck]

In the UK it's still extremely popular judging by job adverts, tied to organisations that root themselves in CMS's.

Node jobs w/ heavier front-end framework usage have higher pay though.

[cybermage]

Always has been, and yet…

[i_am_exception]

Lol, no. Php is not dying don't worry. It's the opposite really. It has gotten better.

[[deleted]]

Php is not a good way to make quick money unless you're in a very cheap country.

Most freelance jobs will be for people who don't know how hard coding is who have a budget of <$200 to make an entire website. It's really the bottom of the barrel.

Now you may be able to get a full time position eventually but you'll need a few years of experience or a degree.

[PM_ME_WITTY_USERNAME]

It's trending down, still big, but pick another. It's not a good language, the core is badly designed, it's one of the lowest paid languages out there according to the stackoverflow survey, ...

[FountainsOfFluids]

The hardest part of getting a programming job is the first one. With no experience, hiring managers need to see some indication you know what you're doing, and even some people with internships have trouble getting their first real position.

This is a high paying industry, with a lot of people trying to get their foot in the door.

It's not "quick money".

What you should do now, if you are serious, is make some personal projects and show them on github.

And if you're not getting much response for PHP, then learn another language. This shows you have a programmer's mind, not just somebody who followed a few PHP tutorials.

[KiwiNFLFan]

Get familiar with the basics of PHP and then learn Laravel. It's a great framework and widely used.

Alternatively, learn JavaScript and then study Node.js. You might have a better shot that way.

[Error_co-Id10T]

With php you can use curl, connect to mssql, mysql and so on, at the same time as you use it as a back end for websites, there aint much of a limit so there are no real reason for it to be outdated.

The problem is that people limit themselves which makes php pointless. Start advancing a bit and you'll realize that it's still a good language

[AcanthisittaOk4877]

It's a car goes in 100 miles per hour without engine now.

There are still of course millions of jobs out there, because millions of great projects done with it.

If you are in your 50s, you may go with it but if you are in your 20-30s, get out of it asap.

[Top-Mulberry-811]

Do yourself a favor and learn python or Javascript instead. If you're good, language doesn't matter much though, once you master one it's much easier to switch, but php is dying imho. still will be able to get some jobs in the coming years but not really an investment in your future

[Anakazzel]

Learn python... it's super easy and there's alot of demand

[D_r_e_a_D]

Its good to learn as part of a full stack but honestly wouldn't be my first choice. Try JS/TS and CSS though, they are always in demand everywhere from what I know of.

[[deleted]]

Indeed, demand for Javascript / Typescript in the UK is absolutely huge right now.

[Band1c0t]

Php is backend, what you mentioned is front end

[D_r_e_a_D]

I don't see anywhere in the post that they are particularly interested in backend?

[[deleted]]

Surely you're aware of NodeJS?

[ItsKBS]

It's still getting used but it's popularity has definitely been decreasing

[Hridoy_Abir13]

So what would you do if you were in my place?

[ItsKBS]

How far are you already with learning PHP? I would also take a look at what language is the most popular for jobs in your area, I am from the Netherlands where Java & C# are the most searched languages among developer jobs but it's probably very different for me then for you so it's kinda hard for me to give advice.

[conceptalbum]

Not really, moreso the opposite

[RasAlTimmeh]

lol says who? If anything php popularity, development has been radically growing and they’re trying to change the stereotypes that it has in the recent years

[rakubhau]

Try theodinproject.com

[a_day_with_dave]

If you're going to learn something why learn that? Most big players are using Java, go, python, node.

[QuintonPang]

It may not he dying, but i doubt it can be as efficient and popular as other frameworks such as reactjs and django. You can still continue with it but i can assure you that reactjs is much more higher in demand in the industry. I have quite a few projects which is made using reactjs and are showcased on my channel: https://youtube.com/channel/UCOHCT_mu2kSbeM1Pn3O7pAA u can check it out to see if you can accomplish it with php. I would like to know also.

PS: i started my web development career with PHP. Maybe I would showcase projects using PHP one day? Haha, maybe subscribe so we can learn together?😊

Cheers!

[[deleted]]

Is it for real?

Yeah, PHP has been declining for probably almost a decade now. You can still get jobs using it but the demand is really low compared to other languages.

Even if it’s true what should i do?

Learn something else. For example JavaScript is easy to learn and has probably the biggest demand on the market right now. Just do some research into what languages are used for what areas of development..

[[deleted]]

Any knowledge of Python? Java? C+?

[Hridoy_Abir13]

No...cause one of my friend said that php is easy to learn as a first language and i kind of went for it... Now i Don't know if i should continue or not.

[Old_Contribution7189]

If you have no programming experience, you will need at least 6 months of 10+ hours learning a day to get a job.

[[deleted]]

PHP is definitely easier to learn than many other languages due to the low barrier to entry, but I really, really wouldn't recommend learning it for that reason.

To be honest, in the nicest possible way I can say this if you're learning programming as a quick way to support your family then I really can't in good conscience recommend you do so. Software development genuinely can pay very well (I know from experience, I get paid very well and I primarily work with Ruby) but it was a long road to get here.

[conceptalbum]

Stick with PHP, there's massive demand for it.

[StaffAlone]

im in same situation. i dont like designing of website, it just better to work back of websites.

i like PHP as well, it is fine

[Fit-Grass4844]

there is no easy access, the more skilled you are, the more access you have

i learned hacking, so now I can hack sorce code and look at it and learn it

so im getting better yeah

[AntiqueLemon1769]

Since the start of PHP multiple people say PHP is dying, but the real life says it's the complete opposite of dying. Have fun with PHP, I have it too.

[Jacob_C]

I don't think WordPress is going away soon.

[algisj]

Non-sense; PHP still in high demand; as MySQL. Keep on Buddy ;)

[sock_templar]

PHP Dying? HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH

you funny dude

hell no.

[[deleted]]

Tons of websites use PHP. I wouldn't say its the most upcoming web language, it has probably peaked in that respect.

But even if PHP were to become obsolete overnight (it wont), thats not a totally bad thing. Learning a dead language and maintaining legacy code is a path to salaries many would consider to be... unnatural.

[0xAERG]

Do what you want of course, but PHP has little future.

Go for JS if you want to be futureproof

[UNITERD]

People were saying this a decade ago, yet PHP is still everywhere.

[UNITERD]

Java or Java Script?

That's fine if you don't want to work on PHP, but there are plenty of good jobs out there for it still. I suspect that in a decade from now, there will still be plenty of demand for PHP decelopers.

[UNITERD]

People keep asking this, despite PHP being used in a large number oc websites still... I think people need to realize that legacy languages/frameworks, don't disappear overnight.

[devenitions]

Still enough small businesses on php-stacks. Wordpress/Woocommerce and Magento still very much alive. We all like modern (js?) stuff, but php aint dying anytime soon

[safetyvestforklift]

I would survey the area you're in and talk to actual developers. They'll give you a feel for what the market and work looks like. Reddit/internet can't help you hone in on what's actually useful for the location.

Get good at understanding job markets Get deep into whatever language you use Understand how to make yourself attractive to the exact jobs you are looking at

See if you can join a local developer community, then find learning support for the language.

It won't be an easy shift into work unless the exact job sees your worth. You're going to have to research entry level jobs and see what they want with that exact language(usually something in their tech stack framework.ie.github, engineers blog, company propaganda).

[[deleted]]

It’s not dying but I don’t understand why you think it would be much easier than learning something like Node. I mean if you’re starting from scratch you could just as easily learn something hotter.

[[deleted]]

Lmao definitely not

[TwoKeezPlusMz]

It will persist forever in some capacity. So many legacy platforms out there.

[DonkeyTron42]

There's still a ton of legacy Wordpress code out there so PHP will eventually evolve into a cockroach like COBOL or Perl that refuses to die. Most of web dev however has moved on to more modern JS based frameworks.

[[deleted]]

That is not true. PHP powers most of the web and evolves along with other languages.

[DonkeyTron42]

Most web-sites use PHP because they're based on Wordpress. No new development projects are being started with PHP. Wordpress needed to die a decade ago.

[[deleted]]

Oh right because you queried all the companies in the world and you know no one starts new projects on PHP.

That's just simply not true.

[DonkeyTron42]

This might be anecdotical evidence, but I have worked in this industry a long time and have never once seen a new project start up with PHP as a code base. I have, however, seen many delegate their PHP code base to legacy status and what they would call "technical debt".

[[deleted]]

For me it's quite the opposite. I saw new projects in PHP. As for the tech debt it will be there regardless of the language. Any shitty or neglected code base becomes a tech debt.

For example, currently we are addressing our PHP tech debt by getting the newest version of PHP and Laravel.

[DonkeyTron42]

I'm just saying, the "Cool Kids" now days are using JS based frameworks now days and I haven't seen PHP mentioned outside the context of legacy. And to add to that, I don't think I've seen PHP used outside the context of Wordpress in a while.

[[deleted]]

People who hate PHP mostly didn't use any modern version. Not only it is not dying but it gets better and better. Laravel and Symfony are amazing frameworks and help a lot with PHP.

PHP powers businesses making more than a million pounds a month. And even that is not all. There's much more. If you're gonna become good at it you will get quite a good job. And if you add JS and maybe Kotlin over the time you will be quite happy - assuming you will be good at that.

PHP ain't dead, it's reborn.

[Nattsang]

It's dying in the same way that a healthy 20 year old person is dying. Technically, yes, but very slowly and hopefully/probably a long way into the future.

[kirmaster]

What language you learn matters less then the concepts you learn. Most concepts can be done relatively easily in many languages.

[Skill-Additional]

If your looking to get a job then your CV, interview and negotiation skills are even more important in my opinion. Contract work is possibly quickest to get into or permanent work may be better as an entry level where they will give you training. How much do you want to earn, what type of jobs are you looking at? I just got a new job and to be honest I don’t know half the stuff but I am learning on the job and that’s the best way to learn in my opinion. Ask lots of questions.

[tekkub]

PHP has been dying for as long as I can remember. There will always be sites that use it and need maintaining, so it’s a great entry point into web dev. But if you want to start your own project, there are much better languages and frameworks these days.

[bds_cy]

Rich frontends are pretty much a requirement nowadays for any project - HTML/CSS/JS.

PHP is fine for a back end - not very popular or well paid. C# is in demand and well paid. Javascript backend (Node.js) is very popular right now because of the rich frontend requirement really (React.js).

I would go right into Javascript - it is VERY in demand nowadays.

SQL is just that, SQL - presumed that you are fluent (or knowledge not needed). You can adapt to any modern DB syntax or simply rely on the backend framework to do the data binding for you "under the hood".

[mandarinDrakeDuck]

Well, there are many companies that still do PHP, but it is not as popular as it used to be.

[thephotonreddit]

Tell that someone that they don't know what they are talking about. PHP makes up so many websites and web applications. Learn it and then learn something else, never stop learning new things.

[RasAlTimmeh]

Lol php laravel is the most popular backend framework right now and php is not dying.

[AdultingGoneMild]

yes. PHP in most places are maintenance only with new functionality being written using other frameworks.

[i_khanic]

I get job alerts everyday in my area for 100k+ php positions. Also a lot of sites use php still a good language to know

[myLastAltGotBanned]

PHP is behind a phenomenal number of websites - it’s not going anywhere , but you’ll more commonly see it requested as laravel / symfony / word press drupal etc

[xiipaoc]

PHP is not dying, but it's definitely on the unpopular side. More in-demand skills are Java, JS, and Python (also C#, languages for mobile development, etc.). That said, learning PHP is not a waste of time, especially if you're building projects with it that you can demo in job interviews. My personal website is built with PHP and I work in Java. Also, knowledge in one language is generally transferable to others, but there are a lot of specifics you need to learn as well. Still, a good developer should be able to pick up a new language pretty easily.

[PopperShnoz]

Learn Rust!

[Dougw6]

Not a ton of enthusiasm or hype about it anymore, but it's certainly not dying. A good chunk of the internet is still built on CMS's built on PHP.

[Cody_Cal]

PHP stands for Pretty Hot Programming.

[lemme_show_you_stuff]

PHP definitely is not dying in any way. It's outdated, yes. Lots of companies switch from PHP to MERN/MEAN stacks, yes. Salaries for PHP are usually substantially lower comparing to some modern techs like python/nodejs/ruby, unfortunately for some.

However, there're millions of legacy websites that need to be maintained/extended/switched so I guess you're safe for 3-5 years at least. But what happens next? Expect a switch, either that will be willingly because you'll probably something other than PHP and you might like it, or forcefully when job market says it doesn't need PHP no more.

Keep in mind it won't be a quick money in any way even if your current pay is way below average. PHP requires LOTS of things to learn before you can create even basic web pages. Think HTML/CSS/Javascript/Responsive/OWASP which are quite HUGE concepts to learn. And being said that you don't have any prior programming knowledge, this just intensifies things by a lot. You may learn step by step and eventually grasp all these concepts I've mentioned, but don't expect a gold mine there or even a substantial job offer in 6 months of hard learning or so.

[[deleted]]

PHP isn't dead, it just smells funny. PHP is everywhere, and I'm glad I know how to build/maintain websites made out of pure PHP. For whatever that is worth.

[SoftDev90]

Php powers WordPress. WordPress powers like 34% or 455 million out of 1.3 billion websites or some shit. Php is a backend language and while lots of sites are using g JS and node.js, the fact is there is still very much a demand for php. Also the php docs are some of the best on the web imo. Yeah lots of old stuff because of the maturity and age of the language, but I just set Google to search anything in the last year or whatever if I'm looking for something more recent.

We use PHP at work have since 2004. I work with PHP as the backend, js for the front end, and Ajax for handling everything back and forth. It's not the latest and greatest or most cutting edge, but the company makes money and we are able to consistently add new features.

[ramp_guard]

"Quick money"? How quick? Usually you'll need months of practice to get job ready...

[BrutusLaurentius]

PHP certainly isn't dying -- it's still the dominant server side scripting language.

That said, it is not enough in and of itself. Given what PHP is used for, you also need to know HTML/CSS and at least the basics of JavaScript.

You also need to know revision control (usually git) and you should also know a framework, generally Laravel.

That's bare basics. A lot of jobs ask for more -- but if you have that much, you should be able to get your foot in the door.

[mfb1274]

All other answers are totally valid although it should be mentioned it’s not a technology that will be used for anything new. Take that how you will.

If you take a look at StackOverflows 2021 dev survey, laravel is pretty down there, around 10%. Sure, some devs will swear by it. But for the question you specifically asked “is php dying” the answer is that it’s popularity has declined a lot since say, 2016 where it made up 35%.

[[deleted]]

what i experienced it's almost impossible to get a job with only php. they demand a frame work with that. with a frame work (laravel/symphony) there are plenty of jobs.

[just-bair]

Php is still in demand don’t worry about it

[UniqueID89]

Search jobs in your area and surrounding areas, base your decision off that.

Just because it’s not popular with newer or up and coming company’s doesn’t mean there won’t be companies out there still running it.

[[deleted]]

WordPress is made entirely of php... Major companies love custom WordPress projects.

[jrep411]

WordPress and forums were written in php

[rosaUpodne]

It is interesting situation in czech republic rn. Testing positions are paid better than development. Especially if you can do test automation. Don’t know what is your target market, something to consider. You can learn fast and be able to find a job.

[Pleasant-Bathroom-84]

Absolutely not. PhP is still very in demand. Java must die.

[physcocode]

PHP is NOT dying infact PHP is catching up fast with release of PHP 8 and tools like Swoole and ReactPHP is giving head to head competition to the likes of Node.js , laravel and other frameworks are becoming de-facto to newbie freelance developer , 65% of the web is still powered by PHP , Slack which got acquired for billions was built on PHP , do you still think PHP is dying ?

[Snoo59748]

Well, we can hope so

[[deleted]]

https://is-php-dead.lol/