PHP is an open-source scripting language designed for web development. Known for its simplicity, flexibility, and massive community support, it has powered millions of websites for nearly three decades.
1994
Rasmus Lerdorf created PHP as a set of “Personal Home Page” tools to track visits to his online resume.
1995
PHP/FI (Forms Interpreter) is officially released to the public as open-source. This early version already supports databases, making PHP a favorite for building dynamic websites.
1997
Two Israeli developers, Zeev Suraski and Andi Gutmans, rewrite the parser and create PHP 3. This marks the true birth of PHP as we know it.
2000
PHP 4 is launched, powered by the brand-new Zend Engine. It introduces better performance, session handling, and improved security—making PHP a serious contender for enterprise use.
2004
PHP 5 arrives, bringing object-oriented programming, the PHP Data Objects (PDO) extension, and stronger XML support. This release cements PHP as the backbone of CMS platforms like WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla.
2015
After a long gap, PHP 7 is released. It delivers massive performance improvements (up to twice as fast as PHP 5), reduced memory usage, and modern features such as scalar type declarations and error handling.
2020
PHP 8 introduces the JIT (Just-In-Time) compiler, union types, and attributes—pushing PHP toward high-performance computing and modern programming standards.
2022
PHP 8.1 and 8.2 bring even more refinements: enums, readonly properties, performance upgrades, and better developer experience.
2024
PHP remains one of the top programming languages, powering over 75% of websites worldwide (including Facebook, WordPress, and Wikipedia). Its simplicity, speed, and community support keep it central to modern web development.