PHP, short for Hypertext Preprocessor, is like a magic wand for making websites awesome! Imagine it as a toolbox full of cool tricks developers use to create all those amazing websites you love visiting.
In 1994, a clever guy named Rasmus Lerdorf started tinkering with PHP, and since then, it’s become super popular! It’s like the secret sauce that makes websites dynamic and interactive.
Think of it this way: PHP is the superhero behind the scenes, doing all the heavy lifting to bring websites to life. It’s free for everyone to use, so developers all over the world can get creative and build incredible stuff together.
So, next time you’re browsing the web and come across a website that looks super cool and does all sorts of neat things, just remember, PHP might be the wizard making it all happen!
Here’s a comprehensive explanation of the major versions of PHP and their key features, highlighting the evolution of this influential scripting language:
PHP 1. x
Released: 1995
Overview: Created by Rasmus Lerdorf, PHP (Personal Home Page Tools) started as a simple set of Common Gateway Interface (CGI) binaries written in C. It was designed to help Lerdorf maintain his personal homepage by tracking visits.
Key Features: Limited functionality primarily for handling web forms and content management. It wasn’t a full-fledged programming language yet.
PHP 2. x (PHP/FI 2.0)
Released: 1997
Overview: Named PHP/FI (Personal Home Page/Form Interpreter), it gained more functionality and a larger user base. PHP versions laid the groundwork for PHP as a server-side scripting language.
Key Features: Included more advanced functionality like database interaction, form handling, and basic syntax that would be recognizable in latest versions.
PHP 3. x
Released: 1998
Overview: Andi Gutmans and Zeev Suraski rewrote the parser, which formed the basis of PHP 3. This version marked PHP’s transformation into a robust, server-side scripting language.
Key Features: Comprehensive support for databases, APIs, and protocols. Improved performance and more consistent syntax.
PHP 4. x
Released: 2000
Overview: Introduced the Zend Engine 1.0, created by Gutmans and Suraski, significantly boosting performance and reliability.
Key Features:
- Enhanced performance with the new engine.
- Better session handling and HTTP cookies.
- Output buffering and safer error handling.
[19-Dec-2000] This release includes improvements for a large number of defects and numerous enhancements in the PHP core, the language implementation and extensions. Download, ChangeLog.
PHP 5. x
Released: 2004
Overview: A major upgrade that introduced the Zend Engine II, further advancing PHP’s capabilities, especially for object-oriented programming (OOP).
Key Features:
- Advanced OOP features, making it more comparable to Java and C#.
- Introduction of PHP Data Objects (PDO) for a unified database access layer.
- Improved XML support with the SimpleXML extension and DOM.
- Better error handling with exception handling support.
For changes since PHP 5.0.1, please consult the ChangeLog.
PHP 5.3
Released: 2009
Overview: A significant update that modernized PHP, adding many new features and deprecating outdated ones.
Key Features:
- Namespaces to avoid name conflicts.
- Late static binding for more flexible code reuse.
- Anonymous functions (closures) and lambda functions for better functional programming support.
Further details about the PHP 5.3.1 release can be found in the release announcement, and the full list of changes are available in the ChangeLog.
PHP 5.4
Released: 2012
Overview: Focused on removing deprecated features and introducing modern syntax enhancements.
Key Features:
- Traits for code reuse in single inheritance languages.
- A in built web server for testing and development.
- Short array syntax and improved performance.
For source downloads of PHP 5.4.10 and PHP 5.3.20 please visit our downloads page, Windows binaries can be found on windows.php.net/download/.
PHP 5.5 and 5.6
Released: 2013 and 2014
Overview: Incremental updates focusing on improving performance and adding new language features.
Key Features (5.5):
- Generators and the yield keyword for iteration.
- Finally, keyword for exceptions.
- Password hashing API for better security.
Key Features (5.6):
- Variadic functions and argument unpacking.
- Exponentiation operator ().
- Constant scalar expressions.
For source downloads of PHP 5.5.7 please visit our downloads page, Windows binaries are located on windows.php.net/download/. The list of changes can be found in the ChangeLog.
For source downloads of PHP 5.6.4 please visit our downloads page, Windows binaries can be found on windows.php.net/download/. The list of changes is recorded in the ChangeLog.
PHP 7.0
Released: 2015
Overview: A major version jump, skipping PHP 6, to reflect the dramatic improvements in performance and language design.
Key Features:
- Zend Engine 3.0, significantly boosting performance and reducing memory consumption.
- Scalar type declarations and return type declarations for better type safety.
- Null coalescing operator (??) and spaceship operator (<=>).
- Removal of old, deprecated extensions and features.
For source downloads of PHP 7.0.1 please visit our downloads page, Windows source and binaries can be found on windows.php.net/download/. The list of changes is recorded in the ChangeLog.
PHP 7.1
Released: 2016
Overview: Continued enhancements focused on type safety and language consistency.
Key Features:
- Nullable types and void return types.
- Class constant visibility modifiers.
- Iterable pseudo-type and multi-catch exception handling.
For source downloads of PHP 7.1.0 please visit our downloads page, Windows binaries can be found on the PHP for Windows site. The list of changes is recorded in the ChangeLog.
PHP 7.2
Released: 2017
Overview: Focused on improving security and expanding language capabilities.
Key Features:
- Object type hint.
- Argon2 password hashing algorithm.
- Trailing commas in list syntax.
For source downloads of PHP 7.2.0 please visit our downloads page Windows binaries can be found on the PHP for Windows site. The list of changes is recorded in the ChangeLog.
PHP 7.3
Released: 2018
Overview: Added syntactic sugar and improved developer experience.
Key Features:
- Flexible heredoc and no-doc syntax.
- Trailing commas in function calls.
- is_countable function.
For source downloads of PHP 7.3.0 please visit our downloads page Windows binaries can be found on the PHP for Windows site. The list of changes is recorded in the ChangeLog.
PHP 7.4
Released: 2019
Overview: Introduced significant language features and performance enhancements.
Key Features:
- Typed properties.
- Arrow functions for concise one-liners.
- Preloading for better performance.
- Null coalescing assignment operator (??=).
For source downloads of PHP 7.4.1 please visit our downloads page, Windows source and binaries can be found on windows.php.net/download/. The list of changes is recorded in the ChangeLog.
PHP 8.0
Released: 2020
Overview: A major release with a new Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler and several new features.
Key Features:
- JIT compiler for significant performance improvements.
- Union types for better type handling.
- Named arguments for more readable function calls.
- Attributes (annotations) for meta-programming.
- Match expressions for concise control flow.
- Improved error handling and more consistent type system.
For source downloads of PHP 8.0.0 please visit our downloads page, Windows source and binaries can be found on windows.php.net/download/. The list of changes is recorded in the ChangeLog.
PHP 8.1
Released: 2021
Overview: Added new capabilities for concurrency and further refined the type system.
Key Features:
- Enumerations (enums) for better type safety.
- Read-only properties for immutable data structures.
- Fibers for lightweight concurrency.
- Intersection types for more precise typing.
For source downloads of PHP 8.1.1 please visit our downloads page, Windows source and binaries can be found on windows.php.net/download/. The list of changes is recorded in the ChangeLog.
PHP 8.2
Released: 2022
Overview: Focused on enhancing the language’s robustness and developer experience.
Key Features:
- Readonly classes for creating immutable classes.
- Disjunctive Normal Form (DNF) types for more complex type definitions.
- Deprecated dynamic properties to encourage better coding practices.
For source downloads of PHP 8.2.0 please visit our downloads page, Windows source and binaries can be found on windows.php.net/download/. The list of changes is recorded in the ChangeLog.
PHP 8.3
Released: 2023
Overview: Continued adding new features and optimizations to improve developer experience and performance.
Key Features: Continued syntax improvements, performance optimizations, and enhancements to existing features to make the language more robust and efficient.
For source downloads of PHP 8.3.7, please visit our downloads page; Windows source and binaries can be found on windows.php.net/download/.
PHP has continuously advanced to satisfy modern web development needs, integrating new features, enhancing performance, and prioritizing security and usability. This progression has ensured PHP’s relevance and widespread use in the dynamic world of web technologies. For a detailed understanding, visit php.net.