There are tons of hosting options to choose from.
However, you need to make sure that the hosting environment you choose meets certain technical capabilities to allow your website to grow.
You also need to choose the right scripting environment for a properly functioning website.
PHP web hosting is one of these environments. I’ve had to test it out for myself.
In the following sections, we will delve deeper into the world of PHP web hosting, highlighting its key benefits, determining whether it’s the right fit for your needs, and guiding you through the process of choosing an ideal PHP web hosting platform.
Table Of Contents
What Is PHP?
PHP stands for PHP Hypertext Processor and is a type of web server-side scripting programming languages designed for building dynamic web pages.
It helps in creating dynamic websites easily. The web programming language is primarily available on Linux-based web hosting plans.
The PHP code is embedded in the HTML code of a website and runs on the web server.
Front-end users are not allowed access to this code as is the case with doctype HTML sites.
The primary goal of the PHP language is to provide a free and powerful tool to create dynamic websites.
It is among the most popular programming languages in the world. The files can be identified by the .php extension.
Do You Need PHP Hosting?
You need a PHP web hosting provider if:
Your business or blog relies on CMS (content management system) like WordPress- You want a robust line of defense for protecting your customer information and site’s code
Your business or blog relies on CMS (content management system) like WordPressPHP code is a versatile open-source code that has made it a popular web hosting provider.
PHP Can Support Complex Features Like:
- Presents a more suitable version of the website for the selected screen size and display dimension
- Sending and getting cookies
- Creating useful discussion forums, blogs, and other interactive pages
- Creating interactive web pages for accepting customer input
- Creating a dynamic content site for storing or acquiring data from the database
Presents a more suitable version of the website for the selected screen size and display dimensionYou may feel a bit overwhelmed with the numerous alternatives available.
Based on this, you can easily find a PHP web hosting platform whether you are seeking an entry-level or inexpensive Linux shared web hosting platform or a fast and powerful dedicated web server to make your website perform better.
PHP And Web Hosting
PHP language is one of the many web server-side scripting languages, which means the web server PHP echo interpreter will process the source code.
Moreover, PHP websites can be designed for containing snippets of CSS and HTML.
In addition, PHP code is flexible and can enable you to do a lot of things that you can not do with static websites.
Benefits Of PHP Hosting
Websites that are built with PHP and supported by a PHP web host receive a lot of benefits that are not available in other environments. These are a few common benefits of PHP hosting:
- Affordable: PHP web hosting costs comparatively less as compared to other hosting environments since it is an open-source web development language
- Compatibility: PHP code is a universal web development language, which means the websites will be compatible with almost all devices, such as iPads, iPhones, and Android. The most important requirement for any website is to be responsive to all screen sizes.
- Scalability: It is easy to upscale and downscale PHP websites. You will be able to handle traffic hikes too. There is unlimited performance scalability and memory storage.
- Flexible: PHP code integrates with HTML and CSS easily without any additional plug-ins. It can also mesh with an open-source PHP program and coding frameworks, such as Mambo and Cake PHP.
- Enhanced security: The security of a site is automatically handled by PHP servers. This includes privacy, data security, and malware protection.
- Quick and fast: PHP is light on web server resources and doesn’t put strain during high loading times. This reduces overall conversion rates as well.
- PHP supports web servers: All web servers, like Netscape, Nginx, and Apache among others are supported by PHP
- Data backup: Data is automatically backed up by PHP servers every 4 hours
- Easy database integration: PHP is highly versatile and can be integrated with MySQL and other databases
- Support: PHP has an active community that is always there to help if you get stuck
Why Should You Choose PHP Hosting?
You should choose PHP hosting because PHP connects dynamic content from databases to HTML pages to make it easier to create interactive content.
These are a few more reasons to choose PHP web hosting:
- Favored by beginners because can be incorporated easily into HTML documents
- It is a lightweight option that can be run regardless of the hosting account
- Easy and mostly free to find a PHP web host
- Easy to pull content from a database
- PHP script cannot be read by visitors making it ideal for secure applications
- Can be installed easily through the control panel
- PHP is required to run CMS such as WordPress
How To Choose The Right PHP Hosting Plan?
Most web hosting packages have PHP support including inexpensive shared plans and free web host plans.
You may be able to get a free domain name and unlimited resource allocation.
These plans may include a range of PHP scripts that can be installed for enhancing the website.
You should find a PHP web hosting plan that provides all these benefits along with technical support at a price you can afford.
Our Choices: The Top Two PHP Hosts
You cannot go wrong with SiteGround and BlueHost when it comes to PHP web hosting providers.
SiteGround – Best For Customer Support
SiteGround offers feature-rich options at variable price points and treats their customers with care.
You will always have the support you need. They own their data centers located on three different continents to provide top-notch performance.
Read our full review of Siteground here.
Bluehost – Best For Beginners
BlueHost is known for optimal support for WordPress.
It provides a wide host of myriad options whether you use WordPress or not.
This is a solid provider with a money-back guarantee, 24/7 support, and extras that make it worth it.
Read our full data backed review of Bluehost here.
How Is PHP Used in WordPress?
For the most part, the WordPress ZIP file contains documents written in PHP. That’s due to the fact that PHP is the foundation of the WordPress platform. You may make modifications to each different PHP file in the main folder. Here are some ways in which PHP is used in WordPress:
- Template Files: WordPress uses PHP to create a dynamic web page. It utilizes PHP file templates to generate the doctype HTML code that displays on a user’s screen. When you create a new WordPress theme or modify an existing one, you’re essentially creating a set of PHP template files that WordPress uses to generate the final HTML code.
- Plugins: Plugins are a crucial component of WordPress, and they’re often written in PHP. Plugins allow you to add new functionality to your WordPress site, such as contact forms, e-commerce capabilities, social media integrations, and more. PHP code is used extensively to create custom functionality for WordPress plugins.
- Themes: WordPress themes are also written in PHP. The theme files control the layout and presentation of your WordPress site, and they’re responsible for displaying your content to your site’s visitors.
- WordPress Core: The WordPress core is built using PHP. The core PHP files contain PHP scripts that handle tasks such as creating new posts, managing users, and processing form submissions.
In summary, PHP is an integral part of WordPress and is extensively used to create a dynamic web page, themes, and plugins, as well as to power the WordPress core. If you’re interested in developing WordPress, it’s essential to have a good understanding of PHP.
Do You Need to Know PHP to Use WordPress?
No, you don’t need to know PHP to use WordPress. As WordPress is an open-source CMS and anybody may make a plugin or a theme for it, PHP might be useful.
Free and accessible to everybody, PHP’s comprehensive online community documentation covers every aspect of the web programming language and its applications.
Do You Need PHP Web Hosting?
PHP web hosting is necessary for websites that are built using the PHP framework. You should go for PHP web hosting without any worry if you run on WordPress.
You also need to be careful while choosing a PHP hosting provider and make your choice judicious after considering all the factors and what their PHP supports.
If you are a beginner at building your own websites and are looking for a good web host to get started with check out our article 7 Best Web Hosting For Beginners (2022).
