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Why PHP Remains a Relevant Programming Language in 2025
PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) has been one of the most widely used and foundational technologies in web development since the late 1990s.
Despite the rise of newer languages and frameworks (such as Node.js, Go, Rust, Python/Django, Ruby on Rails), PHP continues to serve as a core tool for millions of developers and companies worldwide.
A common question persists: “Why is PHP still relevant in 2025?”
Let’s explore in detail the reasons behind its longevity, its ecosystem, and which major tech companies continue to invest in PHP today.
1. Technical Evolution: From PHP 5 to PHP 8+
PHP is no longer the language it was in the early 2000s.
With the release of PHP 7 and especially PHP 8/8.2+, it has undergone significant improvements:
– JIT Compilation (Just-In-Time): Introduced in PHP 8 to significantly boost performance.
– Strong typing & type safety: Static typing is now supported and encouraged.
– Attributes (metadata annotations): Similar to Java/.NET annotations.
– Named arguments, union types, match expressions: Modern syntax for clearer, cleaner code.
The PHP community has proven its adaptability by embracing modern software engineering standards while maintaining backward compatibility.
2. Massive Infrastructure & Mature Ecosystem
PHP integrates seamlessly across various platforms.
The LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) continues to be the foundation of millions of websites.
– Thousands of libraries are available via Composer.
– Broad support across shared and cloud hosting environments.
– WordPress (powering ~40% of the web) is fully based on PHP.
3. Framework Powerhouses: Laravel, Symfony, WordPress, Drupal
PHP’s ecosystem includes mature, powerful frameworks:
– Laravel: A modern framework ideal for APIs and scalable web apps.
– Symfony: Enterprise-grade, widely adopted in large applications.
– WordPress / Drupal: The most dominant CMS platforms powered by PHP.
4. Major Companies Using PHP in 2025
Many large companies still rely on PHP for mission-critical systems:
– Meta (Facebook): Uses a forked version of PHP called Hack, based on the original PHP architecture.
– Wikipedia (MediaWiki): Built entirely in PHP.
– WordPress.com (Automattic): Fully PHP-based infrastructure.
– Mailchimp, Etsy, Slack: Use PHP in critical components.
– Badoo / Bumble: High-scale social apps using PHP backends.
5. Practical Benefits in 2025
– Low learning curve for new developers.
– A vast amount of legacy code is still active and maintained.
– Excellent support from cloud providers and hosting platforms.
– Active community with abundant documentation and learning resources.
Conclusion
Despite misconceptions about its age, PHP has evolved into a modern, flexible, and reliable language suitable for both small-scale and enterprise-grade applications.
As of 2025, PHP remains widely used, actively developed, and crucial to the global web ecosystem.
Sources
- PHP Foundation – https://www.php.net
- JetBrains Developer Ecosystem Survey 2024 – https://www.jetbrains.com/lp/devecosystem-2024/