Learn PHP

Where to start with PHP

PHP has a reputation problem that hasn't caught up with reality. The version most people picture, messy and dated, is fifteen years gone. Modern PHP is fast, typed where you want it, and with Laravel, a pleasant way to build web apps. It also quietly runs more of the web's backends than anything else. That's north of 70% of all sites whose server-side language is known. For backend work, few languages put you closer to a paycheck.

Starting out is friendly. The syntax is straightforward, PHP runs on almost any host, and you'll see results in a browser within the hour. Build your base first: variables, arrays, functions, and how PHP reads from and writes to a database. That loop (request in, database out, page back) is what nearly every PHP site does underneath. The one real trap is age. Because PHP has been around so long, the internet is stuffed with tutorials teaching bad old habits. Check the date on anything you follow, and stick to current PHP.

Should you learn PHP before Laravel?

Yes, and it's not close. Laravel does a lot of work for you, which is exactly why it's risky to start there. When the framework's conventions do the thinking, you never learn what's happening beneath them. The first problem that falls outside those conventions leaves you stuck. Plain PHP first, even just enough to read and write it comfortably, means Laravel reads like convenience instead of magic. That difference separates the people who use a framework from the people who depend on one.