Why PHP Is Still Popular and Not Dead: A Counter‑Argument to Its Critics

PHP Is a Fashionable Target for Criticism

Under the influence of pop culture, many dismiss PHP, yet the author insists that its popularity is higher than ever, arguing that the language has not died and remains widely used.

Critics claim PHP is inferior, but the author contends that if a better language existed, it would have replaced PHP already; the real issue is personal bias rather than technical merit.

Programmers often attack languages they don’t use, citing examples of Java, C#, Go, and now Python, but these complaints are usually rooted in personal preference.

The author notes a recent rivalry between PHP and Python, with some trying to replace PHP in the LAMP stack, though historically L stood for Linux, A for Apache, M for MySQL, and P for PHP.

Many developers have never written PHP code, yet the language persists because it is embedded in countless applications and the minds of developers.

PHP Is Easier to Use

PHP originated in the mid‑1990s; the author has used it since the early 2000s, working with CodeIgniter and Zend Framework, and believes its longevity stems from deep integration in both old and new applications.

While Python predates PHP, its adoption has not reached PHP’s level; the author finds Python’s syntax and reliance on whitespace cumbersome compared to PHP’s flexibility.

Python’s focus on data science and scientific computing makes it strong in those domains, but for web development PHP remains dominant.

PHP Is a Language Anyone Can Use

PHP’s simplicity allows a wide range of users—from professional engineers to hobbyists—to build websites, making it the “BASIC of the information age.”

WordPress, built on PHP, dramatically lowered the barrier to publishing websites, and its plugin architecture lets non‑engineers write small PHP snippets without deep expertise.

PHP and the Internet

Today PHP powers about 78% of the web; WordPress alone accounts for nearly 40% of all sites and two‑thirds of the CMS market, while Python holds less than 1.5% of web usage.

Enterprises often prefer PHP because PHP developers are easier to find and cheaper than Python engineers, and PHP’s backward compatibility (especially from PHP 7/8) eases migration.

Application architects should choose technologies based on business needs, not trends; PHP’s strengths make it the sensible choice for most web projects.

Conclusion

Engineers tend to favor familiar languages and disparage unfamiliar ones; while universities push Python as a general‑purpose language, PHP remains the de‑facto language of the internet, and its dominance is unlikely to change in the near term.