How much longer will PHP survive?
The phrasing of the question is a bit vague, but my friends, I encourage you to move forward without it



As a specialist in PHP, I have been working with this technology for a considerable amount of time, precisely 6 years.
Question: How many more years do you think this technology will remain "alive"? How long will the demand for PHP programmers stay relevant? Perhaps indefinitely?

The industry is evolving rapidly, and it can be a bit intiмidating.
What lies ahead? How can we prepare for the future?

While it's difficult to predict the exact lifespan of any programming language, PHP has been around for over 25 years and continues to be widely used. It powers a significant portion of the web, including popular platforms like WordPress and Facebook.

However, as new technologies emerge and evolve, the demand for PHP may fluctuate. It's important for PHP programmers to stay updated on industry trends and adapt their skills accordingly. This could involve learning new frameworks, libraries, or even exploring other languages.

To prepare for the future, diversification of skills can be beneficial. Acquiring knowledge in complementary languages, such as JavaScript, Python, or Ruby, can give PHP programmers a broader skill set and open up more opportunities.


1. Embrace modern PHP practices: PHP has evolved significantly over the years, with the introduction of features like namespaces, anonymous functions, and improved object-oriented programming capabilities. Stay up to date with the latest PHP versions and best practices to leverage the full potential of the language.

2. Explore frameworks and libraries: PHP has a rich ecosystem of frameworks and libraries that can help expedite development and provide structure to your projects. Familiarize yourself with popular options like Laravel, Symfony, or CodeIgniter, depending on your project requirements.

3. Learn front-end technologies: With the rise of single-page applications and JavaScript frameworks like React and Angular, having knowledge of front-end technologies can greatly enhance your development capabilities. Being able to work seamlessly across front-end and back-end can make you an even more valuable developer.

4. Keep an eye on emerging technologies: As technology advances, new languages, frameworks, and tools will emerge. Stay curious and explore these technologies to understand their potential impact on the industry. Continuous learning is key to staying relevant in the rapidly changing tech landscape.

5. Cultivate a strong problem-solving mindset: Regardless of the programming language or framework, the ability to think critically and solve problems efficiently is a valuable skill. Focus on sharpening your problem-solving abilities, which will enable you to adapt to new technologies and challenges.

Here are a few more points to consider:

1. Stay connected with the PHP community: Engage with the PHP community through online forums, meetups, conferences, and social media to stay informed about the latest trends, tools, and best practices. Networking with other PHP developers can provide valuable insights and opportunities for collaboration.

2. Keep an eye on performance and security: As PHP applications scale, performance optimization and security become crucial. Stay updated with techniques and tools for performance tuning, caching, and security practices like input validation, SQL injection prevention, and cross-site scripting (XSS) prevention.

3. Explore cloud technologies: Cloud computing is transforming the industry, and being familiar with cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud can enhance your development skills. Consider how you can leverage cloud-based services to build scalable and resilient PHP applications.

4. Consider microservices and APIs: Architectural patterns like microservices have gained popularity, enabling modular and scalable application development. By learning about designing, building, and integrating microservices with PHP, you can adapt to the changing landscape of software development.

5. Continuously improve code quality: Strive for clean, maintainable, and testable code. Adopt coding standards, design patterns, and automated testing practices to ensure the longevity and quality of your PHP projects. Tools like PHPUnit, CodeSniffer, and PHPStan can assist in code quality assurance.

6. Embrace DevOps practices: Familiarize yourself with DevOps concepts, tools, and workflows to streamline the development, deployment, and management of PHP applications. Understanding containerization technologies like Docker and container orchestration with Kubernetes can be beneficial in modern development environments.

Remember, while it's essential to adapt and learn new technologies, also consider leveraging your experience and expertise with PHP. The skills and insights gained from working with PHP can be transferrable to other languages and frameworks. Continually evolving and expanding your skills will help you stay relevant and agile in the dynamic world of software development.

PHP will continue to thrive for a long time. Although its popularity is decreasing, it is still important to explore other options.
JavaScript (JS) and Python have already been mentioned as suitable alternatives.
Personally, I would also recommend considering Go. Starting a project from scratch provides an opportunity to demonstrate how much faster, memory-efficient, and secure applications can be developed using Go.

The PHP trend is gradually declining, much like the decline of the Delphi trend. The question arises about the current state of Delphi. While there are still specific areas where code compiled on this environment is utilized and necessitates ongoing support and development, it is becoming increasingly challenging to find vacancies for Delphi programmers.

It is worth noting that comparing Delphi to PHP is slightly inaccurate because Delphi remains a commercial environment. Therefore, analogies can be drawn between the two, but they should be considered over a longer period of time. Nevertheless, a comparison can still be made.