Guess what? PHP still powers nearly 77% of all websites with a known server-side language as of this year. Surprised? A lot of folks think PHP is ancient history, but it's hard to call a technology dead when your favorite platforms—WordPress, Wikipedia, even parts of Facebook—lean on it every day.

If you're weighing whether to build your next project in PHP, you're not alone. Some developers swear by it for getting websites up fast, while others grab every chance to try the latest frameworks in Python or JavaScript. The real question isn't if PHP is cool—it’s whether PHP makes sense for you right now.

Let’s cut through opinions and look at actual use cases. PHP isn’t the same beast it was in the early 2000s. PHP 8 brought huge speed boosts, better security features, and a syntax that doesn't make you want to pull your hair out. If you dropped PHP years ago, picking it up now might feel like meeting an old friend who’s finally gotten his act together.

But don’t ignore the hiccups. Some common gripes—like messy legacy code or clunky architecture—still pop up, especially if you get stuck with old-school projects. The trick is knowing what you’ll get into before you start coding like it’s 2005. Coming up, you’ll see where PHP shines today, where it can drag you down, and when you should consider alternatives.

• Is PHP Still Relevant in 2025?
• Strengths That Keep PHP Alive
• Pain Points and Pitfalls
• Tips for Using PHP in Modern Projects

Is PHP Still Relevant in 2025?

It’s 2025, and no, PHP hasn't vanished. Actually, it’s the opposite. According to W3Techs, over 76% of websites using a server-side language are running on PHP. That’s a huge piece of the web—much bigger than Python or Node.js in raw website numbers.

Let’s bust a myth: people say PHP is ‘dead’ just because it’s old. That’s not how the web works. The real story? PHP keeps getting updates. PHP 8.3 rolled out in late 2024, bringing performance jumps and easier-to-read code. Companies with high-traffic sites, like WordPress.com and Mailchimp, aren’t ditching PHP—they’re tuning it up for speed and reliability instead.

Here’s what sets PHP apart in real numbers:

PHP’s real-world relevance isn’t just about numbers. Frameworks like Laravel and Symfony keep things fresh and developer-friendly, while old-school projects are getting upgrades instead of bailouts. Plus, shared hosting is still dirt cheap for PHP, and most devs can get a basic WordPress blog live in under 10 minutes. Try doing that with something like Django—it’s a bit more work.

"I wouldn’t bet against PHP for the next decade. It’s still the default for small businesses, bloggers, and even a big chunk of enterprise sites."

Sarah Drasner, developer advocate at Google, February 2025

Bottom line: the PHP ecosystem isn’t going anywhere fast. If your team wants fastest time-to-live and easy maintenance, it’s still a contender. Learning PHP today isn’t like learning Latin; it’s learning the backbone of the modern web.

Strengths That Keep PHP Alive

If you're wondering why PHP keeps sticking around when other languages grab the spotlight, it's all about what works in the real world. PHP makes web development quick and cheap, especially when you compare hosting and starting costs to just about anything else out there.

Let’s check out a table with numbers that speak for themselves:

You get out-the-box performance on most website hosts, with billions of lines of old but working code already online. This makes PHP the king of quick fixes. Thanks to easy deployment, it’s a favorite for agencies and freelancers needing to spin up client sites quickly.

Here’s the kicker—PHP 8 is no slouch. It has super-fast JIT compilation, and popular frameworks like Laravel bring modern tools, routing, and clean code practices. Even big companies are still rolling out new sites with PHP because, as weird as it sounds, it just works.

• Endless libraries and packages (you’ll almost never have to reinvent the wheel)
• Enormous community—answers (and free code) are just a quick search away
• Strong support for integration: APIs, modern databases, and even machine learning (thanks to third-party extensions)

For teams that need to hand off projects, PHP is a lifesaver: junior and senior devs alike usually know at least the basics, so onboarding goes fast. The documentation game is strong, and every bug you hit has probably been dealt with by someone before.

"PHP is never going away. It’s too big to fail, and it keeps evolving just enough to stay useful." — Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress

Bottom line: if you don’t want drama, want to launch fast, or need a site that “just works,” PHP keeps delivering in 2025. You can argue style and architecture all day, but if website uptime, cheap hosting, and reliability matter, PHP still goes toe-to-toe with the newcomers.

Pain Points and Pitfalls

Let’s be real—PHP comes with its share of headaches, especially if you’ve been around web development circles for a while. The biggest issue: messy legacy code. Tons of older sites still run on spaghetti PHP, where nobody followed structure or modern practices. If you ever dig into a ten-year-old WordPress plugin, you’ll see what I mean.

Another thorn is the wild west approach to coding styles. Since PHP is so forgiving, it’s super easy to write insecure or just plain ugly code. Strict typing and good frameworks help, but not everyone uses them. There’s a noticeable quality gap between projects built by pros and those put together in a weekend.

Security can be a letdown, too. Old versions of PHP had big holes: things like remote code execution or SQL injection were way too common. Even though PHP 8 fixed a lot, there are still a crazy number of sites running outdated versions. Here’s a quick look at version adoption:

Notice that 1 in 10 PHP sites still use versions released before 2015. That’s risky for everyone who visits those sites.

And let’s not ignore the speed and scalability debate. Early PHP struggled with performance, especially under heavy traffic. Modern PHP is much better, but you still have to architect things the right way. Don’t expect miracles if you just slap together a massive app without using tools like OPcache, Composer, and proper caching.

Finally, the job market for PHP isn’t as hot as it once was. You’ll find plenty of PHP gigs in maintenance or small business work, but today’s “cool” startups tend to bet on JavaScript stacks or Python. If career growth and working with bleeding-edge tech is your thing, PHP could feel limiting.

• Avoid legacy codebases if you can—always check a project’s update history.
• Choose modern frameworks like Laravel to skip most of the old pain points.
• Stick to PHP 8+ for security and performance boosts.
• Treat code reviews and testing as non-negotiable, not afterthoughts.

Keeps these in mind and you’ll dodge a lot of the common traps that catch PHP newbies (and some veterans too).

Tips for Using PHP in Modern Projects

Modern PHP development isn't about clinging to the old ways. If you want to build stuff that’s fast, reliable, and future-proof, you’ll need to use the latest tricks and best practices. Don’t stick with outdated code if you can help it. Here’s how to make PHP actually work for you in 2025.

• Stick to PHP 8 or Later: PHP 8.x offers serious performance boosts—30-50% faster than PHP 7 in most real-world tests. Don’t even touch PHP 7 unless you’re maintaining old projects.
• Use Composer for Dependency Management: Forget manual package copying. Composer is like npm or pip for PHP, and it’s essential for keeping your code clean and up-to-date.
• Pick a Solid Framework (Laravel or Symfony): These frameworks make it easy to write secure and scalable code. Laravel especially has tons of features for routing, ORM, and more, cutting out the boring, repetitive stuff.
• Avoid Spaghetti Code with PSR and Autoloading: Follow PSR (PHP Standards Recommendations) for code style and structure. Use autoloaders so you never have to wrangle giant include trees again.
• Go Stateless with APIs: Don’t rely on PHP for full-page rendering unless you have a good reason. Use it to build APIs, paired with modern JavaScript frontends like React or Vue.
• Take Advantage of Built-in Security Features: PHP 8+ helps you dodge common exploits like SQL injection or XSS. Use parameterized queries, built-in password_hash, and never roll your own security code.
• Automate with Testing Tools: PHPUnit makes it simple to catch bugs early. Set up automated tests, especially for big projects, so headaches don’t bother you later.

If you care about stats, check this quick comparison of PHP’s market share and performance:

Bottom line: don’t treat PHP like a relic. Use up-to-date tools and best practices, and you’ll find it’s totally up for modern web development. Want your life even easier? Host on platforms like Laravel Forge, or use managed PHP hosting—so you spend more time building and less time fixing headaches.