The Difference between PHP and JS

PHP Logo

PHP and JS are two programming languages that are used in web design. They have their similarities. But they are from opposite sides of a spectrum.

Both are easy enough to pick up. Both have enough functionality to keep web-developers happy.

Let’s take an in-depth look at these languages.

PHP

PHP (originally Personal Home Page) is short for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor. Designed in 1994 by Rasmus Lerdorf, PHP was first used to track visits to his online resume.

PHP has since gained functionality. Today it’s used to create dynamic, interactive web pages on a wide variety of platforms.

PHP is a server-side scripting language and is the favorite of many web developers.

JavaScript

JavaScript was developed in 1995 by developer Brendan Eich. Initially named Mocha, the name soon changed to Livescript and then JavaScript.

JavaScript is mainly used to create responsive websites and web-applications. Back when bandwidth was ultra-expensive, JS held a lot of promise. The code executed right on the client’s PC, so it reduced strain on servers and lowered server costs.

PHP vs. JS

PHP is Server-side, whereas JS is client-side. Both of these have their pros and cons.

PHP executes on the server. No matter what PC is on the other end of the connection, user experience should be pretty standard.

JS executes on the client’s PC. Thus user experience can differ based on what’s going on. A client’s PC may be very slow, over-full or busy with plenty of other tasks. This would make the website seem unresponsive and slow, when it’s the client’s own PC.

PHP could be seen as being slow when the server is very busy or the internet connection to the client is bad.

Which one you choose is up to personal choice. The languages are pretty similar. Transitioning from one to the other shouldn’t be too much hassle. Personally I feel that it won’t make much difference which you choose. At the end of the day the way they perform is based too much off of chance.

JavaScript Logo

The Differences

It’s about time we lay the differences out and see which coding language is better. I may be biased. JS was the first interactive website language I learnt. I’ll try to be as open-minded as possible though.

A JS run website has the advantage that the code can always be seen on the website – even before the server loads. PHP code can only be viewed once the server loads it in.

PHP can only be combined with HTML, limiting choice. JS is more versatile, able to combine with HTML, XML and AJAX.

As mentioned before, JS executes on the client’s PC (web browser), whereas PHP executes on the server. JS performance could be lagged down by a poor PC. PHP performance could be lagged down by a slow server, or cause strain on the server itself.

In a nutshell, if you have a decent server up or your hired server’s speed is consistent, it’s a good idea to go with PHP. If you’re saving money on server-hire and would prefer to add some strain to user PC’s, JS is your man (programming language?).

But that was before 2009.

Node.js

JS used to be client-side. Then, in 2009, Ryan Dahl came along with Node.js. This is a cross platform run-time environment (RTE) for running JS server side.

So if you’ve already started learning JS but like the idea of server-side, your troubles are solved. You’ll have all the functionality of JS and its nice variety of combinations. Plus you’ll have server-side and all its advantages.

Of course, if you prefer client-side there’s only one choice. It might be counter-intuitive for PHP to develop a client-side RTE.

MYSQL

If you use MYSQL in your work, you’ll be happy to know that PHP is a great companion. It is often used alongside MYSQL and the two are very compatible.

If you use MYSQL and you’re interested in running JS, I have bad news for you. Yes, node.js will help in compatibility between JS and MYSQL. But this ruins the benefits you get from the client-side language.

If you’re using or planning to use MYSQL, you’re better off sticking to PHP.

Examples of PHP Websites

I thought you might be interested in browsing through a few example websites, so here you go:

wordpress.com

flickr.com

en.wikipedia.org

Examples of JS Websites

thestlbrowns.com

www.ibm.com/design/

khan.github.io/tota11y/

What do you think? Did you notice any differences? Let us know in the comments!

Conclusion

I’m not sure if the tone of the article betrayed it, but I’ve been a JS man from the start. I prefer JS as I find it much easier to code in. It probably would have been different if I had learned PHP first.

But I didn’t. All the persons I asked for advice said: HTML, CSS and JS.

So here I am, repeating that advice. Go with JS, you’ll be happier for it.

If you don’t agree from me, I’d love to hear from you. Let’s get a discussion going. Why do you prefer PHP? Do you know a lot about JS?

Are you going to use PHP or JS in your next project?

Let’s keep the discussions clean and insightful please.

Comment, comment, comment!

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