A front-end developer often wonders about what to do next after having mastered HTML, CSS and Javascript. HTML is a markup language that is used to create static sites, whereas CSS is a styling language that is used to set the visual style of web pages and user interfaces written in HTML and XHTML. Javascript, on the other hand, is a dynamic programming language that supports object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming styles. Now that you know the basics of web development, the next big step is to learn PHP and MySQL web development. But why?

PHP is a brilliant scripting language you can use to create interactive websites, and MySQL is a database management system which opens gates to highly desirable web assets, like email accounts, blogs, content management systems etc.

Let’s talk about why PHP is important

Having an interactive site brings a plethora of benefits to the owner. And what could be a better language than PHP for creating an interactive website or app that gives rise to consumer communication and paves the way to establish a strong relationship with them. As a web developer, you will find that it’s very easy to learn PHP and parse its syntax. Below are some important advantages of learning PHP:

• Helps create dynamic pages with customized features.

• Ensures stability and cross-platform compatibility.

• Eliminates the need of separate coding for PHP since it is well capable of decoding HTML5.

• It’s easy to incorporate PHP into a code generated by WYSIWYG editors.

• No need to rewrite every line of HTML in a programming language.

• Reduces cost and increases efficiency of the websites or applications.

• PHP is interoperable with multiple operating systems.

• All the components of PHP are free to use since it is open source and is developed and updated by a community of developers world over.
  
  

You can flawlessly meet specific requirements of clients since PHP can be easily customized. PHP is extensively used for creating e-commerce sites due to its ability to execute all the demands for ecommerce development. It’s not wrong to say that creation of interactive websites, high-end web development and online application development become a doddle with PHP. Moreover, PHP gives unlimited control over your web server, like processing a credit card, extracting data from a third party website etc.

Let’s now move on to one of the most famous database management systems called MySQL

MySQL is a relational database system and is widely used as the preferred database solution for websites due to its small size and speed. It’s easy to use, secure, powerful and scalable. Even a few simple SQL statements are enough to build and interact with MySQL. Benefits of MySQL are as follows:

• High speed: Database professionals can easily configure the MySQL database server specifically for particular applications. MySQL is well capable of meeting the requirements of any system, be it a high-speed transactional processing app or a high volume website.

• High Availability: MySQL guarantees high availability with a gamut of top-notch options, ranging from high-speed master/slave replication configurations, specialized Cluster servers offering instant failover, to third party vendors offering unique high-availability solutions for the MySQL database server.

• Scalability and flexibility: Flexibility is one of the great features of MySQL. Since MySQL is open source, it enables easy customization for the clients who demand addition of certain requirements into the database server.

• Safety and reliability: MySQL offers highly secured environment for the data stored in the database server. With encrypted database passwords, it ensures that only authorized users are able to access to data stored in the database server. MySQL also makes it possible to create physical backup and full and point-in-time recovery.

• Cross-platform support: MySQL can be installed in all major operating systems LINUX, UNIX, Windows, Solaris etc. It also flawlessly runs with several development interfaces. like JDBC, ODBC, Python and many more.

• Comprehensive support for every application development need: Owing to the comprehensive support for every application development need,MySQL has carved a niche for itself in the tech market. Support for stored procedures, triggers, functions, views, cursors, ANSI-standard SQL and more can be easily found within the database. Connectors and drivers ensure that all types of applications can make use of MySQL as a preferred data management server.

Both PHP and MySQL are web-oriented, and PHP has special inbuilt features to communicate well with MySQL. Facebook, Yahoo! and Wordpress are some of the popular examples of MySQL and PHP web development. They work brilliantly together and provide one of the fastest ways to deliver web pages. For a front-end developer who has already learnt HTML, CSS and Javascript, the next big step is to learn PHP and MySQL.

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