Web Hosting PHP SupportPHP is a web programming language that is increasing in popularity with web hosting companies. PHP is open source, meaning it is cheap to develop for, and cheap for web hosting companies to implement. PHP is especially useful for dynamic websites that interact with databases; it is often used hand-in-hand with the MySQL database format. PHP is an easy web programming language to learn, yet its speed and flexibility make it a popular choice among intensive web applications. In fact, at the time of writing, 13,375,956 websites make use of PHP (source: PHP Usage Stats). When choosing a web host that supports PHP, be extra careful about the web host’s reliability and security. As with any programming language, PHP can be exploited (accidentally or intentionally) and cause problems to others’ web hosting accounts. Check the web host’s PHP settings if possible; if the web host has enabled certain features, it can make your website vulnerable to hacking attempts unless you carefully construct your own PHP scripts. Check your web host is running the latest stable version of PHP, and ask about restrictions or checks placed on PHP web hosting accounts to prevent customers’ PHP scripts affecting other web hosting accounts. To learn more about PHP, start with php.net, and take notice of the documentation with user comments. Often, a beginner’s question or problem with PHP has already been solved in these discussions. For more information about using PHP & MySQL together, read our article on Web Hosting with PHP & MySQL Support.
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