What is PHP?

PHP stands for Hypertext Preprocessor and is a widely-used open-source scripting language that is commonly used in web development. It can be embedded into HTML code or used to create dynamic web pages and applications.

PHP was first created in 1994 by Rasmus Lerdorf as a set of Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripts for tracking visits to his personal website. Over the years, it has evolved and grown in popularity, now powering over 79% of all websites on the internet.

The beauty of PHP lies in its flexibility and ease-of-use. It can work seamlessly with databases like MySQL, making it an ideal choice for creating web applications that require complex data manipulation and storage.