PHP was created in 1994 by Rasmus Lerdorf as a set of scripts for his personal website. It quickly evolved into PHP/FI, and in 1998 PHP 3.0 was released, introducing object-oriented programming and an international development team. In the 2000s, it gained wide popularity due to its simplicity and flexibility, with Zend driving much of its innovation. The release of PHP 7 brought major improvements in performance and design. Today, PHP remains one of the most widely used languages in web development, supported by a mature ecosystem of frameworks, CMSs, and an active community.
PHP was created by Rasmus Lerdorf in 1994 as a set of C scripts to track visits to his personal website, originally called “Personal Home Page Tools.” Over time, it evolved into PHP/FI and later PHP/3.0 with the help of the developer community, introducing key features such as object orientation and a more powerful syntax. Today, it is a full-featured and highly popular web programming language, supported by a large community and a vast ecosystem of frameworks and tools.
Origins (1994–1997)
1994:
Rasmus Lerdorf creates a set of C scripts called “Personal Home Page Tools” (PHP) to manage his online résumé and track visits to his site.
1995:
A more advanced version is released, including features inspired by Perl, known as PHP/FI (Form Interpreter).
1997:
The developer community joins efforts to improve the project, officially releasing PHP/FI 2.0 in November of that year.
Evolution (1998–Present)
1998:
PHP 3.0 is announced as the official successor to PHP/FI 2.0, incorporating a wide range of new features, the introduction of object-oriented programming, and an international development team.
Early 2000s:
PHP establishes itself as a general-purpose web programming language, gaining popularity thanks to its flexibility, ease of setup, and large community.
Zend Development:
The Zend company is created and becomes a key source of innovation and development in PHP, providing enhancements and tools.
PHP 7 and later versions:
Significant versions such as PHP 7 are released, implementing design and performance improvements that had originally been planned for the never-launched PHP 6.
Today:
PHP is one of the most widely used languages for web development, with a mature ecosystem of frameworks and CMSs, and an active community that continues to improve and expand its capabilities.
