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PHP & Laravel

79 courses 7 categories

Part of Learn Programming

PHP and Laravel covers the modern PHP backend stack — the language that runs WordPress, Wikipedia, Slack, Mailchimp, and a huge share of the world's e-commerce. PHP 8.x has done what cynics did not expect: type system, JIT, attributes, enums, readonly classes, and async runtimes (ReactPHP, Swoole, Frankenphp) have turned it into a credible alternative to Node and Python for new server work, not just legacy maintenance.

Laravel is the framework that drives most new PHP projects in 2026. Eloquent, queues, broadcasting, Livewire, Inertia, Sanctum, Reverb, and the wider first-party ecosystem (Forge, Vapor, Cloud, Nova) make it the most productive way to ship full-stack PHP. Symfony holds the high-end and enterprise tier where decoupled components and bus-based architectures matter; WordPress still powers a third of the public web; and Magento, Drupal, and Slim cover the niches that other frameworks cannot.

What you'll find under this topic

  • Modern PHP 8.x: types, attributes, enums, readonly classes, fibers, JIT performance
  • Laravel: Eloquent, queues, broadcasting, Livewire, Inertia, Sanctum, Pennant, Reverb
  • Symfony: components, Messenger, API Platform, EasyAdmin, bundle authoring
  • WordPress: Gutenberg blocks, custom plugins, WooCommerce, headless via WP REST / WPGraphQL
  • E-commerce platforms: Magento 2, Shopware, PrestaShop
  • Drupal and Slim: enterprise CMS work and lightweight API microframeworks
  • Testing and quality: PHPUnit, Pest, Psalm, PHPStan, Rector for automated refactoring
  • Deployment: Forge, Vapor, Ploi, Docker, Frankenphp, Octane runtimes

PHP roles still hire at every scale — from agencies maintaining WordPress sites, through Laravel-shop SaaS companies, to large platforms where Symfony powers core systems. The skill set is durable because the installed base is enormous and the language has modernized without breaking backward compatibility.

Categories (7)

Drupal thumbnail
Drupal is the open-source CMS that powers a long tail of government, university, and large-organization websites. The…
Laravel thumbnail
Laravel Overview Laravel is one of the most popular PHP frameworks today. You can build web apps with clear syntax and…
Magento thumbnail
Magento (now Adobe Commerce) is the open-source e-commerce platform that dominates the upper end of self-hosted store…
PHP thumbnail
PHP is a scripting language created as a templating tool for Perl, and today it is very popular among web developers…
Slim thumbnail
Slim is a PHP microframework that helps you quickly write simple yet powerful web applications and APIs. Essentially…
Symfony thumbnail
Symfony is the PHP framework that took the modular components approach to its logical conclusion. Most modern PHP code…
Wordpress thumbnail
WordPress is the CMS that powers more than 40% of the public web. The classic stack — WordPress + a theme + ACF…

Courses (79)

Showing 130 of 79 courses

Frequently asked questions

Is PHP still worth learning in 2026?
Yes — PHP runs roughly 70% of websites and most of the SMB and agency market. Modern PHP (8.3+) with strict types, attributes, enums, and readonly classes is a genuinely pleasant language. Laravel makes shipping CRUD applications fast, and the WordPress ecosystem alone employs a vast number of developers. Strong language for steady, well-paid mid-market work.
Laravel vs Symfony vs raw PHP?
Laravel for fast product development, opinionated conventions, and the largest active job market. Symfony for enterprise PHP, longer-lived codebases, and component-based architecture (Laravel itself builds on several Symfony components). Raw PHP only for maintaining legacy code or building tiny utilities — every serious new project should use a framework.
Laravel vs Django vs Rails — which is most productive?
All three are highly productive for CRUD products. Laravel has the largest current momentum, the most active package ecosystem (Filament, Livewire, Inertia, Forge, Vapor), and the cheapest hosting. Django wins for Python ecosystems and data-adjacent work; Rails remains excellent but has a smaller hiring market. Choose by ecosystem fit, not raw framework quality.
Is Laravel a good first backend framework?
Yes — the documentation is famously good, the conventions reduce decision fatigue, and you can ship a real product in weeks rather than months. The risk is becoming over-reliant on Laravel's magic and avoiding fundamentals (HTTP, SQL, queues, caching). Build a couple of projects with the framework, then deliberately learn what's underneath.
What about WordPress — is it real PHP work?
It is, and it's a huge employment market, but it's a different skill set from modern PHP application development. WordPress hiring leans toward themes, plugins, page builders, and integration work rather than from-scratch architecture. Many developers blend both worlds; treat them as distinct specialisations when planning a career path.

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