PHP
Full course · 21 lessonsPHP powers over 75% of all websites, including WordPress, Laravel applications, and massive platforms like Facebook. It is the most accessible backend language with an unmatched ecosystem. These are the definitive free resources — vetted, current, and complete.
Getting Started with PHP
Install PHP, run scripts from the CLI, and understand the request lifecycle.
Variables and Data Types
Scalar types, arrays, type juggling, and strict typing.
Numbers and Math
Integers, floats, integer overflow, and math functions.
Strings and String Functions
String literals, interpolation, and the string function toolbox.
Control Flow
Conditionals, match expressions, and loops.
Arrays
Indexed and associative arrays, array functions, and sorting.
Functions
Declarations, parameters, variadics, and return types.
Classes and Objects
Properties, methods, constructors, and object semantics.
Namespaces and Autoloading
Namespaces, use statements, and PSR-4 autoloading with Composer.
Inheritance and Traits
extends, abstract classes, interfaces, and trait composition.
Errors and Exceptions
Throwables, try/catch/finally, and custom exceptions.
Files and Streams
Reading and writing files, streams, and JSON.
Databases with PDO
PDO, prepared statements, and safe database access.
Web Basics: HTTP, Forms, Sessions
Superglobals, HTTP headers, form handling, and sessions.
Functional PHP
Closures, arrow functions, and higher-order helpers.
Dates and Time
DateTime, DateTimeImmutable, and timezone handling.
Regular Expressions
PCRE patterns, preg_match, and replacement.
Composer and Packages
Composer.json, dependency management, and Packagist.
Testing with PHPUnit
Unit tests, assertions, and data providers.
Generators and Fibers
yield generators, iterators, and cooperative concurrency with Fibers.
Security and Performance
Injection defense, escaping, opcache, and profiling.
Free Books
Official Documentation
PHP.net Documentation
The official PHP documentation with language reference, function listing, and getting-started guides.
PHP The Right Way Reference
A community-driven reference covering modern PHP patterns, dependency management, testing, and security.
Laravel Documentation
The comprehensive documentation for the Laravel framework — the most popular PHP web framework.
Interactive Courses
Video Courses
PHP Programming Language Full Course (freeCodeCamp)
A multi-hour comprehensive video course covering PHP from fundamentals to database-driven web applications.
Laravel Tutorial for Beginners (freeCodeCamp)
A full Laravel framework course covering MVC architecture, Eloquent ORM, blade templating, and deployment.
Practice & Challenges
Exercism — PHP Track
100+ free coding exercises with automated analysis and optional human mentoring for personalized feedback.
Codewars — PHP Kata
Solve community-created challenges in PHP across hundreds of difficulty levels and topics.
HackerRank — PHP Domain
Practice PHP-specific challenges covering basic syntax, functions, arrays, and advanced features.
Reference & Cheatsheets
News & Updates
Community
Reddit r/php
The main community for PHP discussions, news, and project showcases.
PHP Discord
Active real-time chat community for PHP developers with channels for help, code review, and job discussions.
Stack Overflow — PHP Tag
The definitive Q&A forum for PHP troubleshooting, best practices, and debugging help.