6 Essential Skills for a PHP Developer
A PHP developer is someone who can deal with PHP and other associated technologies such as Sql, JSON, AJAX, XML, HTML, and so on. PHP is a server-side programming language that has grown in popularity among developers since its introduction in the mid-1990s.
You may come across articles lamenting its impending extinction these days, but the actual data reveals that this may be premature. According to w3techs.com, PHP is utilized by 78.9% of all websites, including names like Facebook, Zoom, and Wikipedia. Furthermore, the most recent PHP version (7.4) was released in November 2019 – hardly an indication of a dying language.
So, despite the hoopla around Python and other fast-growing languages, demand for PHP developers is likely to stay robust for the foreseeable future. The problem is that there are a lot of PHP developers – 5.7 million, according to a recent Slashdata research. If you’re a new PHP developer, you’ll have to work hard to distinguish apart from the throng.
It goes without saying that in order to be a skilled PHP developer, you must first learn the fundamentals of PHP. Of course, this requires a solid understanding of the PHP language and procedures, but once you’ve accomplished that, You can increase your value by gaining knowledge with a variety of PHP applications and frameworks (such as Laravel, Zend, and Symfony). It’s also critical to be up to current on the latest changes and features, as even veteran PHP developers may not be up to speed on the latest technology. Smaller firms and organizations generally want well-rounded developers since they lack the means to hire specialists for each task. So, while you may wish to specialize in specific sophisticated PHP activities, it’s always a good idea to remain a generalist.
With that in mind, here are six more important qualities that will help you broaden your skill set and stand out as a PHP developer:
Understanding of various programming languages
Knowing only PHP code will not get you far as a PHP developer in a competitive work market. To be able to recognize and solve faults in web design, a thorough understanding of front-end programming languages such as JavaScript, CSS, and HTML is required. Knowing these languages effectively will also help you understand how they affect the user experience (UX), which is the end goal of most programming projects. It is also required to be familiar with databases (primarily MySQL but also common alternatives such as PostgreSQL and Oracle) (mainly MySQL but also common alternatives such as PostgreSQL and Oracle). Bottom line, developing and maintaining a well-rounded technical skill set is one crucial method to become a productive part of any development team.
Learn about PHP best practices and design patterns.
Design patterns can be used to any type of software development, including PHP. They can help to accelerate development by providing reproducible answers to common difficulties. They also aid in code readability because other developers will identify the patterns utilized. Some of the most prevalent design patterns in PHP applications are Factory, Strategy, and Singleton, although there are many more to learn. In general, save time by brushing up on the best practices for dealing with various PHP frameworks. The language has been around for almost two decades and has a large community behind it; use it wisely to avoid making the same mistakes as others before you.
Be familiar with Composer, PSR, and PHP Unit.
These are some of the resources that will help you become a better PHP developer. Composer is a dependency manager that will manage your libraries, classes, and functions, allowing you to quickly install different versions of each per-project. Composer will also monitor for new versions of these libraries (or ‘packages’) and update them as necessary. There is also a list of ready-made Composer-compatible packages available here. The PHP Standard Recommendation (PSR) is a PHP specification that aims to standardize PHP programming ideas. While also improving the interoperability of PHP components and frameworks. The PHP Framework Interoperability Group (PHP-FIG) publishes it, and there are presently 13 recognized standards, each with its specific purpose, with more being drafted. PHP developers should understand and adhere to these guidelines to help reduce unwanted variations in PHP code.
Meanwhile, PHPUnit is a popular unit testing framework for automating the testing of tiny chunks of code against expected results. Unit testing is important practice for any PHP developer. It could be used as part of a Test Driven Development (TDD) strategy. In which tests are written before code is written.
Solving Issues
Learning the ‘hard’ technical abilities is one component of being a high-level PHP developer. But without the correct mix of complementary ‘soft’ skills, you’re unlikely to reach the top. One of these is problem solving, which is essential in all aspects of web development. As a PHP developer, you’ll encounter unanticipated challenges that you’ll need to resolve; how you do so will determine how valuable you are on a development project. Critical thinking, or the ability to assess and evaluate many solutions to a problem. In order to find the most effective one, is also required for developing quality code.
Effective Communication
You could be a PHP wiz, but if you don’t know how to interact with others. You can struggle to work effectively on a team project. You must be able to communicate with clients, colleagues, and managers in order to comprehend project/business goals. Raise issues, and explain how your work fits into the overall product. Remember that, even if you’re most at ease behind a screen, successful communication includes conversing on the phone. Through video conference, or in person, as well as via email and messaging apps.
Adaptability
Finally, it is critical to be versatile and eager to learn. PHP, like all programming languages, is evolving, and firms are more likely to recruit engineers. Who are up to date on the newest language and application upgrades. Even if you’re confident in your PHP skills, there will always be things you can learn from others. Stay humble and inquisitive, and you’ll keep moving forward.
