PHP and Python are two popular programming languages. The key difference between PHP and Python is that PHP is specifically used for web development while Python is used for web development and as a general-purpose programming language.
PHP is a server-side scripting language designed for web development. Python is an interpreted high-level programming language for general purpose programming.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is PHP
3. What is Python
4. Similarities Between PHP and Python
5. Side by Side Comparison – PHP vs Python in Tabular Form
6. Summary
What is PHP?
PHP stands for Hypertext Preprocessor. It is a server-side scripting language. PHP code can be easily embedded with HTML code. There are various data types in PHP such as Integers, Booleans, Null, Strings, Arrays and Objects. PHP can be used for file operations such as opening, closing, reading and writing to files. It is possible to handle forms for data collection and to send emails. PHP supports HTTP cookies. Cookies are used for tracking purpose. Those are the text files stored on the client computer.
PHP is widely used in content management systems, eCommerce websites etc. When developing a web application, it is necessary to store data into a database. PHP is easily integrated with databases such as MySQL, Oracle etc. Content Management Systems support creating and modifying digital content. Drupal, Joomla, WordPress are some content management systems based on PHP. It is not necessary to have an in-depth understanding of programming to use them. PHP is easier and cost-effective to deploy and host websites. It is available on each shared hosting provider. It also provides better search engine rating and accessibility.
What is Python?
Python is a general-purpose programming language. It is one of the popular programming languages for beginners because of its simplicity and flexibility. Python is interactive as the programmer can use the Python prompt to interact with the interpreter to write programs. The IDEs such as PyCharm or Eclipse can be used for Python application development. They contain the necessary text editor, debugger etc. Python programs are easier to test, debug and maintain. The main data types supported by Python are numbers, Strings, lists, tuples and dictionaries.
As Python is a general-purpose programming language, it can be used for a variety of applications. Python is widely used for machine learning, data science, scientific computing. It is also used for web development, networking, for writing automation scripts. It can be used for algorithm development in image processing and natural language processing as well.
Raspberry pi is a small single board computer based on Linux Operating System to build embedded systems. Python language can be used to program this small computer. Those are some applications that can be developed using Python.
What are the Similarities Between PHP and Python?
- Both PHP and Python support Object Oriented Programming.
- Both are high level programming languages.
- Both are free and open source.
- Both PHP and Python can be integrated with databases such as MySQL, Oracle etc.
- Both languages support files such as XML.
- Both languages are easier to learn compared with languages such as C++.
What is the Difference Between PHP and Python?
PHP vs Python |
|
| PHP is a server-side scripting language designed for web development. | Python is an interpreted high-level programming language for general purpose programming. |
| Syntax and Elegance | |
| PHP is syntax is messy. | Python contains easy, clean and readable syntax than PHP. |
| Related Frameworks | |
| Laravel, Symfony, CodeIgniter, Cake PHP are some PHP related frameworks. | Django, Flask and Web2py are some Python related frameworks. |
| Designer | |
| PHP was developed by Ramus Lerdorf. | Python was developed by Guido Rossum. |
| Applications | |
| PHP is used for web development and for content management systems. | Python is used for machine learning, data science, web development, networking, scientific computing, natural language processing etc. |
Summary – PHP vs Python
The difference between PHP and Python is that PHP is specifically used for web development while Python is used for web development and as a general-purpose programming language.
Reference:
1.“Python Overview.” Www.tutorialspoint.com, Tutorials Point, 5 Oct. 2017. Available here
2.“PHP Introduction.” Www.tutorialspoint.com, Tutorials Point, 19 Mar. 2018. Available here
3.“Python (Programming Language).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Apr. 2018. Available here
4.“PHP.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Apr. 2018. Available here
Image Courtesy:
1.’PHP-logo’By Colin Viebrock (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2.’Python’By The people from the Tango! project. (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia