** Understanding PHP's Inner workings: A Balanced Perspective

PHP is a versatile server-side scripting language developed by Rasmus Lerdorf in 1994. At its core, PHP code runs on the server side, making it ideal for web applications that interact with databases and deliver dynamic content. But have you ever wondered how this code is executed? Let's take a closer look at the translation process and explore the differences between compilers and interpreters.

PHP is primarily an interpreted language, meaning the code is parsed and executed on-the-fly by the PHP interpreter. However, some optimizations like bytecode caching can improve performance. Additionally, PHP 8 introduces Just-In-Time (JIT) compilation, which translates portions of the code into machine code during runtime, resulting in faster execution.

But how does this translate to real-world applications? PHP scripts can run in both Command Line Interface (CLI) and web server environments. The CLI allows developers to execute scripts without a browser, while web servers communicate with the PHP engine through an interface layer, such as CGI or FastCGI.

To better understand how PHP interacts with the operating system, we'll delve into the world of operating system APIs (OS APIs). These APIs enable applications and programs to communicate with the computer's OS, facilitating seamless execution.

Lastly, when it comes to web servers, Apache and Nginx are two popular options for running PHP scripts. Understanding these fundamental concepts can help developers unlock the full potential of PHP in their web development projects.

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Source: https://dev.to/jamir_hossain_8800f85fdd5/how-php-works-behind-the-scene-1eac