PHP by the Numbers: A Visual Guide to Key Metrics

Introduction

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PHP, which stands for Hypertext Preprocessor, is a server-side scripting language designed for website development and web application development but also used as a general-purpose programming language.  PHP code may be embedded into HTML code, or it can be used in combination with various web template systems, web content management systems (CMS), and web frameworks. It powers a significant portion of the web. PHP powers over 3/4 of all websites. This blog post will reveal the key metrics and statistics to master for optimal PHP performance. By delving into health indicators like response time, error rate, throughput, and more.
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Key application performance metrics

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PHP performance metrics are indicators of how well your PHP application is performing in terms of speed, efficiency, and reliability. Some of the most common PHP performance metrics are:

Requests per minute:‍

This metric measures the web traffic and the volume of requests that your application handles in each time interval. It can help you identify trends, patterns, and spikes in demand.
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‍Average load time:

‍This metric measures the average time it takes for your application to respond to a request and deliver the content to the user. It can help you assess the user experience and the impact of latency on your application. ‍

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Error rate:

‍This metric measures the percentage of requests that result in errors, such as exceptions, warnings, or fatal errors. It can help you identify and troubleshoot the root causes of errors and their impact on your application.

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‍SQL queries:

‍This metric measures the performance of your database queries, such as the number, duration, and frequency of queries. It can help you optimize your database interactions and avoid bottlenecks or slow queries.

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‍Application dependencies:‍

This metric measures the performance of your external services or APIs that your application relies on, such as SQL Server, MongoDB, Redis, etc. It can help you monitor the availability and response time of your dependencies and their impact on your application.

PHP market share as e-commerce platform and backend framework

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Here's a comprehensive overview of the key data points and trends around PHP's market share, usage statistics, and developer community insights:

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PHP maintains a significant presence on the web, being used by 76.5% of websites with a known server-side programming language as of February 2024.

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This figure has seen slight fluctuations but remains strong, underscoring PHP's dominance in server-side programming.  

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Some of the best PHP open-source ecommerce platforms in 2023, such as WooCommerce, Magento, OpenCart, PrestaShop, and Zen Cart.  

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WooCommerce is the most popular one, with 28.19% of all e-commerce stores globally using it.

The e-commerce market size in India was 74.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2020 and is expected to grow to 350 billion U.S. dollars by 2024. The number of annual online shoppers in India is predicted to increase to 427 million by 2027.

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According to Joost de Valk this is the market share of CMS:

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Some of the best PHP open-source ecommerce platforms in 2023 are:

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• WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin that powers over 39% of all online stores. It offers a variety of themes, extensions, and integrations with popular payment gateways and shipping providers.
• ‍Magento is a robust and scalable platform that supports multiple languages, currencies, and stores. It has a large community of developers and partners, and offers advanced features such as product reviews, wish lists, and coupons.
• PrestaShop is a user-friendly and customizable platform that boasts over 300,000 online stores worldwide. It has a rich set of features, such as product comparison, loyalty programs, and analytics.
  
• ‍OpenCart is a lightweight and easy-to-use platform that supports unlimited products, categories, and options. It has a modular system that allows users to add or remove functionality with extensions and themes.
  
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The above image by Joost de Valk has the list of top 10 content management systems. Here you can clearly see that WordPress tops the list. The vital thing to note here is that WordPress is built using php.

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Several PHP backend frameworks are popular among developers, each with its own strengths and areas of application. Here's a brief overview of some popular PHP frameworks along with their general market share:

• Laravel: Laravel is one of the most popular PHP frameworks, known for its elegant syntax, expressive syntax, and powerful features like routing, ORM (Eloquent), and Blade templating engine. It has a strong ecosystem, a large community, and extensive documentation.
• ‍Symfony: Symfony is a robust and highly customizable framework that provides a set of reusable PHP components for building web applications. It emphasizes flexibility, scalability, and maintainability. Many popular projects, including Drupal and Magento, use Symfony components.
  
• CodeIgniter: CodeIgniter is a lightweight and straightforward framework that is easy to learn and use. It's known for its small footprint, fast performance, and minimal configuration requirements. CodeIgniter is popular for small to medium-sized projects where simplicity and speed are priorities.
  
• Yii: Yii is a high-performance framework that is suitable for developing all kinds of web applications, from small personal websites to large-scale enterprise systems. It's known for its speed, security features, and ease of use. Yii's "batteries-included" approach provides a wide range of features out of the box.
  
  Statistics & Data analysed Most Popular Backend Frameworks – 2012/2023. Here’s the result:
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According to 6sense: PHP has a 33.70% market share in the Programming Languages category, while NodeJS has a 1.16% market share in the same space.

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PHP Version Usage Dynamics ‍

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PHP has multiple versions available, and the version we use depends on various factors, including your project requirements and server compatibility.

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Here's a quick overview of the usage considerations for different PHP versions:

‍PHP 8.x introduced numerous features and improvements, which is good for projects wanting the latest language features.

PHP 7.4 is known for performance improvements and enhancements. Considered a stable and well-supported version.

PHP 7.3 is a long-term support (LTS) release that provides stability and features. Still widely used for compatibility reasons.

When choosing a PHP version, consider compatibility, support needs, security, and project requirements. Keeping the PHP version up to date provides security and performance benefits.

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Benchmarking PHP performance

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Here are some useful benchmarks and metrics for analysing PHP performance:

• Tech Empower Benchmarks: Compares PHP frameworks under specific workloads.
• PHP Bench: benchmarks raw PHP code performance across versions.  
• PHP-FIG PSR-12: Coding style standard that can optimize performance.
• Web/Database Server Benchmarks: Measure the impact of stack combinations.
• OpCache: Caching PHP bytecode optimizes execution time.

Real-world performance depends on many factors. Always test in an environment resembling production and consider application workload characteristics.

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Notable PHP-Powered Websites

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Many high-traffic websites are powered by PHP, including:

• Facebook
• Wikipedia  
• WordPress.com
• Yahoo
  
• Flickr
• Mailchimp
• Etsy
• Slack
• Tumblr
• Magento

The technology landscape evolves constantly, but PHP remains a proven powerhouse for building robust web applications.

Conclusion: The Future of PHP

While PHP has a strong hold currently, the technology landscape continues to evolve. Here are some key trends to watch:

• Increasing use of frameworks like Laravel to improve development speed, security, and scalability.
• PHP 8 enhancements (named arguments, JIT, union types) improve productivity and performance.
• Frameworks continue to evolve, catering to diverse project requirements.
• Competition from languages like Node.js, Python, and Go in some use cases. PHP remains strong for web applications.
• Cloud hosting and serverless platforms are gaining traction compared to traditional PHP hosting.
• Push for speed and performance, driving innovations in PHP engines and opcode caches.
• As the digital landscape expands, PHP development skills will be in high demand. 
• AI-ML Integration: Still in its infancy, AI integration typically holds the potential to revolutionize PHP development with features including code generation, automated testing, and personalized user experiences.  
• PHP platforms can begin containing AI-driven functionalities for better performance. The likes of PHP-ML libraries are bringing machine learning and artificial intelligence into the domain of PHP. Even though it is not as common as Python or R, PHP is simple enough for anyone interested in exploring these technologies.
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Despite shifts in technology, PHP retains unique advantages that ensure it will continue powering a significant portion of websites and web applications for years to come. In summary, PHP’s future looks bright, and it remains a valuable language for developers.