PHP and HTML are programming languages together used to create web applications. PHP is a server-side scripting language, whereas HTML is a client-side scripting language. So, HTML basically defines the structure of a web page which is ultimately a front of a website or a web application. On the other hand, PHP defines the backend of the website or web application.
Both languages share some more differences that we will discuss with the help of a comparison chart in the content below. We will also learn about the benefits of using both languages. So let’s start.
Content: PHP Vs HTML
Comparison Chart
| Basis of Comparison | PHP | HTML |
|---|---|---|
| Full Form | Hypertext Preprocessor | Hyper Text Markup language |
| Language | Server-side scripting language | Client-side scripting language |
| Purpose | Used in backend development, which interacts with the database to retrieve, store and modify the information. | Used for frontend development which organizes the content of the website. |
| Execution Platform | PHP code executes on web servers like Apache, IIS, XAMPP, etc. | HTML code executes on browsers like Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, etc. |
| Structure | Dynamic | Static |
| File extension | .php | .html |
| Learning | Easy | Comparatively easier |
| Written by | Rasmus Lerdorf | Tim Berners-Lee |
What is PHP?
PHP is a short form of language known as Hypertext Preprocessor. It is an open-source scripting language and is widely used for web development.
Programmers often practice embedding the PHP code into HTML. The benefit of doing this is – instead of writing lots of commands in HTML to roll out something, PHP pages contain HTML code with embedded PHP code.
<!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <title>HTML_Code</title> </head> <body> <?php echo "This is a PHP script!"; ?> </body> </html>
The PHP code is enclosed inside a special start and end instruction denoted with <? php and ?>. These start and end instructions allow the developers to jump in and out of the PHP mode.
As PHP is a server-side scripting language, the PHP program is executed on the server, and in response, it generates an HTML page sent to the client. Most of the time, the client receives a result of running a PHP script, but they are unaware of the underlying code.
Why use PHP?
More commonly, we use PHP for server-side scripting, but PHP is able to do much more. We can use PHP majorly in three areas.
Server-side Scripting
PHP is mostly used for server-side scripting. To work it out, we require three things:
- PHP Parser
- Web Server
- Web browser
We have to run a web server with the PHP parser installed. Running your PHP program on the web server with the connected PHP installation will output results on the web browser.
Command Line Scripting
We can run PHP scripts without the help of any web browser or web server. All you need to run a PHP script is a PHP parser. Command line scripting in PHP allows you to write special functions using PHP in plain text files, and you can pass the name of these files as a command line argument to the PHP parser.
Writing Desktop Application
Although PHP is never a good choice for creating a desktop application, if you are aware of some advanced features of PHP, you can write desktop applications and even cross-platform applications.
Application of PHP
The global websites today using PHP as their backend are:
- Wikipedia
- WordPress
- Slack
- Tumblr
- Node.js
- Flickr
- And many more
What is HTML?
HTML is a short form of a markup language known as Hyper Text Markup Language. Here, the word Hyper Text itself means text within the text. It means you have clicked on a hypertext when you click on the link that lands you on a new webpage. Thus, here we conclude that with the help of Hyper Text, we can link two or more web pages with each other.
The term markup language indicates that the language is used to design the web page’s structure. It often controls the display of the web page and even enriches the content of the web page to facilitate automated processing.
HTML is commonly used for creating web pages and web applications.
Why use HTML
Web Page Development: The main focus of HTML is to develop web pages. Most websites you visit on the Internet are some forms written using HTML.
Navigating Web Pages: As we discussed earlier, as HTML is a Hypertext language, it can link different webpages to each other, and navigation between the web pages on the Internet becomes easier.
Responsive Design: Interactive webpages always have a better reach. It includes automatically resizing the webpage, hiding or shrinking elements on it, and adjusting the webpage according to the device, such as a tablet, laptop, desktop or mobile. This becomes possible by using HTML and CSS.
Storage Feature in Browser: The latest versions of HTML have roped in new storage features such as localStorage and IndexDB, which allow users to save data even when they have closed a particular web page.
Data Entry Support: The data entry feature of HTML allows the website to store user data via forms.
Game Development: The new versions of HTML also provide features for game development. The new versions of HTML offer elements such as Canvas for developing games.
Offline Web Applications: Nowadays, we have several web applications that can be accessed even if our accessing device is offline. HTML allows users to access the application offline by using cache files to determine which data to store while the device is offline. Due to this, the web browser has a copy of the files for offline use.
Cutting Edge Feature: The cutting-edge feature of the recent HTML version allows many advancements in web development, which includes animated HTML headers, embedded infographics, user badges, etc.
Key Differences Between PHP and HTML
- PHP is the short form of Hypertext Preprocessor. On the other hand, HTML is an acronym used for a markup language, i.e., Hyper Text Mark Up language.
- PHP is a server-side scripting language. On the contrary, HTML is a client-side scripting language.
- As PHP is a severs-side scripting language so it’s used for the backend development of a website, i.e., the part of the website that interacts with the database to store, retrieve or modify the information. However, being a client-side scripting language, we use HTML for front-end development, i.e., the part of the website with which the user interacts, where the website’s contents are organized on the web page.
- PHP programs execute on web servers such as Apache, IIS, XAMPP, etc. On the other hand, the HTML program executes on web browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Chrome, etc.
- PHP is more commonly used for creating dynamic websites. On the contrary, HTML is more commonly used for designing static websites.
- The PHP code file is saved with the extension .php, whereas the HTML code file is saved with the .html extension.
- HTML is comparatively easier to learn than PHP.
- Rasmus Lerdorf developed PHP language, whereas Tim Berners-Lee developed HTML.
Conclusion
So, these are the differences between PHP and HTML. We have seen how these languages differ and how they together can be used to create interactive web applications or websites.
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