8 Best PHP Developer Skills to Look out for in 2023

PHP is one of the most popular scripting languages for the last many years. It was developed by a single developer as a side project. And the longevity of the PHP programming language shows that it has passed through various web developers who have worked on their PHP development skills to offer better solutions. As per a survey by W3Techs, PHP is a server side programming language that is used by around 77.8% of all the websites that are available in the web development market, and this means that it is a well-known programming language. 

The statistics prove that almost 8 out of every 10 websites in the market are using PHP to offer the best services. The usage number increases with each passing day. And though there are many new programming languages in the market that are becoming popular, PHP still remains in the top 10 most popularly used programming, markup, and scripting languages, says Stack Overflow. 

PHP is an open-source programming language and it is used by tech giants such as Facebook, WikiPedia etc. Ecommerce frameworks like Drupal, WordPress and Magento also use PHP as their programming language.  And this is all because of its ubiquitous nature. Developers find it easy to learn and use PHP. To know more about PHP and see what skills any programmer would require to become a good PHP developer, let’s go through this blog.

1. What is a PHP Developer?

 A PHP developer is a professional who develops PHP applications, software programs, and dynamic websites, using the dynamic scripting language called PHP. Sounds easy enough, right? Sometimes, PHP developers are referred to by more generic titles like “software developer” or “web developer.” However, PHP developers in India are just a specialized subset of the developers who are specialized in PHP and its frameworks.

2. Top PHP Developer Skills

What are PHP developer skills? So whether you are willing to become a successful PHP developer or looking for a high-level PHP developer, then you must understand the competitive job market. In addition, you must know these crucial PHP  skills before making a choice. 

1. Client-Side Scripting

Apart from PHP code, scripts, and Web APIs, a Successful PHP developer must be well-acquainted with client-side scripting languages like HTML and CSS, JavaScript, etc.

2. Database

PHP programming is all about a collection of Data Resources and Information. A web developer must have a basic knowledge of the PHP framework inside-out. Right from what a database is and how to integrate different methodologies, he should also have knowledge about various databases such as MySQL, Postgresql, MongoDB, Oracle, etc.

3. Framework

PHP development team shouldn’t limit themselves to understanding only the core PHP language. They must also seek to learn other alternatives such as other programming languages and frameworks such asLaravel, CakePHP, Zend, FatFree, CodeIgniter frameworks, etc.. 

4. Good Communication Skills

Communication is the key to the success or failure of any project and just PHP is no exception. Many PHP developers make this common mistake: they don’t have good communication skills. Whether you are working on one or juggling multiple programming projects, you must incorporate basic business communication etiquettes. So before proceeding any further learn how to communicate like a professional. Unfortunately, lots and lots of techies are unable to communicate well with their managers and clients, the reason could be cultural barriers or language fluency, or anything else.

5. Be comfortable with Composer, PSR, PHPUnit

Make sure you’re using several tools that will make you a better PHP developer. Use a dependent manager like Composer as it will take care of your libraries, classes, and functions as well as allow you to easily install various versions of each project. Apart from this, ensure that you’re familiar with PHP Standard Recommendation and PHPUnit to standardize PHP programming concepts.

6. Web Designing skills

Other than dealing with PHP scripts, a PHP developer does have a job as a web designer as well. This means he should be knowledgeable regarding web design principles; determining the look and feel of a website.

The PHP developer must not just be acquainted with Javascript but the user interface, chrome dev tools, system design process, front end web page, CSS customization, networking skills, etc.

7. In-depth Technical Skills

Web development is not an easy task. It takes a hell lot of time and effort to excel. You need to hire a professional who not just possesses some PHP skills but also tries every trick from his book to succeed Otherwise, you might go broke.

By now you may have already hired developers, who’ve studied computer science, PHP  MVC framework architecture, and web development languages. Do you think it’s enough? This is not it! You need programmers with severe problem-solving skills and the ability to develop as well as deploy applications to a great extent. 

Before you hire the leading freelance sites or dedicated PHP developers, just make sure his PHP knowledge is right on point. The entire hiring process is not easy but at the same time, it is not impossible.

8. Willingness to learn more about the PHP business

Last but certainly not least is the eagerness to learn more, the passion, the never-ending craving. Try to choose a professional who endeavors hard to learn beyond his skill set. Now, this is something you may not notice at first sight.  Whether you are choosing PHP or any other programming language, you will learn when you speak to them one on one. Somehow check whether their skills and technical experience are equivalent to your predefined needs and requirements.

3. So That’s All!

This is how you can hire the best PHP developer for your upcoming project. To know more, keep watching space for the long run!