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Python Tutorial for Beginners

Overview

The Best Tips for Learning Python

Lesson - 1

Top 10 Reason Why You Should Learn Python

Lesson - 2

How to Install Python on Windows?

Lesson - 3

Top 20 Python IDEs in 2025: Choosing The Best One

Lesson - 4

A Beginner’s Guide To Python Variables

Lesson - 5

Python Numbers: Integers, Floats, Complex Numbers

Lesson - 6

Understanding Python If-Else Statement

Lesson - 7

Introduction to Python Strings

Lesson - 8

The Basics of Python Loops

Lesson - 9

Python For Loops Explained With Examples

Lesson - 10

Introduction to Python While Loop

Lesson - 11

Everything You Need to Know about Python Arrays

Lesson - 12

All You Need To Know About Python List

Lesson - 13

How to Easily Implement Python Sets and Dictionaries

Lesson - 14

Tuples in Python: A Complete Guide

Lesson - 15

Everything You Need to Know About Python Slicing

Lesson - 16

Python Regular Expression (RegEX)

Lesson - 17

Learn A to Z About Python Functions

Lesson - 18

Objects and Classes in Python: Create, Modify and Delete

Lesson - 19

Python OOPs Concept: Here's What You Need to Know

Lesson - 20

An Introduction to Python Threading

Lesson - 21

Getting Started With Jupyter Network

Lesson - 22

PyCharm Tutorial: Getting Started with PyCharm

Lesson - 23

The Best NumPy Tutorial for Beginners

Lesson - 24

The Best Python Pandas Tutorial

Lesson - 25

An Introduction to Matplotlib for Beginners

Lesson - 26

The Best Guide to Time Series Analysis In Python

Lesson - 27

An Introduction to Scikit-Learn: Machine Learning in Python

Lesson - 28

A Beginner's Guide to Web Scraping With Python

Lesson - 29

Expressions in Python

Lesson - 30

Python Django Tutorial: The Best Guide on Django Framework

Lesson - 31

10 Cool Python Project Ideas For Beginners in 2024

Lesson - 32

Top 20 Python Automation Projects Ideas For Beginners

Lesson - 33

How to Become a Python Developer?: A Complete Guide

Lesson - 34

The Best Guide for RPA Using Python

Lesson - 35

Comprehending Web Development With PHP vs. Python

Lesson - 36

The Best Way to Learn About Box and Whisker Plot

Lesson - 37

An Interesting Guide to Visualizing Data Using Python Seaborn

Lesson - 38

The Complete Guide to Data Visualization in Python

Lesson - 39

Everything You Need to Know About Game Designing With Pygame in Python

Lesson - 40

Python Bokeh: What Is Bokeh, Types of Graphs and Layout

Lesson - 41

Top 150+ Python Interview Questions You Must Know for 2025

Lesson - 42

The Supreme Guide to Understand the Workings of CPython

Lesson - 43

The Best Guide to String Formatting in Python

Lesson - 44

How to Automate an Excel Sheet in Python: All You Need to Know

Lesson - 45

How to Make a Chatbot in Python

Lesson - 46

What is a Multiline Comment in Python?

Lesson - 47

Palindrome in Python

Lesson - 48

Data Structures in Python: A Comprehensive Guide

Lesson - 49

Fibonacci Series in Python

Lesson - 50

Types of Errors in Python: Learn with Practical Examples

Lesson - 51

PHP vs. Python: A Detailed Comparison Based On Syntax, Features, Applications & More

Lesson 36 of 51By Ravikiran A S

Last updated on Jun 3, 2024104837
Comprehending Web Development With PHP vs. Python

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Out of the many web development languages around, about 79.8% of websites use PHP, while Python is gaining tremendous momentum in the web development world. Both languages, although used for web development, serve different purposes. 

In this PHP vs. Python tutorial, you will explore their differences and similarities and learn what makes them unique in their respective ways.

What is PHP?

PHP or Hypertext Preprocessor is a server-side, open-source,  scripting language. It find most use in dynamic web development and when embedded into HTML codes.

PHP comprises 79.8% of all web applications, which nearly translates to 20 million websites and 2 million web servers.

PHPVsPython_1

Features of PHP

To have a market share as big as PHP, a programming language should have many features that make development simpler and efficient. 

Some of the key features of PHP are listed below:

  • It is an open-source language.
  • It is an easy-to-learn language, so PHP is the language of choice if you have less time on your hands.
  • It is highly compatible, as it works with multiple programming languages such as HTML, Javascript and supports various database languages like MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, and so on.
  • It is platform-independent.
  • It has an extensive community.

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What is Python?

Python is an interpreted, high-level and object-oriented programming language generally used for Web Development, AI, Machine Learning, and System Scripting.

It is amongst one of the fastest programming languages requiring very few lines of code. It is also amongst the top choices of developers for a programming language in 2021.

PHPVsPython_2

Features of Python

Python has a vast range of applications ranging from web development to AI and data science and hence has a ton of features to support the variety of its use.

Some of the important features of Python are listed below:

  • Easy to learn and maintain.

  • Uniform Interface across various platforms.

  • It is an open-source language.

  • It is Scalable. It provides excellent support for large programs.

  • It is a versatile language as you can integrate it with various other languages such as C, C++, and JAVA.
  •  It is an interpreted language. You do not need to compile Python code.

Critical Differences in PHP vs. Python

Parameter

PHP 

Python

Learning Curve

Easy-to-learn language. Suited for beginner

Better in long term projects

Applications

Web development

Web development, AI, Machine learning, System Scripting

Framework

It has a large number of frameworks. E.g., Zend, Laravel

Lower Number of frameworks in comparison. E.g., Django, Flask

Performance

PHP 7th gen is faster

Less fast in comparison

Community

A very large and old community

Very popular but smaller community in comparison

Database Support

Supports more than 20 different databases

Less database support than PHP

Maintenance

Difficult to maintain large programs

Easy to maintain

Syntax

Conventional Syntax with different naming conventions

Easy to understand syntax. Very close to the English language.

Companies

Facebook, Yahoo, WordPress

Instagram, Google, Pinterest

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Syntax: PHP vs. Python

The syntax of a language defines its readability and ease of writing, and in terms of syntax, Python is much simpler and more readable as it resembles a lot with the English language, while PHP has a wide range of conventions which makes it less easy to understand.

Now, look at the syntax of both of these programming languages:

Python

Since Python doesn’t use braces to differentiate parts of code, it has indentation rules to indicate blocks of code and increase readability.

if(7<10)

    print ("Hello World!")

Here, a simple ‘if’ condition checks if 7<10 and if true, it prints the code under the ‘if’ condition’s block. And to print a value, it uses a simple “print”  and the value follows it.

Also, while defining variables, there’s no need to define the variable type.

x = 10

y = "Simplilearn"

z = 70.8

PHP

PHP scripts are usually embedded into HTML codes. A PHP script starts with ‘<?php’ and ends with ‘?>’ while the code comes in between.

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html>

<body>

  <?php

    echo "Welcome to Simplilearn!";

  ?>

</body>

</html>

In PHP, ‘echo’ is used to print values.

PHP vs. Python: When to Use which?

Although both languages support web development, they are used at different times as per requirements. There’s no one language better than the other. 

Have a look at which language is best suited and when amongst the two:

Python

  • Preferred when working with data science, AI, and machine learning
  • When working on large-scale projects using the Django framework
  • System Scripting

PHP

  • Preferred for beginners into web development
  • Creating websites, blogs, and web applications
  • For an efficient server-side with low investments
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Conclusion 

This concludes the “PHP vs Python” tutorial. Here, you learned about the two languages, their features, key differences, and their respective syntax. Later, you learned about when the two respective languages are used based on requirements.

You can refer to this link here for a video tutorial on PHP vs. Python.

Are you gearing up for a career change into PHP development? Simplilearn’s PHP course would be an excellent first step for you. The PHP certification is an applied learning program which helps you understand the fundamental and advanced concepts, and the latest improvements in PHP - making your PHP learning journey easy and effective.

If you have any queries regarding this PHP VS Python article, share them easily with us in the comments section of this article web page. We’ll have our subject matter experts look into them and share their responses with you soon.

Happy Learning! 

About the Author

Ravikiran A SRavikiran A S

Ravikiran A S works with Simplilearn as a Research Analyst. He an enthusiastic geek always in the hunt to learn the latest technologies. He is proficient with Java Programming Language, Big Data, and powerful Big Data Frameworks like Apache Hadoop and Apache Spark.

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