Adopting PHP for Your Ecommerce Website Development

The usage statistics posted on various websites depict the massive popularity of PHP among modern enterprises as a server-side programming language. According to W3Techs.com, “PHP is used by 82.2% of all the websites whose server-side programming language we know.” PHP is currently being used a variety of websites and web applications including ecommerce websites. There are a number of reasons why you must consider developing your ecommerce website with PHP.

12 Reasons Why You Must Opt for PHP Ecommerce Development

1) Compatibility

The code written in PHP is executed on the web server. After executing the PHP code, the web server returns the results to the users as plain HTML. As each web browser supports HTML, the user can see the results sent by the web server on any web browser. At the same time, PHP applications run on major operating systems, and can be deployed on popular servers. So ecommerce website written in PHP can be accessed by users across many browsers and operating systems.

2) Performance

A number of studies have highlighted that the speed and performance of online store impacts its popularity directly. So the developers prefer writing ecommerce websites in a programming language that executes code faster. The version 7 of PHP is considered to be much faster than its predecessor. The most recent version of the server-side programming language executed the code must faster through the PHPNG engine. In addition to increasing PHP code execution speed, PHPNG engine also contributed towards reducing memory consumption. Hence, the latest version of PHP enhances the performance and speed of ecommerce applications significantly without requiring enterprises to deploy additional servers and hardware resources.

3) Flexibility

PHP is considered to be more flexible than other web programming languages. It enables programmers to add new features or functionality to the ecommerce application throughout the development process. The developers can make changes to the ecommerce application after the coding phase of the project simply by modifying the existing code base and command functions. Hence, the programmers can easily add new features to the PHP-based ecommerce applications without putting extra time and effort.

4) Scalability

At present, PHP is used by several popular and high-traffic websites. The developers have option to simplify and speed up development of ecommerce applications by taking advantage of a number of open source PHP frameworks. Likewise, they can also take advantage of robust content management systems like Magento to create custom ecommerce applications within a shorter amount of time. The frameworks and CMS further make it easier for developers to scale the ecommerce website efficiently, and make it handle additional user load continuously.

5) Security

The developers can make the ecommerce website secure by taking advantage of the built-in security features of PHP. They can even take advantage of PHP libraries and frameworks to protect the ecommerce website from targeted security attacks like SQL injection and cross-site scripting. These features enable programmers to validate the input submitted by visitors, and compel them to submit the most appropriate data. Also, the developers can implement robust authentication and verification to ensure that ecommerce application is administered only by authorized users.

6) Facilitate Database Programming

While developing ecommerce applications with PHP, the developers have option to use commonly used databases like MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL and SQLite. At the same time, they also have option to add, delete and modify the data in each database using PHP. The latest version of the scripting language further allows programmers to use PHP Data Objects (PDO) extensions to avail a consistent interface for database access. As database operations are one of the key aspects of ecommerce application development, many developers prefer using PHP for ecommerce website development.

7) Libraries and Extensions

The developers also have option to extend the functionality of the PHP ecommerce application using a number of open source libraries. Some of these libraries are also designed specifically to simplify ecommerce application development with PHP. Based on their specific requirements, the programmers can use libraries like OmniPay, Money, Swap, Sylius, Payum, Thelia and Sebastian Money. Some of these libraries facilitate payment processing, while others can be used to add new functionalities to the web store.

8) Ecommerce Platforms

There are a number of PHP-based ecommerce platforms that help developers to build custom ecommerce applications without putting extra time and effort. The developers have option to choose from a number of PHP ecommerce platforms including Magento, Opencart, PrestaShop Zen Cart, and OsCommerce. The features, add-ons, and tools provided by these open source platforms enable developers to build, run and manage custom web stores in a faster and more efficient way.

9) Shopping Cart Solutions

While developing ecommerce applications with PHP, the developers have option to choose from several open source PHP shopping cart solutions. These solutions enable developers to build professional looking ecommerce websites without writing additional and complex code. At present, Magento shopping cart is the most popular PHP-based shopping cart solution available in the market. But the developers also have option to use other PHP-based shopping cart solutions like OsCommerce, Zen Cart, VirtueMart, OpenCart, and CRE Loaded Shopping cart.

10) LAMP Stack Components

The developer can further simplify ecommerce website development by using PHP as an interchangeable component of LAMP Stack. The developers have option to change various components of LAMP Stack according to their specific needs. For instance, they can use Windows instead of Linux, and replace MySQL with a NoSQL database like MangoDB. The developers can take advantage of LAMP Stack to build and deploy ecommerce websites in a more efficient way.

11) Cloud Computing Services

While developing ecommerce websites with PHP, an enterprise can take advantage of cloud platforms and services to avoid building and maintaining real server and hardware. It can take advantage of a widely used cloud computing service like Platform as a Service (PaaS) to build, run, and deploy ecommerce websites efficiently in the cloud. The developers can take advantage of the features provided by robust PHP frameworks to take advantage of PaaS. An enterprise also has option to choose from an array of cloud services including Amazon EC2, PHPFog and Azure App Services according to specific needs of the ecommerce application.

12) Reduced Development Cost

As noted earlier, PHP is an open source scripting language. Likewise, most PHP frameworks and development tools are also open source. This enables businesses to curtail project overhead significantly by developing ecommerce websites with PHP. The businesses can further easily build create web stores by deploying skilled PHP web developers. PHP also helps small businesses and start-ups to build online stores without spending a lot of money.

On the whole, you can always consider adopting PHP for ecommerce website development to build, maintain, and deploy the web store efficiently. However, it is also important to pick the right PHP ecommerce platform, libraries, and development tools to simplify ecommerce application development. Also, you need to hire experienced PHP programmers to create ecommerce applications that deliver optimal user experience.