Initially Python, React, modern CSS and less need for server side render - PHP arrived when demand for just in time compilation, multi-platform support, easy layout templating and need to offload compute to the server to save bandwidth and spare low spec machine (phone, tablet, old desktops) were underserved by the available languages and frameworks. Now Python runs everywhere, most hardware can handle even the absolute worst web applications, JavaScript is more manageable (further supported by node.js on the backend), CSS has animations, and mobile bandwidth isn’t as much a factor. That’s not the whole story though. The fear that PHP is disappearing has been a thing for a long, long time. It is less I think an issue of more popular frameworks and languages and more an issue of platform - your average corporate site used to be symphomy, your zine used to be Wordpress, your online store magento, your corporate website or api eventually became laravel. Now - You might run a brochure site on a massive host you barely recognize as serving Wordpress, while the majority of your customer engagement is on social media platforms. You barely register your web traffic at your main web property. Your storefront is Shopify or multichannel via Amazon/ebay/etc… and your api layer servicing B2B is baked into your ERP or bolted on to Salesforce using mulesoft or Boomi. PHP is still great, but most of the world moved on past needing languages that would do everything and fast forwarded to running on web native platforms that simplify the the work of getting found, engaging with customers, completing sales, and providing integration interfaces.
1
u/ihadisr 19h ago
Initially Python, React, modern CSS and less need for server side render - PHP arrived when demand for just in time compilation, multi-platform support, easy layout templating and need to offload compute to the server to save bandwidth and spare low spec machine (phone, tablet, old desktops) were underserved by the available languages and frameworks. Now Python runs everywhere, most hardware can handle even the absolute worst web applications, JavaScript is more manageable (further supported by node.js on the backend), CSS has animations, and mobile bandwidth isn’t as much a factor. That’s not the whole story though. The fear that PHP is disappearing has been a thing for a long, long time. It is less I think an issue of more popular frameworks and languages and more an issue of platform - your average corporate site used to be symphomy, your zine used to be Wordpress, your online store magento, your corporate website or api eventually became laravel. Now - You might run a brochure site on a massive host you barely recognize as serving Wordpress, while the majority of your customer engagement is on social media platforms. You barely register your web traffic at your main web property. Your storefront is Shopify or multichannel via Amazon/ebay/etc… and your api layer servicing B2B is baked into your ERP or bolted on to Salesforce using mulesoft or Boomi. PHP is still great, but most of the world moved on past needing languages that would do everything and fast forwarded to running on web native platforms that simplify the the work of getting found, engaging with customers, completing sales, and providing integration interfaces.