PHP is a programming language that is primarily used for web development. You can use it to create dynamic websites and embed it into HTML. PHP stands for Hypertext Preprocessor and is a server-side language, which means that the code is executed on the server rather than in the user's web browser.
PHP is important because it is a widely-used language for creating dynamic websites. It is used by many popular websites and content management systems, such as WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla. PHP is also relatively easy to learn and use, compared to other programming languages, which makes it a good choice for web developers who are just starting out.
Because of PHP’s popularity, it is a valuable target for cybercriminals. Common security vulnerabilities affecting PHP applications include SQL injection, cross site scripting (CSS), and cross-site request forgery (CSRF). Owners of PHP websites can protect against these attacks via best practices like upgrading their PHP version, using the secure HTTPS protocol, and leveraging prepared SQL statements to prevent injection.