PHP is a widely used scripting language that has fashionably replaced the popularity of HTML in dynamic web development. Aside from being originally invented to create a dynamic website, PHP has it effects in increasing the loading speed of a website in the visitor’s browser as it is based on a server-side execution. But how does PHP works?

PHP codes are embedded into the HTML source document and interpreted by a PHP processing server, also known as an application server. The data flow of PHP is also different from a static page. It works when a user machine is connected to the internet and then to the application server to execute a PHP script. To compare with HTML, data that stores on web server is all pre-packaged as HTML pages even for Java script that is essentially static in a particular page.

Unlike a standard web server that will only serve what it is asked for, an application server can run a script in the application server when requested by user through the input that the user has returned to the application server. It can make dynamic more intelligent choices about the kind of content the user wants to see.

It can also work in conjunction with a database server although they can be physically together in one server machine but it works in different concept.

The common software that requires to run PHP scripts on a web server are such as Apache, Microsoft IIS, Zeus, etc and the editing software of PHP include some basic text editor such as Notepad or Textpad that is usually built in with most computers.