PHP, a server-side scripting language used for web development, has seen a remarkable evolution from its humble beginnings as a tool for creating personal home pages to a powerful and versatile programming language. Initially created in 1994 by Rasmus Lerdorf as a simple set of Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripts for tracking visits to his online resume, PHP (which stands for “Personal Home Page”) quickly gained popularity among web developers due to its ease of use and integration with HTML. However, it wasn’t until 1995, when Lerdorf released the source code for PHP, that the language truly took off. This allowed other developers to improve upon the language and add new features, leading to the release of PHP version 2.0 in 1997. With this release, PHP became more than just a tool for creating static web pages, as it could now interact with databases and handle more complex tasks. The release of PHP 3.0 in 1998 marked a major milestone for the language, as it introduced a complete rewrite of the core, making it faster and more efficient. This version also introduced support for object-oriented programming, a crucial feature for creating large and complex web applications. As the internet continued to grow and evolve, so did PHP. The release of PHP 4.0 in 2000 saw the addition of more advanced features such as sessions, XML parsing, and improved database support. This version also marked the beginning of PHP’s widespread use in e-commerce and content management systems. However, it wasn’t until the release of PHP 5.0 in 2004 that the language truly solidified its place as a powerful programming language. With the addition of new features like native support for Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) and improved error handling, PHP became a serious contender among other popular languages like Java and C++. Today, PHP is used by millions of developers and powers some of the most popular websites and applications on the internet. Its versatility and constant updates continue to make it a top choice for web development, and its evolution from a simple tool for personal home pages to a powerful programming language is a testament to its enduring success.