PHP, or Hypertext Preprocessor, is a popular open-source scripting language used for web development. It was created by Rasmus Lerdorf in 1994 as a simple tool for tracking visitors to his personal website. Originally called “Personal Home Page Tools”, it was later renamed to “PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor” to reflect its evolving capabilities. The first versions of PHP were written in C, making it a fast and efficient language for creating dynamic web pages. However, it wasn’t until the release of PHP 3 in 1998 that it gained widespread popularity. This version introduced a more advanced parser and support for databases, making it a powerful option for creating dynamic websites. With the rise of the internet and the need for more interactive and dynamic websites, PHP quickly became the go-to language for web developers. Its popularity was further boosted by the fact that it was free and easy to learn, making it accessible to a wide range of developers. In the early 2000s, PHP 4 was released, bringing with it even more advanced features such as support for object-oriented programming. This solidified PHP’s position as a powerful and versatile programming language. In 2004, PHP 5 was released, introducing a new engine that improved performance and added new features like improved error handling and support for XML. With each new release, PHP continued to evolve and improve, cementing its place as one of the most widely used languages for web development. In recent years, PHP has continued to grow and adapt to the changing needs of the web. In 2014, PHP 5.6 was released, followed by PHP 7 in 2015, which brought significant performance improvements and new features such as return type declarations and anonymous classes. Today, PHP is used by millions of websites, including some of the biggest names on the internet, such as Facebook and Wikipedia. It has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a tool for tracking website visitors, and has become a powerful and essential language for creating dynamic and interactive websites. From personal home pages to a powerful programming language, the history of PHP is a testament to its versatility and enduring popularity in the world of web development.