PHP, or Hypertext Preprocessor, was first created in 1994 by Rasmus Lerdorf as a simple scripting language for personal use. Its initial purpose was to help Lerdorf keep track of visitors to his online resume. However, as the internet grew in popularity, so did the demand for dynamic and interactive websites. This led to the evolution of PHP from a basic tool to a versatile language for web development. In 1995, Lerdorf released the source code of PHP as an open-source project, allowing other developers to contribute to its development. This move sparked a community of developers who helped shape PHP into a powerful tool for creating dynamic web pages. The first major milestone in PHP’s evolution came in 1997 when Andi Gutmans and Zeev Suraski rewrote the PHP engine, resulting in PHP 3. This version introduced new features such as support for databases, cookies, and user-defined functions, making PHP more suitable for web development. In 1999, PHP 4 was released, which further improved its performance and introduced features like object-oriented programming and improved support for databases. With these advancements, PHP was no longer just a simple scripting language, but a robust tool for creating complex and dynamic websites. In 2004, PHP 5 was released, which brought significant changes and improvements, including improved support for object-oriented programming and a brand new engine. This version also introduced the concept of namespaces, making it easier to organize and manage code. In recent years, PHP has continued to evolve with the release of PHP 7 in 2015, which focused on improving performance and security. This version saw a significant increase in speed, making PHP a more competitive option for web development. Today, PHP is used by millions of developers and powers over 79% of all websites on the internet. Its evolution from a simple scripting language to a versatile tool for web development is a testament to the power of open-source collaboration and continuous improvement. With each new version, PHP continues to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of web development, making it a reliable and popular choice for creating dynamic and interactive websites.