Medians Roadmaps
Complete PHP Programming Language Roadmap
A comprehensive roadmap for mastering PHP from fundamentals to advanced concepts, covering syntax, OOP, web development, security, and modern PHP practices.
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Overview
Learning Path
PHP Setup & Basic Syntax
Install PHP, understand basic syntax including comments, statement terminators, code blocks, case sensitivity, and naming conventions. Learn about PHP tags, file extensions, and how PHP scripts execute.
Variables & Data Types
Master PHP variables, data types (integers, floats, strings, booleans, arrays, objects, null), type juggling, type casting, and type checking functions. Understand variable scope and constants.
PHP Operators
Learn all PHP operators: arithmetic, assignment, comparison (==, ===, !=, !==), logical, bitwise, increment/decrement, ternary, null coalescing (??), spaceship (<=>), and string concatenation.
Strings & String Functions
Master string manipulation in PHP: single vs double quotes, string interpolation, escape sequences, concatenation, strlen, substr, str_replace, trim, strtoupper/lower, explode, implode, and more.
Control Flow
Master control structures: if/else/elseif statements, switch/match statements, ternary operators, null coalescing, guard clauses, and truthy/falsy values in PHP.
Loops & Iteration
Learn all PHP loop types: for, while, do-while, foreach loops. Master loop control with break and continue. Understand nested loops and iteration patterns.
Arrays & Array Functions
Master PHP arrays: indexed and associative arrays, multi-dimensional arrays, array functions (array_push, array_pop, array_merge, array_map, array_filter, array_reduce), sorting, and array destructuring.
Functions
Learn function declaration, parameters, return values, default parameters, variable-length arguments, type declarations, return type hints, arrow functions, anonymous functions, closures, and scope.
Superglobals & Web Features
Master PHP superglobals ($_GET, $_POST, $_REQUEST, $_SERVER, $_SESSION, $_COOKIE, $_FILES, $_ENV). Learn form handling, HTTP methods, query parameters, and file uploads.
Sessions & Cookies
Understand session management with session_start(), $_SESSION, session configuration. Learn cookie creation, reading, and deletion. Master authentication basics and session security.
File I/O Operations
Master file operations: reading (file_get_contents, fread), writing (file_put_contents, fwrite), file modes, file existence checks, directory operations, path manipulation, file uploads, and permissions.
Object-Oriented Programming Basics
Learn OOP fundamentals: classes, objects, properties, methods, constructors, $this keyword, access modifiers (public, private, protected), static members, and constants.
Inheritance & Polymorphism
Master inheritance with extends keyword, method overriding, parent keyword, abstract classes, interfaces, polymorphism, type hinting, and interface implementation.
Traits & Magic Methods
Learn PHP traits for code reuse, magic methods (__construct, __destruct, __get, __set, __call, __toString, __invoke, __clone), and late static binding.
Namespaces & Autoloading
Master namespaces, namespace declaration, use statements, aliases, PSR-4 autoloading standard, Composer autoloading, and organizing code with namespaces.
Error Handling & Exceptions
Learn error handling: try-catch-finally blocks, throwing exceptions, custom exception classes, exception hierarchy, error logging, set_error_handler, and exception best practices.
Database Operations with PDO
Master PDO for database operations: connections, prepared statements, parameter binding, transactions, error handling, CRUD operations, fetchAll, fetch modes, and SQL injection prevention.
JSON & Data Serialization
Master JSON operations: json_encode, json_decode, handling JSON errors, working with APIs, serialization, XML parsing (SimpleXML, DOMDocument), and CSV operations.
Regular Expressions (PCRE)
Learn regex in PHP: preg_match, preg_match_all, preg_replace, regex patterns, character classes, quantifiers, anchors, groups, capturing, lookahead/lookbehind, and regex modifiers.
Date & Time Operations
Master DateTime class, date formatting, date parsing, timezones, DateTimeImmutable, DateInterval, DatePeriod, Carbon library, and date arithmetic.
PHP Security Best Practices
Master security: input validation, output escaping, SQL injection prevention, XSS prevention, CSRF protection, password hashing (password_hash, password_verify), secure session management, and security headers.
Design Patterns in PHP
Learn common design patterns: Singleton, Factory, Observer, Strategy, Decorator, Adapter, Repository, Dependency Injection, and SOLID principles.
Testing with PHPUnit
Master unit testing: PHPUnit setup, writing test cases, assertions, test fixtures, mocking, stubbing, test coverage, TDD principles, and testing best practices.
Modern PHP 8+ Features
Explore PHP 8+ features: attributes, enums, named arguments, union types, match expressions, constructor property promotion, nullsafe operator, JIT compilation, and readonly properties.
Advanced Topics & Performance
Master advanced concepts: generators, iterators, SPL data structures, reflection, caching strategies (OPcache, Redis, Memcached), performance optimization, profiling, and PHP best practices.
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