What is PHP 7? A Complete Guide for Beginners by Cyber Gita
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What is PHP 7? A Complete Guide for Beginners

PHP 7 is one of the biggest updates in the history of the PHP programming language. Released more than a decade after PHP 5 (2004), this version is often described as a revolution for web development.

With faster performance, lower memory usage, and several new features, PHP 7 is widely adopted for building modern websites, mobile-ready web applications, and cloud-based platforms.

Let’s dive into the major improvements and why PHP 7 became a game-changer for developers.

Key Features of PHP 7

PHP 7 introduced dozens of updates, but here are the most important ones:

  • Improved Performance – Thanks to the integration of PHPNG (Next Generation), PHP 7 is almost twice as fast as PHP 5.6.
  • Lower Memory Consumption – Applications use fewer resources, making them more scalable.
  • Scalar Type Declarations – You can now enforce parameter and return types, improving code quality.
  • Consistent 64-bit Support – Full compatibility with 64-bit systems.
  • Improved Exception Hierarchy – Error handling became cleaner and more consistent.
  • Fatal Errors Converted to Exceptions – Many errors that used to crash scripts can now be caught as exceptions.
  • Secure Random Number Generator – Built-in functions for cryptographically secure random values.
  • Null Coalescing Operator (??) – A shorthand for checking if a variable is set.
  • Anonymous Classes – Faster class definitions for one-time use.
  • Zero-Cost Assertions – Debugging with no impact on performance in production.

💡 PHP 7 is powered by Zend Engine 3.0, which nearly doubles performance and reduces memory usage by up to 50% compared to PHP 5.6.

PHP 7 Performance: How Fast Is It?

According to benchmarks by the Zend team, PHP 7 significantly outperforms PHP 5.6 and even rivals HHVM (HipHop Virtual Machine).

Here’s how PHP 7 performs on popular platforms:

  • Magento 1.9 → More than 2x faster than PHP 5.6.
  • Drupal 7 → Executes transactions twice as fast as PHP 5.6.
  • WordPress 3.6 → Delivers pages over 2x faster compared to PHP 5.6.

This means websites can handle more users with the same hardware, reducing hosting costs while improving speed.

Setting Up PHP 7 Environment

To run PHP 7 applications locally or on a server, you’ll need three essential components:

  1. Web Server – Most developers use Apache, though PHP also works with IIS and Nginx.
    👉 Download Apache
  2. Database – PHP integrates with MySQL, Oracle, Sybase, and more.
    👉 Download MySQL
  3. PHP Parser – Converts PHP code into HTML output.

Once installed, create a simple file to check your PHP installation:

<?php 
phpinfo(); 
?>

Save it as phpinfo.php in your server’s root directory and visit:

http://127.0.0.1/phpinfo.php

If you see detailed PHP configuration info, your setup is successful ✅

Try PHP 7 Online

Want to test PHP 7 without installation? You can use an online PHP compiler such as CodingGround or other platforms.

Example:

<html> 
   <head> 
      <title>Online PHP Script Execution</title> 
   </head> 
   <body> 
      <?php 
         echo "<h1>Hello, PHP 7!</h1>"; 
      ?>    
   </body> 
</html>

Run this snippet online and see PHP in action instantly.

Why Upgrade to PHP 7?

If your website or application is still running on PHP 5.x, upgrading to PHP 7 offers:

  • Better speed (twice as fast).
  • Reduced server costs due to lower memory usage.
  • Modern coding practices with strict type declarations.
  • Improved error handling with exceptions.
  • Stronger security features like a built-in secure random number generator.

Final Thoughts

PHP 7 was a landmark release that transformed how developers build and deliver web applications. With its speed, efficiency, and developer-friendly features, it has become the preferred choice for CMS platforms like WordPress, Drupal, and Magento.

If you’re starting out in web development or maintaining existing PHP projects, migrating to PHP 7 is a must to stay future-proof, secure, and efficient.

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