An Overview Of How PHP Works With a Web Server

PHP is a server-side scripting language, which means that PHP scripts are executed on the server where the website is hosted. When a client, typically a web browser, makes a request to a server for a webpage that contains PHP code, the following process is typically followed:

• Request: A user opens a web browser, types in a URL, and sends a request to a server. If the URL corresponds to a PHP file, the server knows it needs to interpret the PHP code because of the .php file extension.

• PHP Interpreter: The server has a PHP interpreter (either as a module or as a CGI) installed. This PHP interpreter processes the PHP script. The PHP preprocessor takes the PHP code, which is embedded in the HTML and executes it.

• Database Interaction: If the PHP script requires data from a database (like MySQL, PostgreSQL, etc.), it will send a request to the database. After retrieving the data, it will embed it in the HTML.

• Response: After processing the PHP script, the server sends the resulting output back to the client. This output is typically in the form of an HTML page that the client’s web browser can render. It’s important to note that the client never sees the actual PHP code, only the HTML output generated by the PHP script.

• Client-Side Rendering: The client’s web browser receives the HTML (and possibly CSS, JavaScript, and other resources) and renders the webpage for the user to interact with.

So, in summary, PHP works with a web server to process client requests, potentially interact with a database, generate HTML (or other types of output), and return this output to the client. PHP is often used to add dynamic content to web pages or to create entire dynamic web applications.