Is PHP Dead in 2025? The Truth Behind the Hype

"PHP is dead!"
You’ve probably heard this phrase echoing across tech forums and developer communities. But is it really true in 2025? Or is it just another case of internet drama?

Let’s break it down.

Why People Think PHP Is Dead

Over the years, PHP has been labeled as outdated or poorly designed compared to newer languages like Node.js, Python, and Go. Here are the most common criticisms:

• Old syntax and inconsistent function naming.

• Historically messy codebases.

• Rise of modern JavaScript frameworks.

• Fewer new projects are starting with “pure PHP”.

But that doesn’t tell the full story.

The Reality: PHP in Numbers (2025)

Despite the chatter, PHP still powers a huge portion of the internet:

• Over 75% of all websites use PHP in some form (source: W3Techs).

• WordPress, which runs 43% of the web, is built on PHP.

• Laravel, a modern PHP framework, is more popular than ever with growing developer adoption.

• Facebook, Slack, Wikipedia, and Mailchimp have PHP in their stacks (some heavily customized, like Hack for Facebook).

If PHP is dead, it’s doing a great job pretending to be alive.

Modern PHP Is Not What It Used to Be

PHP has evolved significantly:

• PHP 8.x introduced JIT (Just-In-Time) compilation, better performance, and modern features like attributes, union types, match expressions, and more.

• Laravel, Symfony, and Laminas bring structure, security, and developer joy to PHP applications.

• Composer has made dependency management as good as npm or pip.

• PSR standards bring consistency and interoperability across packages.

Today’s PHP is object-oriented, fast, and testable.

Real-World Use Cases in 2025

Many businesses still rely on PHP because:

• It’s reliable and battle-tested.

• Hosting is cheap and widely supported.

• Huge developer pool.

• Great for MVPs, CRMs, eCommerce, APIs, and even enterprise apps.

From startups to large enterprises, PHP remains a trusted backend language.

The Future of PHP

Will PHP dominate the future? Maybe not.
Is it going anywhere anytime soon? Absolutely not.

Instead, PHP is:

• Maturing as a backend workhorse.

• Integrating smoothly with frontends powered by Vue, React, and Inertia.js.

• Seeing a steady stream of improvements in both performance and developer experience.

Conclusion: PHP Isn’t Dead — It’s Evolved

Saying "PHP is dead" is like saying "email is dead". It may not be shiny or trendy, but it’s foundational, dependable, and evolving quietly in the background.

FAQ: PHP in 2025

Is PHP worth learning in 2025?

Yes. PHP is still one of the most widely-used server-side languages. With modern frameworks like Laravel, learning PHP in 2025 means accessing a huge job market, working on real-world applications, and contributing to stable, production-ready systems.

Will PHP be replaced?

PHP won’t be "replaced" anytime soon. While newer languages may be used in some startups or microservices, PHP remains dominant in legacy systems, CMS platforms, and frameworks like WordPress and Laravel.

Is PHP still good for backend development?

Absolutely. PHP is reliable, secure, and fast—especially with PHP 8’s performance improvements. Its rich ecosystem, wide hosting support, and REST API capabilities make it a strong choice for backend development.

Which companies use PHP in 2025?

Major platforms like WordPress, Facebook, Slack, Mailchimp, Wikipedia, and thousands of eCommerce and SaaS businesses still use PHP or PHP-based frameworks in their backend infrastructure.

Is PHP outdated compared to Node.js or Python?

PHP has modernized significantly. While Node.js and Python offer strong alternatives, PHP—with Laravel, Symfony, and PHP 8+—now provides comparable performance, developer experience, and scalability.

In 2025, PHP is very much alive — just not screaming for attention.