Why PHP is Not Used Now: What Changed in Web Development?
If you ever built a website back in the 2000s, you probably used PHP—or at least ran into it. Everyone from solo coders to massive companies relied on it. Wordpress still runs on PHP! But scroll through today’s job boards, tech blogs, or developer forums, and PHP barely gets a mention next to Node.js, Python, or the latest JavaScript frameworks. So, what happened?
The short answer: a lot has changed, fast. Web development exploded with new tools that are faster, more flexible, and just a lot more fun for today's teams to use. Tech like Node.js lets you write both frontend and backend with the same language. Python’s Django and Flask are everywhere in startups. Even classic companies now go for modern stacks like Go, Rust, and even Ruby (which outstayed PHP in some ways).
It’s not that PHP stopped working. It’s just that for new projects, other languages are simply a better fit for what teams expect—scalability, cool frameworks, seamless frontend-backend integration. And let’s be real, nobody wants to write spaghetti code or troubleshoot cryptic syntax when there are shinier tools that let you build more with less hassle.
- PHP’s Rise and Its Golden Age
- What Changed in the Web Dev World
- Where Did Developers Go Instead?
- Is PHP Really Dead?
- Tips for Picking a Modern Stack
PHP’s Rise and Its Golden Age
The late 1990s and early 2000s were wild times for the internet. If you wanted to put anything on the web, you reached for PHP. Why? It was easy, free, and worked almost everywhere. By 2004, almost every entry-level developer was learning PHP through building guestbooks, forums, or shopping carts.
PHP wasn’t just a hobby tool—it powered the actual foundations of the internet. Take a look at this:
| Year | Important Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1995 | PHP created by Rasmus Lerdorf |
| 2003 | WordPress launches, built on PHP |
| 2008 | Facebook runs on PHP (using HipHop to speed things up) |
| 2010 | Over 75% of all websites use PHP |
One of PHP’s biggest selling points was how simple it made backend coding. Beginners didn’t need to worry about complicated setups—a plain text editor and a cheap shared hosting plan were enough. Most popular content management systems (CMS) still run on PHP (WordPress, Drupal, Joomla) and drove this web development boom.
- Shared hosting providers almost always advertised PHP support because it was in demand.
- Documentation and tutorials sprang up everywhere, so anyone could get started for free.
- PHP was open source and kept getting community-driven updates.
Let’s not forget the impact: in 2010, PHP powered more than 244 million websites. For a while, using PHP was just the obvious choice.
PHP is a big deal in web development history and its legacy is still visible now, especially in huge platforms and millions of smaller sites still humming along on shared servers.
What Changed in the Web Dev World
The web used to be simple—static pages, a bit of styling, maybe some sprinkle of JavaScript if you wanted to show off. Then everyone wanted slick, interactive sites with real-time updates and mobile support. Suddenly, the old ways didn’t cut it.
Frameworks changed everything. Ruby on Rails hit in 2005 and proved you could build big apps quickly without the confusion that came with older languages. Node.js landed in 2009 and made it possible to use JavaScript for both the client and server, saving time and hassle. Companies realized they could get products out the door faster with these new stacks.
It isn’t just about speed or style, though. Modern backend systems need to handle way more data, integrate with tons of APIs, and scale up as millions of users show up. Here’s what really turned the tide:
- PHP wasn’t built with today’s API-first world in mind, making things clunky for single-page apps and mobile frontends.
- Newer frameworks come with batteries included—stuff like authentication, routing, database handling—baked right in and painless to set up.
- Dev teams love using the same language everywhere, cutting down on learning curves and bugs.
- Microservices are everywhere now, and things like Go and Node just fit better out of the box.
Take a look at this snapshot from Stack Overflow’s 2024 Developer Survey:
| Language/Framework | % of Professional Devs Using |
|---|---|
| JavaScript (Node.js) | 52% |
| Python (Django/Flask) | 41% |
| PHP (Laravel/Symfony) | 21% |
| Go | 18% |
| Ruby (Rails) | 9% |
Notice that PHP hasn’t disappeared, but its share is way smaller—and younger devs barely touch it. The world wants real-time chat apps, seamless mobile support, and lightning-fast APIs, and for most teams, modern stacks just make that way simpler.
Where Did Developers Go Instead?
After PHP’s big years, developers started jumping ship fast. Why? New tools made life easier, projects faster, and code a whole lot cleaner. Here’s where the crowd went—and why these stacks took off.
Web development these days is slammed with JavaScript everywhere. Node.js exploded after 2010, letting coders use JavaScript for both frontend and backend. No switching languages or mindsets—just keep rolling with what you know. For example, according to Stack Overflow’s 2024 Developer Survey, over 46% of professional developers use Node.js on the backend. That’s massive.
- Node.js: Runs fast, tons of libraries (npm), big community. Startups love it, enterprises use it too.
- Python: Django and Flask make web apps simple and safe. Plus, Python’s readable, so getting teams up to speed is quick.
- Ruby on Rails: Still a big deal for startups building MVPs. Its convention-over-configuration setup cuts weeks off project times.
- Go (Golang): Google’s brainchild—edges out PHP for performance, especially in cloud stuff and APIs. Devs say the code is less error-prone, too.
- JavaScript Frontend Frameworks: React, Next.js, Angular, and Vue have made everything more interactive. People want seamless apps, and JavaScript is where it’s at.
You see all this show up in real numbers, too:
| Language/Framework | Usage (2024) |
|---|---|
| Node.js | 46% |
| Python (Django/Flask) | 39% |
| PHP | 19% |
| Ruby (Rails) | 12% |
| Go | 9% |
Notice how PHP trails? It’s hanging on, but it’s not the obvious first pick anymore. Cloud platforms also favor newer languages. AWS, Google Cloud, Azure—they all have tight integration and more docs for Node.js, Python, and Go. That means developers can ship apps faster and maintain them with smaller teams.
Is PHP Really Dead?
Let’s squash the rumor right here—PHP isn’t dead. Sure, it’s not the superstar on today’s trending projects, but you’d be surprised how much of the internet still leans on it. For example, WordPress (which powers about 43% of all websites) sticks with PHP. That means close to half the web, from small blogs to major news outlets, runs code written in PHP today.
PHP’s usage dips when you check the frameworks that are getting the buzz or the jobs posted for hot startups. When you filter by new, greenfield projects, PHP drops to supporting roles, especially compared to Node.js or Python. Still, PHP keeps holding onto some serious numbers.
| Platform / Tech | % of Websites Using It |
|---|---|
| WordPress (PHP-based) | 43% |
| Drupal (PHP-based) | 1.3% |
| Joomla! (PHP-based) | 1.7% |
| Laravel (PHP framework) | ~728k sites |
What’s different now is that modern engineers don’t usually pick PHP for brand-new projects. Most fresh apps want real-time features, single-page experiences, or microservices. Languages that play nicer with those ideas get picked. Plus, younger devs often learn web development with JavaScript or Python, not PHP.
But here’s the real deal—legacy projects and established platforms need folks who know PHP. There are tons of maintenance gigs, migrations, and even new feature builds inside those existing codebases. If you can handle PHP, you’re far from out of work. In fact, fewer new PHP developers means less competition for those roles.
So, no, PHP isn’t dead. It’s just not the cool new kid anymore—it’s the reliable old truck that keeps running, and someone has to keep it fueled. If your goal is quick job security, especially in legacy projects, PHP still delivers. If you want to build the next viral app, you’ll probably choose something else.
Tips for Picking a Modern Stack
If you’re standing at the crossroads, trying to pick the right tech stack for your next project, you’re definitely not alone. The amount of choice out there is wild. Here’s how to cut through the noise and actually make a decision that’ll last.
- Look at your team’s strengths. Is everyone a JavaScript whiz? Node.js might be dead simple. Got Python fans? Django or Flask wins. Don’t pick something nobody enjoys or understands.
- Check your project type. Small website or landing page? Something like Next.js or Astro is quick and smooth. Building APIs for a mobile app? Consider Express, FastAPI, or Go.
- Consider speed and scalability. Node.js and Go punch above their weight for performance. For heavy data, Python frameworks come loaded with mature libraries.
- Support and jobs matter. Go where the action is. Node.js, Python, and JavaScript have huge communities and active hiring. Job boards in 2025 show Python and JavaScript outpacing PHP for new gigs.
- Don’t ignore hosting and costs. Serverless options (like Vercel or AWS Lambda) can take most of the pain out of scaling—just check your stack’s compatibility first.
Here’s a peek at the share of job postings by backend language right now:
| Language | 2023 Job Postings (%) | 2025 Job Postings (%) |
|---|---|---|
| JavaScript (Node.js) | 34 | 40 |
| Python | 28 | 32 |
| PHP | 14 | 7 |
| Go | 10 | 12 |
| Ruby | 8 | 5 |
If you really can’t decide, search for open-source projects built with what you’re considering, and check out their codebase. See if people are happy using it. Even try building something quick and dirty yourself. You’ll know pretty fast if the stack is a good fit. At the end of the day, there’s no one-size-fits-all. Just pick a stack that makes sense for what you’re building, and one your team will actually enjoy maintaining. Don't be afraid to leave PHP behind if it doesn’t tick those boxes anymore.