PHP remains one of the most widely used server-side scripting languages for web development. From powering content management systems like WordPress to enabling custom dynamic websites, PHP plays a key role in modern web infrastructure.

If you’re working with PHP—whether you’re maintaining an existing website or building something new—these practical tips can help you write better code, improve performance, and secure your application.

1. Use the Latest PHP Version

Always use the latest stable PHP version. Each new version brings performance improvements, bug fixes, and enhanced security features. For example, PHP 8+ introduced Just-In-Time (JIT) compilation, making scripts run significantly faster.

Tip: Check your current version using php -v in the terminal and upgrade if you’re on an outdated version.

2. Leverage Composer for Dependency Management

Composer is the de facto tool for managing PHP packages. It simplifies adding third-party libraries, managing versions, and autoloading.

composer require monolog/monolog

Tip: Use composer.lock to ensure consistent installs across environments.

3. Enable Error Reporting (in Development Only)

During development, set your error reporting to the highest level to catch issues early.

error_reporting(E_ALL);
ini_set('display_errors', 1);

But remember to turn off error display in production to avoid exposing sensitive data.

4. Use Prepared Statements to Prevent SQL Injection

Avoid building SQL queries directly with user input. Instead, use prepared statements with PDO or MySQLi to securely interact with your database.

$stmt = $pdo->prepare("SELECT * FROM users WHERE email = ?");
$stmt->execute([$email]);

5. Keep Your Code Organized with MVC Structure

Even in small projects, organizing code into Model, View, and Controller components improves maintainability and scalability.

Tip: Frameworks like Laravel and Symfony are built around MVC and offer powerful structure out of the box.

6. Sanitize and Validate All Input

Always assume user input is untrustworthy. Use PHP’s built-in filtering functions like filter_input() and htmlspecialchars() to validate and sanitize data.

$name = htmlspecialchars($_POST['name']);
$email = filter_input(INPUT_POST, 'email', FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL);

7. Optimize Code for Performance

• Use caching (e.g., with OPcache or Memcached)

• Avoid unnecessary database queries

• Load only what you need

• Profile your scripts using tools like Xdebug or Blackfire

8. Comment Thoughtfully and Use Meaningful Names

Clear, well-commented code is easier to maintain. Use descriptive variable and function names, and leave comments only where necessary.

9. Automate Testing

Even simple unit tests can prevent regressions. Consider using PHPUnit to write and run automated tests.

composer require –dev phpunit/phpunit