Being a general-purpose scripting language, PHP is used to build interactive, intuitive, and dynamic websites. It was one of the earlies server-side languages that could be seamlessly integrated into HTML. In 2022, there are a lot of conversations about its impended doom. But that is true only if you ignore the usage statistics.
- 9% of all websites use PHP as the server-side language.
- It is also used in developing 27% of all web utilities.
- The framework has a 86% share of the programming languages market.
- Over 36,56,455 companies use PHP globally.
These are not statistics that you can attach to a technology awaiting its annihilation. In this blog, we will be discussing the various competencies any company should look for, while hiring a PHP developer.
Competencies Of A PHP Developer
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Client-side scripting
Basic understanding of various scripts pertaining to PHP and Web API, along with client-side scripting languages such as JavaScript, HTML, and CSS is crucial for any PHP developer.
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Framework
Just understanding and knowing the PHP language is no longer enough for good developers. Professionals should also learn frameworks such as Laravel, Zend, CakePHP, FatFree, and CodeIgniter among others. Over and above basic coding skills, the developer must also be proficient in streamlining a basic structure for web app development.
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Database
A collection of data resources and information is all that PHP programming is essentially about. Integration of database management tools such as Oracle, MongoDB, MySQL, and Postgresql among others must come easily to the developer.
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Web designing
A PHP developer is a web designer as well. They must be adept in design principles and understand crafting a good UX through a well sculpted UI. Typographies, proportions, grid systems and colour theory must be in the basic skillset of any PHP developer. You have to judge the developer based on their familiarity with Chrome dev tools, system design process, networking skills, front end designing skills, CSS customizations etc.
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Technical expertise
Any developer worth their salt must be skillful in creating, deploying, and maintaining the app end-to-end. And this skill must be over and above their technical expertise in the framework, web development languages, and MVC frameworks. They must also have expertise in database integration methodologies.
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Communication
Though this falls under soft skills, it is inevitable. Communication lays the foundation for the success or failure of any project. Any developer must have the basic communication etiquettes to be followed in a corporate atmosphere.
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Tools
Good PHP developers will have proficiency in automation and management tools. Composer is one such tool that aids dependency management for classes, functions, and libraries. PHP specifications like PSR (PHP Standard Recommendation) can help the developer in standardizing programming concepts and enhance interoperability. Another tool is a unit testing framework called PHPUnit. This helps in automating the testing of smaller units. Talking about unit testing, a TDD approach or the Test-Driven Development attitude must drive the developer you are seeking to hire.
With the above-mentioned list, we can conclude that hiring a well-versed developer who can take up a holistic responsibility of the project is far better than partnering with someone with only language proficiency. Let us sum this discussion up on that note.
CONCLUSION
Hiring or partnering with a developer is not just about having the technical output aligned with the company’s goals. It goes much beyond that. Any developer must be able to adapt to the changes happening to the PHP landscape and also understand the latest trends to follow while developing. This makes them a crucial cog to minimize the distance between a mind-blowing solution that caters to user delight and the core business competencies of the organization.
If you are on the lookout for PHP experts who can help your business scale new height, you have landed at the right spot. Visit Orion eSolutions to know a little deeper about out technical expertise. We have helped out partners to fashion compelling solutions for their web development needs and out PHP proficiency is second to none. Get in touch with us today to experience a winning partnership.
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