What is PHP?

PHP stands for ‘Hypertext Preprocessor’. It is an open-source language that is often used for the development of dynamic websites and web applications. PHP was initially built to help individuals make personal web pages and also generate HTML codes. Over time the scope and usage of the language have expanded. Now, it offers a wide range of functions, options along with a range of web services.

What makes PHP Popular?

Almost 79% of the world’s websites are made from PHP and it is ranked amongst the top 10 popular programming languages. So what makes PHP so popular? 

• Technically the attribute that makes PHP unique is the fact that the code is executed on a server that is embedded into the HTML. This code is then sent to the user directly, rather than getting executed on the visitor’s browser. This way PHP focuses on the server-side of the development.
• PHP is helpful in building cross-platform applications. 
• Another major advantage of PHP is that it can easily work on all major OS like Windows, macOS, Linux, Unix, and more. It gives the ability to the developer to go for a web server or OS that is most suitable for their needs.. 
• PHP also makes it easy to scale up websites or applications, customize them based on the project, business, or company requirements. 
• Website and web applications built on PHP have a quick and responsive UI (User Interface).
• From a developer’s point of view, PHP is easy to learn, runs on a wide range of web servers, has a large number of frameworks, and has great support due to the extensive community. 

Clearly, PHP makes sense both for developers and enterprises.

While PHP is easy to learn and execute, to build robust websites or web applications it will be essential to have developers who have an in-depth and practical understanding of the language. This becomes even more necessary when working with remote PHP developers.

Since it is an open-source language, the pool of PHP developers is also wide, and choosing the best out of them can be an uphill task. In the subsequent sections of this article, we will talk about how to hire remote PHP developers, the skill sets, the experience required, and more. Read on…

Hiring Remote PHP Developers – Key Tips

In the world of web development, PHP has earned its place because of its ability to do a wide range of things. PHP can help in data encryption, send and receive cookies, generate a variety of content, used for image outputs, PDF, and Flash movies. 

PHP tools are powerful and precisely are the center of WordPress development. Not just that they are also used by huge websites like Facebook, Wikipedia, Etsy, Slack to name a few. So, irrespective of the scale of the website required, PHP is a good choice. Though while outsourcing the web development project and hiring remote PHP developers, the skills and experience you look at will depend on the scope of the project.

So, let’s understand what are the roles and responsibilities of a PHP developer and the skills you should evaluate while hiring remote PHP developers.

Roles & Responsibilities of a PHP Developer

While hiring a remote PHP developer it becomes essential to lay the roles and responsibilities of the PHP developer. So that it becomes easier to evaluate and set objectives right at the beginning.

Here are some basic responsibilities that you can expect the PHP developer to perform and you can set the expectations when you are hiring remote PHP developers.

• Efficient development and implementation of website or web applications, meeting timelines and quality standards set by the company.
• Ensuring that the website is compatible across various platforms, browsers, and various software program versions.
• Ensuring that the website or web application developed is easy to scale up when needed.
• Using the latest tools, technologies within the PHP ecosystem to ensure that the website is in line with the latest industry standards.
• Collaboration and cooperation with stakeholders of the project to ensure timely execution of the project including implementation of various changes required at various stages.

Skills to Evaluate While Hiring a Remote PHP Developers

A skilled PHP developer will not just have a basic understanding of the language, they will have in-depth and practical experience of working with PHP and building websites or apps for various OS or web browsers. Beyond this, they will also be proficient in maintaining the code, troubleshooting, and doing QA when needed. The skill sets and experience you look for will also depend on the complexity of the project. Below are some of the skill sets that you must look for while hiring a remote PHP developer –

Basic Skills to Evaluate When Hiring Remote PHP Developers

The basic skills that any PHP developer should have will be –

• In-depth understanding of the language, updates, and frameworks that come under PHP.
• Knowledge of JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.
• Understanding of control systems like – SVN/Git.
• Hands-on experience in working with CMS like Drupal, Joomla, WordPress, etc.

Mid-level Skills to Evaluate When Hiring Remote PHP Developers

If you are looking to hire remote PHP developers with mid-level experience, beyond the above-mentioned skills sets you should look for the below

• Experience in working with frameworks like  Laravel, Symphony, YII2, etc.
• Ability to analyze product requirements and work accordingly.
• Experience in implementing various databases like SQL/MySQL.
• Experience in the implementation of back-end features for ensuring improved app performance.
• Ability to troubleshoot a code.
• Proficiency in OOP or Object Oriented Programming.
• Knowledge and practice of development standards, like Don’t Repeat Yourself (DRY) that help in easy code refactoring and debugging.

Expert-level Skills to Evaluate When Hiring Remote PHP Developers

If your project requirement is complex then you might look to hire remote PHP developers who are beyond the above-mentioned skill sets have expert level skills sets that include –

• Knowledge and understanding of all the latest PHP frameworks.
• Ability to steer the project and use frameworks that work best for the project requirement.
• Experience in working and collaborating with various stakeholders.
• Knowledge of the end-to-end development project and notice and point out gaps beforehand.
• Understanding of development processes like Agile.

Soft Skills to Evaluate When Hiring Remote PHP Developers

More often project owners ignore soft skills while hiring for technical roles. But they are extremely critical, especially in the remote world. While hiring remote PHP developers you must look for the below soft skills – 

• Ability to have clear and concise communication.
• Understanding of the business objectives.
• The acumen for quick problem-solving.
• Ability to collaborate with various stakeholders and steer the project.
• Efficient time management skills.
• Basic understanding of UX/UI design.

In Conclusion

PHP is the language of choice for enterprises and developers alike for developing a responsive website or web application. Factors like – open-source, easy-to-learn, ability to help in building robust and responsive websites and apps, a large community of developers, etc. will contribute to its rising popularity in the future too. 

While outsourcing the PHP development of a website or app it will be essential to hire remote PHP developers who can leverage and make the best use of the wide range of frameworks, features, and benefits offered by PHP. At EngineerBabu, we help you hire remote PHP developers for all scales of projects. Over the years, we have worked with numerous businesses from a variety of industries and domains. As a team, we helped them build best-in-class websites or web apps based on PHP. If you want to hire PHP developers for your website or web application, reach out to us.

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