<?php echo "Hello, " . $name . "!"; ?>
$users = $pdo->query("SELECT * FROM users")->fetchAll();
function greet($name) { return "Welcome, $name!"; }
foreach ($items as $key => $value) { echo "$key: $value"; }
if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'POST') { /* handle */ }
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("INSERT INTO posts (title) VALUES (?)");
Available Now on Amazon

Build dynamic websites
<?php
on the server.

"What's PHP?" teaches the server-side language that powers over 75% of the web — including WordPress, Facebook, and Wikipedia. No backend experience needed. Just clear explanations and real projects, start to finish in 8 hours.

📚 Hardcover 📖 Paperback 📱 Kindle
📖 Paperback on Amazon 📱 Kindle Edition
8 Hours
Learn time
In the Series
In the series
75%+
Of the web runs PHP
What's PHP? book cover by John Rouda
W

WHAT'S PHP?

Learn It in 8 Hours
John Rouda
📚 HC 📖 PB 📱 Kindle
What's Inside

PHP from scratch —
no server-side experience required.

Everything you need to build dynamic, data-driven websites that respond, remember, and connect — explained simply, with real projects throughout.

01
📝

PHP Basics

Learn how PHP works — variables, data types, operators, and how PHP code runs on the server before sending a page to the browser.

02
⚙️

Functions & Logic

Write reusable functions, use built-in PHP helpers, and control flow with conditionals and loops — the core logic of every PHP application.

03
📋

Forms & User Input

Collect, validate, and process form data with $_POST and $_GET — the foundation of every interactive website.

04
🗄️

PHP & Databases

Connect PHP to a MySQL database, run queries, and display real data on your pages — the skill behind every dynamic website and app.

05
🔐

Sessions & Authentication

Use PHP sessions and cookies to remember users, build login systems, and protect pages — so your site knows who's who.

06
🌐

Your First Dynamic Site

Put it all together and build a complete, real PHP web application — a site that reads from a database, handles logins, and responds to users.

chapter_01.php
// Chapter 1: Your first PHP page

<?php
$name = "World";
echo "Hello, $name!";
?>

<p><?= $name ?> has <?= $count ?> posts</p>

→ Browser renders: Hello, World!

✔ Your page is now dynamic.
Why This Book

The back end,
finally demystified.

Most back-end tutorials throw you into frameworks and configs before you understand the language. This book does it right.

  • 💡

    Server-side from scratch

    Explains how PHP actually works — what "server-side" means, why it matters, and how it fits with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

  • ⚡

    Real projects, not toy examples

    You'll build forms that submit, databases that store, and pages that respond — not just print "Hello World" for six chapters.

  • 🔗

    The perfect series companion

    Pairs with HTML, HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript to complete the full-stack picture — front end to back end, all in plain English.

  • 🏆

    The language that runs the web

    PHP powers WordPress, Drupal, Laravel, and millions of other sites. Learning it opens more doors than almost any other back-end skill.

Early Readers

What readers are saying.

From beta readers and fans of the series who got an early look.

★★★★★

"I always thought back-end development was out of reach. After this book, I built a login system for my portfolio site. I still can't believe I did that on my own."

K
Katie L.
Beta Reader
★★★★★

"I've been reading this series from Book 1. What's PHP? is the most satisfying yet. The database chapter is worth the price alone — finally clicked for me."

B
Ben M.
Series Reader
★★★★★

"I maintain a WordPress site for work and always felt clueless about what was happening under the hood. This book fixed that completely. Highly recommend."

S
Sandra O.
Beta Reader
★★★★★

"John's ability to explain complex server-side concepts without losing the reader is remarkable. The sessions chapter was a revelation. Clear, practical, brilliant."

D
Dan R.
Beta Reader
★★★★★

"8 hours well spent. I now understand how every form I've ever submitted on the internet actually works. That kind of clarity is rare in a tech book."

M
Maria C.
Series Reader
★★★★★

"I'm a front-end developer who always outsourced back-end work. Not anymore. This book gave me the confidence to handle the full stack myself."

P
Pete W.
Beta Reader
The Series

Eight books. One complete path
from zero to full-stack developer.

HTML to CSS to JavaScript to SQL to PHP to Python — all in plain English, all in 8 hours or less.

What's PHP?
You're Here

What's PHP?

Build dynamic, database-driven websites on the server. The back-end language of the web.

What's HTML?
Available

What's HTML?

The foundation. Structure and tags that power every webpage.

What's HTML5?
Available

What's HTML5?

Modern HTML — semantic elements, canvas, forms, and more.

What's CSS?
Available

What's CSS?

Style, layout, and animate your webpages.

What's SQL?
Available

What's SQL?

Query and manage any database. The data language every professional needs.

What's JavaScript?
Available

What's JavaScript?

Bring any webpage to life with logic and interactivity.

What's Python?
Available

What's Python?

Data, automation, and AI. The world's #1 language, explained simply.

What's AI?
Available

What's AI?

The complete beginner's guide to working with Artificial Intelligence.

John Rouda
✍️ Author
About the Author

John Rouda

John Rouda is a technologist, educator, and writer who has spent his career making complex technology understandable to everyone. From front-end structure and style to databases, JavaScript, and now server-side programming with PHP — his series covers the full stack of modern web development, one plain-English book at a time.

"What's PHP?" completes the back-end picture. With this book in hand, readers who've followed the series have everything they need to build complete, dynamic, real-world websites — from structure to style to data to server logic.

📚 All Books
Get the Book

The back end is where
the real magic happens.

Hardcover, Paperback, and Kindle editions on Amazon now.

📖 Paperback on Amazon 📱 Kindle Edition 📥 Companion Files