<?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 (?)");
New in the Series — Coming Soon

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
🚀
Available Soon on Amazon
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8 Hours
Learn time
Book 6
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?
Book 6 — You're Here

What's PHP?

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

🔔 Notify Me
What's HTML?
Book 1

What's HTML?

The foundation. Structure and tags that power every webpage.

📦 Amazon🎧
What's HTML5?
Book 2

What's HTML5?

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

📦 Amazon
What's CSS?
Book 3

What's CSS?

Style, layout, and animate your webpages.

📦 Amazon
What's SQL?
Book 4 — Soon

What's SQL?

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

🔔 Notify Me
What's JavaScript?
Book 5 — Soon

What's JavaScript?

Bring any webpage to life with logic and interactivity.

🔔 Notify Me
What's Python?
Book 7 — Soon

What's Python?

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

🔔 Notify Me
What's AI?
Book 8 — Soon

What's AI?

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

🔔 Notify Me
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
Coming Soon

The back end is where
the real magic happens.

Hardcover, Paperback, and Kindle editions coming soon to Amazon.

// Be the first to know when it's available.

🔔 Notify Me When Available 📚 See Other Books