7 Best PHP Courses To Learn in 2024

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Many people choose PHP as their first programming language or consider it another skill worth learning after mastering another code. PHP courses are popular due to the language’s widely accepted low learning curve and high demand in the web development space. But what are the best PHP courses?

The open-source technology that supports PHP programming doesn’t make it the absolute easiest language to pick up. The amount of information and resources available can be overwhelming to the point where someone new to PHP won’t even know how to begin.

Luckily, some courses have been proven to help students – from newbies to skilled developers – master PHP and kick off successful careers in web development and PHP scripting.

On that note, here are some of the top courses to consider for various skill levels.

PHP for Beginners: Become a PHP Master

No matter what you’re trying to learn, it’s a safe bet that Udemy has a course on it. The PHP for Beginners Become a PHP Master course, however, isn’t your average entry-level class.

The course explains the fundamentals of PHP programming and CMS and delves into advanced topics like application launches, database interaction, PHP security, object-oriented programming, and so much more.

It’s a very comprehensive take on PHP code broken into 43 distinct sections that can equip you with the necessary skills to immediately get a job in PHP development.

Interestingly, even seasoned coders can refer to the instructional videos and downloadable resources. While it offers enough basic introductory information, it also contains advanced PHP coding techniques and topics that returning developers can use to refresh their PHP knowledge.

Thanks to the wealth of information and practical applications, the PHP for Beginners course on Udemy can probably help complete newbies learn enough to start a career in web development and CMS creation.

Because the course is arguably long, it may not be the cheapest introduction to the world of PHP programming and scripting.

But while the only real prerequisite is some basic HTML knowledge, given Udemy’s frequent discounts, you can easily grab that knowledge for free on the platform before jumping into the course.

Key Features

Several standout features make this course almost a no-brainer for everyone except already skilled PHP programmers.

  • 37 hours of video content
  • Multiple downloadable resources
  • Lifetime access
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Excellent mobile compatibility
  • Comprehensive PHP lessons
  • Certificate of completion

PHP With Laravel for Beginners

Learning to code PHP in Laravel will enable you to tackle much more complex projects and potentially earn more money. That’s why the PHP with Laravel for Beginners course on Udemy is a top seller.

It has trained tens of thousands of students and focuses entirely on the Laravel framework.

Unsure of the framework’s power? Well, if you can master PHP in Laravel, you have enough coding skills to make your own Facebook.

The course is split into 52 sections, each with multiple lectures and video lessons. The material is as comprehensive as it gets with about 43 hours of on-demand video, downloadable resources, and published articles.

This course comes with plenty of theory and practical applications for students to consistently apply their knowledge and improve their craft.

One of the great things about the course is that it’s constantly updated to keep up with changes in the Laravel platform. As soon as a new stable version hits the scene, the course creator updates the material to keep it fresh and relevant.

Given the fact that you get lifetime access, you can refer to lifetime updates and follow-ups when you’re feeling stuck.

The course is excellent for learning about databases, polymorphic relations, creating authentication systems, managing users, implementing CRUD relationships, etc.

One small drawback is that prior OOP PHP knowledge may be required to get the most out of the course.

Key Features

  • Platform-specific course
  • 43 hours of video
  • 19 articles
  • Over 30 downloadable resources
  • Certificate
  • Beginner to advanced lectures
Best PHP Courses

Web Applications for Everybody Specialization

PHP is a programming language that can make excellent use of other coding languages. That’s perhaps the reason why the Web Applications for Everybody Specialization course on Coursera is a unique opportunity to pick up essential PHP skills.

The course is offered by the University of Michigan and focuses on database PHP applications, MySQL, many-to-many relationship modeling, JavaScript interactions, and mastering the development environment.

It’s one of the most comprehensive specialized courses that teach you everything about dynamic database backend development and other web applications.

However, it’s not a beginner’s course.

This is best suited for individuals with CSS, HTML, and JavaScript knowledge that want to transition into PHP or learn to integrate PHP into other applications.

Aside from the vast amount of theory included in the course, you’ll also find a wide range of development tasks and practical application projects that can be added to your portfolio.

Furthermore, the course has a seven-day trial you can cancel at any time. If it’s not up to your speed, you can easily find another avenue to learn PHP.

In addition, it’s possible to audit the course free of charge, but earning a certification will require enrollment. Luckily, financial aid is available.

The only downsides to this course are a higher base knowledge requirement and the fact that you can’t exactly learn at your own pace. The course can take roughly 20 weeks to complete, which could be a difficult commitment for some PHP enthusiasts to take on.

Key Features

  • Fully online specialization
  • Financial aid available
  • Includes JavaScript, MySQL, CSS, PHP, and HTML
  • Excellent database-focused lectures
  • Two distinct PHP-centered modules

Object Oriented PHP and MVC

Another interesting approach to learning PHP comes from Brad Traversy. The course is called Object Oriented PHP & MVC and is available on Udemy.

Why is this a contender for the best PHP course? Unlike others, it doesn’t force students to focus their efforts on a single PHP framework.

Another reason for the high praise it’s earned from the over 16,000 students who completed it is the quick-to-the-point approach.

The course comes with six and a half hours of video content. You can access 37 more downloadable resources for extra information. But it’s much shorter than most other courses.

The main goal of this course is to teach students how to build their own MVC frameworks and use object-oriented PHP language to create a complex web backend.

If you don’t want to cram too much theory, this could just be the perfect fit for you.

The Object-Oriented PHP & MVC is the best PHP course for intermediate programmers who want to go deeper into PHP coding, build their own frameworks, and start working on complex projects with databases, user authentication, and helper functions.

It’s worth noting that the framework created in this course is similar to CodeIgniter. This means that the information and skills acquired translate well into other popular framework applications.

Key Features

  • Takes only six and a half hours to complete
  • Over 30 downloadable resources
  • The hands-on interactive learning process
  • Learn to build your own framework

PHP for Beginners: How to Build an Ecommerce Store

Another interesting alternative to learning PHP is opting for a project-based approach. The PHP for Beginners: How to Build an Ecommerce Store course found on Udemy is one such option.

It can teach intermediate PHP developers to create fully functioning e-commerce websites using PHP programming language. The course pretty much does what it says with one caveat.

Despite being called a beginner course, some programming knowledge is preferred before starting this course. Users will get more out of it and follow along more easily if they know HTML, MySQL, functions, arrays, loops, and other similar notions.

What’s the best part? The course only has 19.5 hours of video showcasing all the theory, functions, and techniques required to make an e-commerce site from start to finish.

You can even learn how to send API requests, integrate PayPal and Stripe, and fetch APIS data for your Ecommerce application.

It’s the best PHP course for someone that has gone through a more beginner-friendly course and wants to expand on their fundamental knowledge of PHP programming.

But while it can seem a bit niche, the e-commerce focus can be highly rewarding and lucrative due to the high demand on the job market and many entrepreneurial opportunities.

Like other Udemy courses, this one enables you to learn at your own pace and benefit from follow-up updates from the course creator.

Key Features

  • Project-based learning
  • 19.5 hours of video
  • Two articles and 16 downloadable materials
  • Lifetime access
  • Certificate
  • Specialized e-commerce lessons

PHP for Beginners

Over 13,000 students have completed Tim Buchalka and Dave Hollingworth’s PHP for Beginners course on the Udemy platform. But with so many courses geared toward beginners, what makes this one the best PHP course?

It has the lowest entry requirements. In fact, all you need is a computer capable of running a development environment or PHP framework.

This course is broken down into 30 sections, or 31 if you could the two-minute introductory video. There’s enough content to cover 14 hours of video, two downloadable materials, five articles, and 12 excellent coding exercises.

The course does a good job of helping students put their theory and knowledge into practice in a controlled environment to solidify their skills.

And maybe you’ve heard that you can’t use PHP without at least some HTML knowledge. That’s true and one of the reasons this is the best beginner course.

The course has HTML-dedicated sections that expose students to HTML basics and HTML integration into a PHP development environment. It covers everything from basic lines of code and syntax to JavaScript integration, CSS, and error handling.

Few limits remain regarding the type of PHP and MySQL web applications students can create after completing the course.

Key Features

  • 14 hours of video content
  • Five articles
  • A dozen coding exercises
  • Introduction to JavaScript, MySQL, and HTML
  • No prior knowledge requirements
  • Lifetime access to course materials

Learn PHP From Scratch

If you want to take your time learning PHP but video content moves too fast, a completely text-based approach could be the answer. Learn PHP from Scratch is a course featured on the Educative.io platform.

The course has 71 lessons, 15 quizzes, multiple challenges and assessments, and over 100 illustrations. Truth be told, you can complete this course as slowly or as fast as you like, especially since people can assimilate more information by reading rather than watching videos.

Another big benefit is the cloud platform playground. You won’t need a serious machine to get down and dirty with your assignments, as you can perform all tasks in the cloud framework.

Each assignment is carefully designed to help students practice their skills after completing certain sections.

In addition, the course is interactive (despite its text-based methodology) and completely free. No modules or sections are gated behind a subscription or one-time payment.

Certification is also awarded should you want to showcase your achievement.

Of course, this module isn’t sufficient to go out and get a job in PHP web development or put together a full working website. But it offers enough information to get you close and to the point where you can make do with free resources moving forward.

Key Features

  • No prior programming knowledge requirements
  • Cloud environment
  • Text-based methodology
  • Highly practical approach
  • Covers everything from fundamentals to exception handling

Courses Make Progressing Easier

Learning PHP can be hard if you make it hard. One way to do that is by bouncing between different resources and trying to learn without following a good blueprint.

The best PHP course might not give you all the information you could ever learn about PHP programming but will help you develop important skills and make it easier to assimilate more complex notions on your own.

To learn PHP efficiently, you must enroll in a course for which you meet the entry-level requirements. As you can see, there are plenty of options whether you’re looking to obtain general or specialized PHP knowledge, regardless of your current skill level. Some won’t even cost a dime, which can be helpful if you’re a complete beginner.

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