PHP & MySQL

I am considering building a web application that provides a user interface for storing information about the hundreds of audiobooks I have read, and I want to install it on my website at conradhalling.com. My website is hosted by DreamHost, who provide modern versions of PHP for web development. DreamHost also makes MySQL available, primarily for support of WordPress installations, and I could use that for the database back end.

Late last month (December 2024), when I looked into books for learning PHP, I chose PHP and MySQL: Server-side Web Development by Jon Duckett (published in January, 2022). I ordered the book from my local bookstore, Porter Square Books, and it arrived in just a few days. The physical book is printed on heavy, high-quality paper and weighs three pounds six ounces!

It is twenty years since I used PHP for a project, and I didn’t like the language then (in those days I preferred Perl), but I have read that PHP has been modernized and greatly improved. I already have extensive experience using MySQL.

The book provides a modern presentation of PHP rather than being a revision of an old book with outdated code. The book presents a complete example of a PHP web application.

The book is divided into four parts:

1. Basic Programming Instructions
2. Dynamic Web Pages
3. Database Driven Websites
4. Extending the Sample Application

The book has several important additions:

• It teaches how to use phpmyadmin for managing MySQL databases.
• It provides good instructions for creating a local SSL certificate for testing https connections.
• It teaches how to store user login credentials using the latest encryption methods.

I am old-fashioned in believing that I learn faster by doing, so I am entering the source code myself using the Visual Studio Code editor, but all of the source code for the book is available at the book’s website.

I am working on my M1 MacBook Pro, using a local installation of the Apache httpd web server and the MySQL database server. I have installed PHP, Apache httpd, and MySQL using the Homebrew package manager. Having a local installation has enabled rapid development.

I recommend this book highly.

Rating: Five of five stars (excellent)