PHP Developer (Fullstack)
What is a PHP developer?
A PHP developer builds the server-side logic behind websites and web apps: user accounts, payments, forms, and the business rules that decide what happens when someone clicks "buy." PHP still powers a huge share of the web, from WordPress to custom Laravel applications, so demand for developers who know it well is deep and durable.
Day to day you'll write PHP (most often with the Laravel framework), model and query data in MySQL, build and consume REST APIs, and structure applications with clean, maintainable code. It's a real backend engineering skill with a clear path from junior to senior.
This path takes you from the fundamentals to a job-ready portfolio. It's built for beginners, and no degree is required.
Want the complete breakdown? Read How to Become a PHP Developer.
What does a PHP developer do?
Most PHP developer job descriptions come down to the same handful of responsibilities:
- Build features on the server side. Sign-up and login, checkout, admin dashboards, anything that reads or writes data.
- Design and query the database. Tables, relationships, and queries in MySQL, and fixing the slow ones.
- Build and connect APIs. Endpoints for a mobile app or front end, plus integrations with services like Stripe or a CRM.
- Maintain code that already exists. Bug fixes, upgrades to newer PHP and Laravel versions, and a lot of reading other people's code.
- Work with the front end. Hand data to JavaScript, or render pages with Blade or WordPress templates.
At a small agency you might do all of it across several client sites in a week. At a product company you'll own one area of a bigger Laravel app and go deep on it.
Why companies hire PHP developers
Roughly three out of four websites that use a server-side language run PHP, and Laravel has made it a modern backend stack for new products too. The work spreads across web agencies, ecommerce stores on WooCommerce and Magento, SaaS companies built on Laravel, publishers running WordPress at scale, and universities and government sites. These are the tools teams hire for.
PHP developer salary
PHP developers in the US typically earn $60,000 to $75,000 as juniors and $110,000 to $140,000 or more as seniors. Laravel and custom application work pays more than WordPress theme maintenance. Full breakdown in the PHP developer salary guide.
| Level | Typical pay |
|---|---|
| Junior | $60k - $75k |
| Mid | $80k - $105k |
| Senior | $110k - $140k+ |
Typical U.S. ranges that vary by location, company, and experience. Not a guarantee.
Skills you'll build
- ✓PHP
- ✓OOP
- ✓MySQL
- ✓Laravel
- ✓REST APIs
- ✓Git
- ✓MVC patterns
How to become a PHP developer
Learn HTML and CSS, then PHP fundamentals and object-oriented PHP, then MySQL and Laravel, and build two or three real applications with logins and data you can show an employer. No degree needed. This is the order the path follows.
- HTML & CSS
- PHP fundamentals
- OOP
- MySQL
- Laravel
- REST APIs
- First job
PHP developer vs backend and full-stack developer
Backend developer is the broader title. A PHP developer is a backend developer whose main language is PHP, and plenty of backend postings list PHP and Laravel as the stack.
Full-stack developer adds the front end on top: JavaScript, often Vue or React, alongside Laravel. A lot of PHP developers grow into this within a couple of years, because Laravel teams tend to be small.
WordPress developer is PHP too, focused on themes and plugins. It's the fastest way to get paid work, and the pay ceiling is lower unless you move into application work.
PHP developers we've helped get hired
Course curriculum
11 carefully curated courses to guide your learning journey.
Text Editors
Your editor is where you live all day: learn VS Code's shortcuts, settings, and extensions so it works as fast as you think.
HTML Basics
Real HTML fundamentals, taught interactively: semantic structure, forms that validate, and the accessibility and SEO habits profes...
Learn HTML and CSS by Building a Cool Social Network
Learn HTML and CSS the memorable way: by rebuilding the Facebook interface piece by piece, then making it responsive and adding da...
Master CSS Flexbox
Every flexbox property taught through interactive coding lessons you complete in the browser, ending with a combined challenge tha...
HTML UI Elements
Eight portfolio-grade UI builds: gradient buttons, a glass navbar with hamburger menu, a DMV form, CSS-only tabs, cards, tables, a...
Terminal For Developers
The command line without the intimidation: navigate, manage files, and make your terminal a tool you actually enjoy opening.
Git Like A Pro!
Go from copying git commands you don't understand to branching, merging, and pushing with total confidence.
Modern PHP Development Course
PHP from your first script on a LAMP stack to object-oriented code and a portfolio site deployed on real hosting.
Practical PHP Course
Stop collecting tutorials and start collecting projects: six PHP builds that give you a portfolio a hiring manager will actually o...
Practical Javascript Course
Four scenario builds that turn JavaScript syntax you half remember into features you could actually ship on a client's site.
Get Certificate For Career Completion
The official certificate for completing a full CodingPhase career path: earned by finishing the required courses and building real...
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