Cheap PHP Hosting

Finding a cheap PHP hosting can have astounding benefits to the look and usability of a website. PHP is a server-side scripting language; though this language does not have to be used in conjunction with other internet protocol. These applications can be used as stand alone graphic web software packages. This software interface was created by Rasmus Lerdorf in 1995, but now a company called the PHP group has set the standard after which the scripting is patterned. The group's standard is needed, because there is no formal standard or protocol written for this specific web design language. The actual software is recognized as freeware by the Free Software Foundation. Therefore, it would not be hard for an internet designer to find free PHP web hosting services if willing to pay a third party for the bandwidth usage.

What does server-side scripting mean? If a user requests information, the request will be handled by the server and then delivered using HTML. This differs from client-side scripting in many ways. In client-side scripting a user will make a request, and the request will be handled from the user's web browser and answered in JavaScript. The advantage, then, is that a server-side scripting language will access a data base full of information. The end result is the ability to produce highly customized responses, depending on the queries made to the data base, access rights and the user's requirements.

This scripting language is widely used and very versatile. This language application inputs code and produces web pages from that code. In fact, this application can be placed in an HTML document, allowing it to intermingle with the other design languages. For the designers that used the Apache web servers, it is by far the preferred Apache module script language. All of this can be done free of charge. It is easy to see why cheap PHP hosting capabilities only have to include the price of the web server or hosting site. The software application is versatile enough to be used with every operating system and all platforms. "And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech." (Genesis 11:1)

The acronym originally stood for Personal Home Page. The concept began in 1994 when Lerdorf wrote a series of tools for his own personal homepage. He originally used the C programming language to replace the ill-fitting Perl script he was using previously. The script started out as a series of binaries used to display his resume and record how many viewers visited his page. He combined these simple binaries with Form Interpreters to increase the functionality of the original scripting language and to allow his personal home page to interact with databases in order to build simple web applications. Even then, this scripting language had some of the characteristics desired by those seeking cheap PHP server services. This new scripting language could embed HTML, process forms and had Perl-like variables. Later, two Israeli programmers developed the software's parser even further to create what is now the free PHP server language, but just in an older version. Together, these men formed Zend Technologies in Ramat Gan, Israel, which still handles the software available for cheap PHP hosting.

Zend Technologies has reconfigured the core software of the Personal Home Page script. As the updates to the old version came, they were still trying to recreate "new" scripting dynamics under the Personal Home Page protocol. PHP5 is the brain child of all their efforts and research. PHP5 has become the only stable version under development. This newer version has increased functionality and object-oriented programming. This will ensure the user of free PHP web hosting capabilities will be satisfied with the end result, a dynamic web site.

This scripting language is not without its faults. The National Vulnerability Database lists internet sites using this language often throughout its Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures records. More than 25 percent of the software vulnerabilities were on sites that used Personal Home Page as their scripting language. Most of these vulnerabilities can be accessed remotely, far from the software hosting computer. These shortcomings can include: code-injection, cross-site scripting and other application security issues. These vulnerabilities usually result from failing to check data before entering it into a database and other programming bad habits. They can also arise from the scripting language itself, but are not unique to Personal Home Page applications. The popularity of this scripting language will always make the number of web sites affected by security issues seem high.

Finding a reputable free PHP web hosting site will alleviate a lot of the worry over security issues. Free does not always mean without a price. Usually, if the site is offering free PHP web hosting capabilities, it will place ads on your web site. That may not be a big deal. Weigh the pros and cons of banner ads to make your decision. Many times, sites without ads can still offer cheap PHP server hosting services without your viewers having to endure those pesky, blinking banner ads. The free PHP web hosting sites may also offer less customer assistance. Even the cheap PHP hosting sites may limit scripting capabilities. There are times that limiting scripting capabilities may be no big deal. However, limiting the language or code can also mean inability to send or receive email from the site. If you have a home-based business, internet company or any other kind of corporation that does not have a standard store front or land line phone, restricting email usage may prove very detrimental to business. However, it is now affordable to produce a server-side, individualized, dynamic internet site that can act as a virtual store front to the world.

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