What is PHP?

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PHP (PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a software package installed on web servers to provide scripting capabilities. It is commonly found on web servers running Apache (as it is now built-in by default), but it can be installed on IIS servers also. Since March 2004, there are a reported 15,528,732 website domains which use PHP (source: Netcraft Survey).

You can check with your web host to find out if PHP is available on your hosting account. Alternatively, you can upload a text file containing the following (as test.php):

<?php

phpinfo();

?> 

 
When you open this file up from your browser (http://www.mysite.com/test.php), it should provide detailed information on the PHP installed on the server. If not, this means you do not have PHP support configured on your server and you should consult your web host or use one of the other platform options available.