The PHP Landscape Changes Quickly
PHP has evolved fast. Over the past three decades, what started as a set of simple tools for web development has grown into a powerful and feature-rich programming language.
To help developers and organizations navigate these changes, the annual PHP Landscape Report from Perforce Zend compiles data from real-world PHP usage across industries and regions, offering key insights into ongoing trends, adoption rates, and the top challenges facing PHP development teams.
By identifying these patterns, the report helps organizations adopt up-to-date best practices, plan migrations or upgrades, and foster a more forward-looking PHP management strategy.
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The Latest PHP Trends in the Ecosystem
The 2026 PHP Landscape Report is now available. Access your free copy today, and watch for our on-demand webinar on the 2026 State of PHP for a deep-dive look at the latest in PHP trends, tools, and challenges.
Past Editions of the PHP Landscape Report
Catch up on the latest trends and ongoing challenges in the PHP ecosystem.
2025
The 2025 PHP Landscape Report explores how PHP teams are deploying, securing, and modernizing applications in 2025, based on firsthand survey data from the global PHP ecosystem. The report highlights evolving challenges, migration trends, and security realities shaping PHP today.
Get the free 2025 report to learn about:
- PHP version adoption and the continued use of end‑of‑life PHP in production
- The top challenges facing PHP teams, including performance, debugging, and security
- Migration trends, upgrade patterns, and modernization plans
- How teams manage security risk, CVEs, and compliance requirements
- Shifts in deployment strategies and the technologies powering modern PHP stacks
An on‑demand webinar is available with expert analysis of the 2025 findings and what they mean for PHP teams moving forward.
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2024
The 2024 PHP Landscape Report is based on a survey of the PHP ecosystem, and details how teams deploying, managing, and overseeing PHP-based applications are working with PHP today. It includes the year’s top pain points and plans for the development and modernization of their applications.
Download the free report today for:
- Data and analysis on PHP version adoption, and how it varies across market segments
- Top PHP migration paths, pain points, and how they vary by firmographic profile
- Details on the state of PHP security and compliance, and forward-looking strategies
- Key shifts in PHP application deployment methodologies, including cloud strategies
- The top technologies used in developing and managing PHP applications
- Noteworthy trends and movements to watch in 2024
We also have an on-demand webinar available unpacking our findings from the 2024 report. Join our experts as they discuss what was new, what changed, and what teams can do with that information.
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2023
Among many notable findings, our 2023 PHP Landscape Report found that PHP teams regularly struggle with performance issues, debugging, and keeping pace with PHP upgrades – with the latter being especially prevalent following on the heels of PHP 7.4 end of life in November, 2022.
The 2023 PHP Landscape Report provides inside data and analysis on key areas of the PHP development experience, including:
- Top PHP application types and technologies
- PHP development and maintenance priorities
- Container and orchestration trends and technologies
- PHP version adoption and upgrade challenges
- What to expect in 2023
If you would prefer to watch an expert-led, on-demand discussion exploring our 2023 findings, check out our recorded webinar, The 2023 State of PHP Development, by clicking the link below.
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2022
Our 2022 PHP Landscape Report drew from a survey of PHP development professionals, covering everything from their most used PHP tools, what they built, and the challenges they faced.
One thing became clear — the PHP ecosystem underwent massive modernization in 2022. 77% of respondents indicated plans for containerization technologies, while another 62% of respondents had plans for orchestration. In addition to unpacking these findings, our 2022 PHP Landscape Report covers:
- The top used PHP versions of 2022
- PHP migration plans and barriers to upgrading
- Priorities in PHP development
- Adoption of containerization, orchestration, and async programming
- Top frameworks, web servers, and development methodologies
- Outlook for PHP in 2022
Do you prefer to watch a breakdown of the 2022 PHP Landscape Report? Then check out our on-demand webinar, PHP 2022: A Year in Review.
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2021
The 2021 PHP Landscape report analyzes the results of the 2021 PHP survey, which asked questions and covered everything from the most used technologies in PHP to the top trends and obstacles in PHP in 2021. It includes expert analysis and statistics on:
- The most-used PHP version
- PHP development priorities
- Containerization technology adoption
- Top issues upgrading PHP versions
- Top frameworks, web servers, and more
- The outlook for PHP in 2021
If you prefer to watch a breakdown of our 2021 findings, be sure to take a look at our on-demand webinar, 2021 PHP Landscape Report: Key Findings and Analysis.
Get the 2021 PHP Landscape Report Watch the On-Demand Webinar
2019
What was the state of PHP in 2019? The landscape shifted dramatically, with new tools and architectures being introduced that have had huge implications on application development. To track these continuing changes in the market—and to help prepare PHP developers for shifts in the evolution of PHP—the Zend team conducted a survey at the end of March 2019.
In The Shifting Landscape of PHP Report, we collected these insights in order to share knowledge and useful information with the PHP community. Download your free copy by clicking the button below.
Go Beyond PHP With the State of Open Source Report
The 2026 State of Open Source Report is now available. Discover how enterprises use, secure, and invest in open source — plus the risks and trends shaping the ecosystem today.
Mission-Critical PHP Made Possible
Zend makes it easy to secure, scale, and optimize enterprise PHP-based web applications. Innovate faster, cut risk, and meet goals with support from the experts.