PHP without the folklore
South Florida PHP Guide
Modern PHP, frameworks, testing and secure web development, with a South Florida community lens.
Why this site exists now
A useful subject guide, with its history stated plainly
SoFloPHP.org historically represented a South Florida PHP users group. This independent guide is not the former group and does not claim its membership or events.
Explore the subject
Five routes into the guide
5 sections · 25 focused answers
02
Databases and testing
- How do database transactions work in PHP?
- How do I unit test PHP code?
- How do prepared statements prevent SQL injection?
03
Frameworks and APIs
All 5 answers →04
PHP language
- How do PHP classes and interfaces work?
- How do PHP types work?
- How does modern PHP differ from old PHP?
05
Security and production
- How do I debug a slow PHP application?
- How do I prevent XSS and CSRF in PHP?
- How do I secure a PHP application?
From the reference
Recently updated
- Prioritised PHP Security Checklist Following OWASP Guidance A risk-prioritised security checklist for PHP applications, built on OWASP guidance and covering the lifecycle from dependency audit to production configuration.
- How PHP Should Store Passwords with Argon2id and Password APIs Use PHP's built-in password_hash with argon2id to store passwords securely, including a migration strategy from legacy hashes with password_needs_rehash.
- Prevent XSS and CSRF in PHP with Output Encoding and Tokens Defend against XSS with output encoding and CSP headers, and prevent CSRF with session-bound tokens, following OWASP guidance for PHP applications.
- How PHP Runs in Production with FPM Workers and Opcache How PHP-FPM workers and opcache combine to serve requests in production, and how to configure them for the South Florida hosting landscape.
- Debug a Slow PHP Application with Profiling and Query Analysis Use measurement, Xdebug profiling, MySQL slow-query analysis, and opcache inspection in that order to find and fix a slow PHP application.
- Modern PHP Language Reference for South Florida Developers The PHP language reference hub for South Florida developers: versioned syntax, type system, error handling, and modern features with failure behaviour explained.
- PHP Security and Production Hardening Guide for South Florida Apps The starting point for securing a PHP application: route to guides on OWASP checklists, password storage, XSS/CSRF defense, production runtimes, and performance debugging.
- How Modern PHP Differs From Old PHP Versions South Florida Uses Modern PHP 8.x differs from old PHP in its type system, tooling conventions, and Composer-based dependency management—not just syntax additions.
- How PHP Types Declarations Coercion and Strict Types Work PHP type declarations control how values flow through code: strict mode throws TypeErrors on mismatch, while coercive mode silently converts where possible.
- How PHP Classes Interfaces Composition and Visibility Work PHP classes and interfaces enforce contracts through visibility rules and type declarations; modern PHP favours composition with readonly classes and constructor promotion.