My primary programming language is PHP, which means that I am coding in something that 80% of web servers use and what 80% of developers hate. It is one of the languages with the worst reputation. Today, I read another piece trying to deal with the question “Why developers hate PHP”.

The article does an excellent job of explaining the origins of PHP. And it also shows the recent advancements and how much the language has improved. The author argues that many developers have made up their minds based on older versions of the language and have not updated their opinion in the light of new developments. Also, most widely deployed things are controversial, and it’s easier to hate on something everyone knows rather than something more obscure.

In the world of APIs, the choice of a programming language becomes less important. Different services can have various kinds of implementation details and communicate over standardized HTTP interfaces. If you are an API provider, you can build your backend in Python, Ruby, Go, Javascript, Rust, or whatever you prefer. You can even mix and match using microservices and internal APIs.

However, you have to be aware that the consumers of your APIs come with all sorts of languages and frameworks in which they will integrate your API. Your support and developer relationship teams will receive questions about all of them, and due to its popularity, PHP will be among them. In my opinion, no API program and developer portal are complete without code samples and tutorials covering PHP usage. If you offer SDKs, you need to have one for PHP.

So, if you are a Java shop that’s too “enterprisey” for PHP or a hip startup too cool to hire PHP developers, that’s where you can go to outsourcing. And guess what, I can help you. I code in PHP for almost two decades, and my current focus is creating developer content around APIs. I can also tap into the freelance talent pool to build content in all sorts of languages. Let’s talk about how I can support your customers from the PHP world.