Your PHP foundation is a powerful starting point!⌗

This course emerged from my own journey learning Python as a PHP developer. If you’ve mastered PHP, you’ll find that a surprising amount of Python code is already readable without even needing to learn its syntax. Python shares concepts and philosophies you’re already familiar with, making the transition smoother than you might expect.

The entire course is designed to leverage your existing PHP knowledge to accelerate your Python learning.

Python vs PHP: Key Similarities & Differences⌗

Here’s a structured (but not exhaustive) comparison of Python vs. PHP for PHP developers, highlighting key similarities and differences:

Your PHP skills provide a strong foundation for Python, particularly in web development and testing. However, Python’s object model, typing system, and async capabilities differ significantly from PHP. This table helps you quickly identify shared concepts and prepare for Python’s unique features.

Aspect Similarities Differences
Language Type Both are interpreted and use garbage collection. Python has multiple interpreters (CPython, PyPy, Jython); PHP uses Zend Engine.
Dependency Management Both have standard dependency managers: Composer (PHP), pip (Python). pip lacks default lockfile support; Composer generates a lockfile.
Testing Tools Both have mature frameworks: PHPUnit, PHPSpec (PHP); pytest, unittest (Python). Python tools like pytest are more flexible for data science and scripting.
Namespaces Both support namespaces (PHP: vendor-based; Python: modules/packages). PHP namespaces start with vendor names; Python uses module/package paths.
Web Frameworks Both have dominant frameworks: Laravel/Symfony (PHP); Django/Flask (Python). Python frameworks (e.g., FastAPI) are more modern for REST APIs.
Style Guides Both have official standards: PSR (PHP), PEP (Python). PEPs are more community-driven and influence Python’s design philosophy.
Performance Both perform similarly in many workloads; PHP 8.4 slightly edges out Python. Python can optimize CPU-bound tasks with PyPy or C extensions.
REPL Support Both support interactive shells (limited in PHP, full-featured in Python). Python’s REPL is more powerful and widely used for experimentation.
Concurrency Both support coroutines/fibers (PHP 8 fibers, Python asyncio). Python’s async def is more mature and widely adopted.
Typing Both support optional typing (PHP runtime, Python type hints). PHP enforces strict types at runtime; Python relies on external tools.
Object Model Both use classes and objects. Python treats everything as an object (e.g., integers are objects).
Error Handling Both use exceptions. Python uses a single Exception hierarchy; PHP differentiates legacy errors.
Primary Use Cases Both are used for web development. Python is also dominant in data science, scripting, GUI apps.
Virtual Environments Python uses venv/conda for isolation; PHP uses vendor/ directories. PHP lacks standardized virtual environments for PHP binary isolation.
Coding Philosophy Both emphasize readability. Python follows “The Zen of Python” (PEP 20); PHP has no unifying philosophy.

Similarities in detail⌗

  • Both are interpreted languages, meaning code is parsed at runtime.
  • Both use garbage collection. Automatic memory management.
  • Both are actively developed.
    • Python: you need to consider the target runtime version and its supported syntax.
  • Both have a standard (or de facto) dependency manager:
    • Composer for PHP
    • pip for Python
      • uv is a new, blazingly fast Python package manager written in Rust — designed as a drop‑in replacement for pip workflows — but its adoption is still emerging.
  • Both maintain official style/standardization documents:
  • Both provide inline documentation standards:
    • PHP has official PHPDoc support (including reflection, attribute).
    • Python uses docstrings (PEP 257), typically formatted in reStructuredText; Google, NumPy, and EpyText styles are also common.
  • Both offer concurrency primitives, though neither supports true parallel execution out of the box:
    • PHP 8 introduces fibers (a low‑level API for cooperative coroutines).
    • Python has threads (though constrained by the GIL).
  • Both have mature testing frameworks:
    • PHP: PHPUnit, PHPSpec, and others.
    • Python: pytest, unittest, hypothesis
  • Both have robust static analysis tools:
    • PHP: PHPStan (and Psalm), and others.
    • Python: Prospector, mypy, pyright
  • Both feature dominant web frameworks:
    • PHP: Laravel, Symfony, Slim
    • Python: Django, Flask, FastAPI
  • Both support namespaces:
    • PHP namespaces usually begin with the vendor name to avoid top‑level conflicts.
    • Python uses modules and package names as namespaces.
  • Both provide a REPL:
    • PHP: limited support via php -a
    • Python: fully featured interactive shell
  • Performance is comparable:
    • Recent benchmarks show PHP 8.4 slightly outperforming CPython on some micro‑benchmarks, though workload-dependent.
    • Python can excel at CPU‑bound tasks with PyPy or C‑accelerated libraries, but CPython’s performance is generally similar to or slower than PHP 8.4.

Differences in detail⌗

  • Interpreter variants:
    • Python: CPython (standard), PyPy, Jython, IronPython
    • PHP: Zend Engine (standard); Hack/HHVM is deprecated
  • Web server interface:
    • Python: WSGI/ASGI (e.g., Gunicorn, Uvicorn)
    • PHP: PHP‑FPM (Nginx) or Apache module
  • Primary use cases:
    • Python: web, data science, GUI apps, scripting, etc.
    • PHP: predominantly web development
  • Virtual environment management:
    • Python: virtual environments (venv, conda) are standard for isolating dependencies and Python versions.
    • PHP: version managers (phpenv) exist, but isolated project environments are less common since Composer installs packages under each project’s vendor/ directory.
  • Dependency management features:
    • pip’s resolver detects conflicts but doesn’t produce a project‑wide lockfile by default.
    • Composer resolves inter‑package dependencies and generates a lockfile.
  • Coding conventions:
    • Python follows “The Zen of Python” (PEP 20), favoring one obvious way to do things.
    • PHP has no equivalent overarching philosophy.
  • Interfaces and inheritance:
    • Python uses protocols (typing.Protocol), abstract classes, enums, and supports mixins via multiple inheritance.
    • PHP provides built‑in interfaces, traits, enums, and abstract classes, but not multiple inheritance.
  • Typing:
    • PHP can optionally enforce strict types at runtime (including unions, intersections, DNF types).
    • Python’s type hints are optional and checked only by external tools.
  • Error handling:
    • PHP differentiates legacy errors (warnings, deprecations), and Throwable (exceptions and engine errors).
    • Python uses a single Exception hierarchy.
  • Object model:
    • In Python, everything (ints, floats, strings) is an object.
    • PHP treats scalars as non‑object primitives.
  • Native coroutines:
    • Python provides async def coroutines via asyncio.
    • PHP’s fibers offer cooperative concurrency but aren’t full coroutines.