Your First PHP Script: Hello World in 3 Minutes

A step-by-step beginner's guide to writing and running your first PHP script using tools like XAMPP, MAMP, Laragon, or Docker.

🚀 What You'll Learn

If you're brand new to PHP, this tutorial will walk you through creating your first "Hello, World!" script. You’ll learn how to:

• Write a basic PHP file
• Run it on a local server
• Understand PHP syntax and output

🛠 Prerequisites: Set Up a PHP Environment

To run PHP scripts, you'll need a web server with PHP installed. The easiest ways to get started are:

• XAMPP – Cross-platform, beginner-friendly stack.
• Laragon – Lightweight Windows option.
• MAMP – Great for macOS and Windows.
• Docker – For containerized setups.

📄 Step 1: Create Your PHP File

Open your favorite code editor (e.g., VS Code, Sublime Text, Notepad++), and create a new file named index.php in your web root directory:

<?php
  echo "Hello, World!";
?>

This simple script tells the PHP engine to print the text Hello, World! to your browser.

📂 Step 2: Place the File in Your Web Directory

Depending on your setup, place index.php in one of the following folders:

• XAMPP: C:\xampp\htdocs\hello
• Laragon: C:\laragon\www\hello
• MAMP: /Applications/MAMP/htdocs/hello
• Docker: Bind your local folder using -v ${PWD}:/var/www/html

🌐 Step 3: Run the Script

Start your local web server and visit:

• http://localhost/hello (XAMPP or Laragon)
• http://localhost:8888/hello (MAMP)
• http://localhost:8080 (Docker)

You should see the text Hello, World! displayed on the page. 🎉

🧠 Understanding the Code

Let’s break it down:

<?php           // Opening PHP tag
  echo "Hello, World!";  // Output to browser
?>           // Closing PHP tag

echo is a PHP command that outputs strings or variables to the browser.

🔁 What's Next?

• Try printing variables and using math operators.
• Explore if-else conditions and loops.
• Create a simple form that displays user input.

This is just the beginning of your PHP journey. Keep experimenting and building!

Tags: hello world PHP, PHP basics, first PHP script

📚 Continue learning PHP with more beginner-friendly tutorials on file uploads, form handling, and connecting to MySQL.