What to read in PHP in Russian?
PHP is one of the most popular programming languages. It is also a language for the study of which it is not so easy to find a quality book. Well, we, together with the GeekBrains team, will have a look at the online store and see what you can find today in PHP in Russian.
PHP eyes of a hacker, Michael Flenov
Let's open the rating from the most controversial book. She has a lot of negative reviews. The reason is a superficial glance at both the language itself and the specificity indicated in the title. And even despite the fact that the third edition has been significantly revised and improved, the book is unlikely to be of interest to specialists.
But newcomers may well be interested. But not as a textbook, but as “easy reading” for motivation to learn. You know, this is like with fiction based on historical events - a good presentation contributes to further immersion in real facts.
The book of Mikhail Flenov is written in a pleasant language, they do not require deep knowledge of PHP, and the price / volume ratio is quite good.
PHP 7, Dmitry Koterov, Igor Simdyanov
The main advantage of this book is the fact that the authors managed to shove as much information into it that a newbie might need. In addition, here you will find many examples for each topic, consideration of issues that are not directly related to the language (for example, code style). And, of course, the price for such a volume and content is very attractive.
The downside of the approach adopted in the book is the lack of chewing material. If you have not worked with PHP before, and indeed with web development, then perhaps some of the chapters will seem too short. However, when there is the Internet at hand and a couple of books on the topic, you can only complain about the quality of the paper.
Learn PHP 7. David Sklyar’s Guide to Creating Interactive Websites
David Sklar is one of those authors in the world of PHP whose books are taken as an example. This case is no exception, you get an almost perfect guide to learn from scratch (only basic knowledge of HTML is required). At the end of the book are examples to consolidate everything you read, and the content is supplemented with high-quality illustrations.
In general, if you don’t regret money and don’t give up, by the end of the reading, as stated in the title, you will be able to create basic web and mobile sites.
PHP 7 tutorial, Maxim Kuznetsov, Igor Simdyanov
If you have just enough money, and you really want to learn PHP, use this wonderful book by Maxim Kuznetsov and Igor Simdyanov. Compared to Sklyar, the publication loses a little in quality (paperback) and the number of useful examples.
As for the theory, its presentation will help to understand the material without the use of Internet resources and without a computer at all, which is useful if you learn PHP in your free time (for example, on the road or on vacation). An important plus is the fact that the book is fresh, all the innovations of the language and the requirements for modern development are fully reflected.
PHP Objects, Patterns, and Programming Techniques, Mat Zandstra
Important caveat: this book is not intended for PHP beginners. That is, before you buy it, you must pass at least a basic course of study. If you have the necessary knowledge (at least understanding of the syntax, code structure, OOP principles), then you will be able to appreciate the usefulness of the book and the ability of the author to convey concisely the information.
It is not so much about the language itself (although about it too), but about related things: templates, deployment, project and team management, testing and debugging. In general, everything about what the newcomer is not very thinking about, but the specialist faces constantly.
Modern PHP. New Features and Best Practices, Josh Lockhart
To find among the books for juniors at least one where half of the text is not filled with water is a great success. "Modern PHP" is the rarest exception. In essence, the book is a collection of theory, demonstrated with the help of tasks popular in the profession. That is, it can simultaneously act as a teaching aid and a desktop reference book.
However, as in the past case, newcomers should buy it only for the future or as accompanying literature. The basics of PHP and the task of “tiling hands” are best sought in books where the name clearly implies a zero level of preparation.
Basics of PHP Web Programming, Alexander Markin, Sergey Shkarin
The book has a lot of controversial reviews: someone considers it a worthy substitute for expensive O'Reiily tutorials, someone suggests throwing it away immediately after purchase. The truth, as always, is somewhere in the middle. In general, the base theory on XHTML, CSS and PHP is well presented here, there are many examples. The price is really funny (less than 400 rubles).
However, if you have money and a desire to get a book with which you will not be parted for many years, pay better attention to Lockhart or Sklyar, because there is a lot of water, the old version of the language and copy-paste tasks are discussed, rather than self-study.
PHP and MySQL. From beginner to professional, Kevin Yank
Kevin Yank embodied in his book an unusual approach to learning the language of PHP. The classical scheme “from the general to the particular” usually casts boredom on beginners. Here, from the first pages, Yank suggests doing as much as possible (install special software, configure it, connect the database). And then, somewhere in the middle of the book, the reader will begin to get acquainted with OOP, data types, functions, and many other basic concepts.
The result is an easy and useful PHP learning process, combined with useful skills. For its price - an excellent offer.
PHP is easy. We program for a website, Andrei Shkryl
If the previous book is dedicated to gaining knowledge through practice, here you will find even more: maximum examples and illustrations, minimum descriptions and reasoning. From "PHP is easy" you will learn how to install and configure the server software correctly, connect and manage the database, work with ready-made templates and solutions.
Thus, the book will be a great companion to those who are currently studying for courses or trying to independently comprehend PHP or web development in general.
Web Application Development with PHP and MySQL, Luke Welling, Laura Thomson
Another practical book. It is divided into 5 parts: familiarity with PHP, MySQL, security, advanced techniques and popular tasks. In the last part, you will visually see how an email client is created, user authentication and interaction with social networks are organized, and how the basket works in online stores. Unfortunately, all this is done with the help of Laravel 5.2 (version 5.7 is relevant today), but this is a minor omission. The rest of the book definitely deserves to be read.
And what books on PHP in Russian do you recommend?