PHP is a popular language for back-end web development. It’s the “P” in the LAMP technology stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP), and it’s so popular, in fact, that it’s said to power over 80% of today’s websites.

Freelance PHP developers can produce scalable, functional, robust, and maintainable software to make sure your site doesn’t crash. So when you hire dedicated PHP developers, it’s crucial that you look for devs who have these skills.

But how do you hire these devs? The hiring process can be long and exhausting, and if you hire a freelance PHP developer who isn’t the right fit for your company, it can cost you thousands of dollars.

That’s where we come in. Here at Gun.io, we’ve helped hundreds of companies – from Fortune 500s to startups – hire dedicated PHP developers with years of experience. And because we understand that communication is vital, we’ll help you hire PHP developers fluent in English.
For these reasons, you can trust us to help you hire PHP developers for your software development needs.

Why choose Gun.io

Hire dedicated PHP developers vetted by our team of senior engineers

Developers on our platform go through a rigorous screening process. This screening includes an algorithmic screening, a background check, and a live technical interview with one of our senior engineers. As a result, approximately 100 developers get to work with Gun.io clients each month out of 1,000 who apply.

Hire fast

Hire dedicated PHP developers in 13 days or less (our average time-to-hire).

Hire from a trusted pool of talent   

Hundreds of companies – from startups to Fortune 500s – have been served through our platform. Moreover, 70% of currently engaged freelance PHP developers have 10+ years of software experience.

Hire freelance PHP developers

How to hire PHP developers with Gun.io

1. Build your ideal candidate

Tell us the skills you require and chat with our talent team.

2. Receive your candidates

In 3-5 business days, you’ll be sent a shortlist of the best freelance PHP developers for your role. There are no job posts or stacks of resumes to review—just a shortlist of great matches ready to work. 

You can then decide which candidates you’d like to chat with, and we’ll arrange the intro calls. One of our team will also sit in to help answer any questions.

3. Get started

Once contracts are in place and you’re ready to hire freelance PHP programmers, we’ll connect you. You can then work together as you see fit. We also support both parties as needed and handle hours tracking, billing, and payments.

At Gun.io, we want you to be 100% satisfied, so we’ll help you hire another freelance PHP developer if you have any problems.

Hire dedicated PHP programmers

What is PHP?

PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is a scripting language used in web development. Danish-Canadian programmer Rasmus Lerdorf created the language in 1994, and PHP has since evolved into a dynamic web development language. Today, PHP powers around 80% of all websites.

PHP was one of the first server-side technologies you could embed into HTML. This embedding makes it easier to add web page functionality without calling external files for data. Today, PHP can create, open, read, write, delete, and close files on the server. It can also send and receive cookies, modify databases, encrypt data, and even output images, PDF files, and Flash movies.

[Note to Randi: Delete these two paragraphs below]

PHP is vital in the digital economy, powering content management systems, eCommerce sites, and resource management systems. The language is also integral for APIs feeding mobile apps and communicating between businesses. 

Given all of this, it’s likely that PHP will remain in high demand for the foreseeable future.

What is PHP used for?

People often compare PHP and JavaScript in web development, but the languages have different uses. [Note to Randi: Separate this paragraph and the one below.]

PHP is mainly used for server-side scripting, while JavaScript is mainly used for client-side scripting. So if you want to hire a freelance PHP developer who’s the best, you should look for someone with back-end or full-stack experience.

[Note to Randi: Delete this paragraph] PHP is mainly used to build interactive and responsive websites. Still, developers can also use it to make desktop and web applications on all leading operating systems, including Linux, Microsoft Windows, macOS, RISC OS, etc.

What does a freelance PHP developer do?

A freelance PHP developer (sometimes known as a “back-end engineer”) designs and develops the back-end logic that powers applications. They basically bring websites to life. The websites of well-known organizations such as Etsy and Mailchimp rely on PHP to power their systems.

PHP developers will typically work within a framework such as Laravel [link to https://gun.io/hire-dedicated-laravel-developer/] or a CMS like WordPress [link to https://gun.io/hire-dedicated-wordpress-developers/]. A PHP developer will use the framework and a database to develop anything from ecommerce systems to social networks to web platforms.

Some dedicated PHP developers have front-end design skills. However, they often work with UI and UX designers to create engaging user interfaces.

Here are some of the skills and experience you should look for in freelance PHP developers:

• PHP frameworks such as Laravel, CakePHP, and Zend
• Database technologies such as MySQL, Oracle, and PostgreSQL
• Web servers such as Apache and NGINX
• Web fundamentals such as JavaScript, HTML, and CSS
• CMSs (content management systems) such as WordPress

Advantages and disadvantages of PHP

One significant advantage of PHP is its ability to simplify web development and maintenance by supporting the model-view-controller (MVC) architecture. 

PHP frameworks also provide helpful tools and features that allow developers to automate everyday web development tasks like caching, session management, authentication, and URL mapping. These frameworks also streamline custom web application development, allowing for quick and efficient development.

Another benefit of developing with PHP is its portability and compatibility with most platforms and servers. This portability makes it highly accessible to web developers. PHP is also open-source, meaning its community constantly improves and maintains the language.

On the downside, learning PHP frameworks is necessary to make the most of the language’s functionality, which can impact development speed. Additionally, the heavy tools and features of PHP frameworks can hinder the speed and performance of smaller websites requiring only some of these resources.

Overall, PHP’s ease of use, versatility, and strong community make it a popular choice for web development. Its ability to automate tasks and connect with databases also makes it a powerful tool for developing custom web applications.

FAQs

How much does it cost to hire dedicated PHP developers with Gun.io?

We get a lot of questions about how to hire freelance PHP developers and how much they’ll cost. The short answer is this: If you have a budget, we can design a solution to suit your needs. But planning for a future headcount is much easier when you have numbers and data. 

With this in mind, we don’t have standard prices on Gun.io. Instead, we offer flexible retainers based on your needs, the project, and the developers’ salary expectations. This price includes Gun.io’s fee; you’ll see the total price upfront on developers’ profiles. There are no extra fees.

To help you move forward and hire dedicated PHP developers, we’ve gathered data from recent hires on the Gun.io platform. These numbers represent the averages and ranges for developer costs within their respective experience and geography bands. 

This data is a great place to understand how companies you’re competing with think about their investment with each hire.

We recommend using this data as a guide. You’ll still need to consider other factors to determine what will best meet your needs.

How is Gun.io different from other PHP developer hiring platforms?

If you want to hire PHP developers for full-time or part-time roles, we’ll make the process effortless for you. We streamline the hiring process, from sourcing and vetting candidates to matching you with dedicated PHP programmers.

Our clients appreciate our quick and easy hiring experience, with an average time-to-hire of 13 days. In addition, we’ve implemented a strict vetting process and have built a network of top developers. As a result, our developers have an average of 10+ years of experience.

Here’s a percentage breakdown for approved devs in our network:

• < 7 years: 11%
• 7-9 years: 26%
• 10-19 years: 47%
• 20+ years: 16%

Can I hire a PHP developer part-time?

Yes, you can! At Gun.io, you can hire dedicated PHP programmers on a full-time, part-time, or contract-to-hire basis. 

Of the three, contract-to-hire is a favorite among our clients and developers. This is because contract-to-hire lets you roll the developer onto your project to see if they’re a good fit before hiring full-time.

Does Gun.io only provide hiring services, or can I get project management support for my PHP project too?

Yes, you can (again!) Gun.io can help you hire freelance PHP developers on a full-time, part-time, or contract-to-hire basis, and provide project management support. 

We facilitate intro calls and support both parties as needed throughout the engagement. We also handle hours tracking, billing, and payments.

What can our freelance PHP developers do for you?

Our PHP developers can help you with the following:

• Custom PHP development
• Back-end development
• Mobile apps
• Maintenance and support

Meet available, vetted talent today

So are you looking to hire PHP developers? If so, we’ve got you covered. Click the button below so we can help you hire dedicated PHP programmers today!