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Developer career roadmap

PHP Backend Developer Roadmap

Build modern PHP and Laravel applications with SQL, APIs, testing, security, and production deployment.

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Dependency-aware sequence

PHP Backend Developer Roadmap

  1. 1

    Programming Foundations

    Understand how programs process data, make decisions, repeat work, organize logic, and report errors, then build and debug a command-line application.

  2. 2

    Command Line and Shell Essentials

    Navigate files, run programs, combine commands, manage environment variables, and write safe shell scripts across major operating systems.

  3. 3

    Git and GitHub

    Track changes, create focused commits, work safely with branches, collaborate through pull requests, and recover from routine Git mistakes.

  4. 4

    HTML and CSS Foundations

    Build accessible, responsive, and maintainable web pages with semantic HTML, modern CSS layouts, reusable components, and reliable forms.

  5. 5

    PHP Fundamentals

    Write, organize, debug, and test PHP programs that process input, work with arrays and files, handle web requests, use sessions, and access a database.

  6. 6

    SQL and Relational Databases

    Design a relational schema, write reliable queries, update data safely, use transactions, and diagnose common correctness and performance problems.

  7. 7

    HTTP and APIs

    Trace HTTP requests and responses, use common methods and status codes, work with JSON APIs, handle authentication, and diagnose communication failures.

  8. 8

    Modern PHP Web Development

    Build a framework-free PHP web application with Composer, routing, controllers, templates, PDO, authentication, validation, testing, and secure configuration.

  9. 9

    Laravel Development

    Build, test, secure, and deploy a database-backed Laravel application using routing, Blade, Eloquent, validation, authorization, queues, and APIs.

Project ladder

Projects to Build

Stage 1

Foundation project

Build evidence that combines the skills from the roadmap stages you have completed.

Stage 2

Specialization project

Build evidence that combines the skills from the roadmap stages you have completed.

Stage 3

Portfolio capstone

Build evidence that combines the skills from the roadmap stages you have completed.

Extend your capability

Recommended Specializations

Software Testing Fundamentals

Design useful tests, separate unit and integration concerns, test error behavior, recognize unreliable tests, and create a balanced test strategy.

Secure Coding Fundamentals

Identify trust boundaries, validate untrusted input, protect credentials, apply authentication and authorization safely, and reduce common risks.

Docker and Containers

Build, run, secure, debug, connect, persist, test, and distribute containerized applications and multi-service development environments.

Continuous Integration and Delivery

Build secure, testable, versioned, observable, and recoverable pipelines for software integration, artifacts, releases, deployments, and rollback.