Reasons to Hire PHP 8 Developer Remotely

PHP, short for Hypertext Preprocessor, is a general-purpose scripting language. It is known for its use in developing highly dynamic and interactive websites and applications and is, therefore, quite popular among developers. 

PHP was built aiming at the server-side of the development process but can also be used to write desktop and cross-platform applications. It is a versatile scripting language that can be used on most of the operating systems currently in use, like Windows, Linux, MAC, etc. Some of the biggest and most popular companies in the world use PHP because of its many advantages. Examples of these companies include Facebook, Lyft, WhatsApp and Slack. 

PHP is also constantly evolving and improving. There have been some recent updates on PHP and with its latest version, PHP 8, released on 26 November 2020, it plans to further cement its place in the development sector. It was a major update and includes various new features and optimizations like named arguments, union types, attributes, constructor property promotion, match expression, and JIT, as well as improvements in the type system, error handling, and consistency.

As a result of its popularity, the demand for PHP has been high for several years. Many businesses are also now looking to hire remote PHP developers to get access to the most skilled and experienced candidates. Let’s now consider the change in demand for PHP over the last few years: 

The History of PHP

PHP has a rich history. Rasmus Lerdorf invented PHP sometime in late 1994, mainly to keep track of how many people were looking at his resume on his homepage. Little did he know how big an impact PHP would have on the development world. 

PHP is now known as one of the first and most practical server-side languages that can be embedded into HTML. Let’s now explore the timeline of previously released PHP versions:

  • PHP 1 – June 1994
  • PHP 2 – November 1997
  • PHP 3 – June 1998
  • PHP 4 – May 2000
  • PHP 5 – July 2004
  • PHP 5.4 – Due to a shortage of developers understanding necessary changes, PHP 6 was skipped and a version named 5.4 was released in 2010.
  • PHP 7 – January 2019
  • PHP 8 – November 2020

On 22 November 2020, PHP version 8, the present version, was released with many PHP 8 changes. This version was an upgrade that featured better performance, better syntax, and overall improved safety. 

What Is New in PHP 8?

PHP 8 is a major update in the PHP language and the result has been a much-improved product. But what exactly is the difference between version 7 and version 8 of PHP? We have listed a few of the key PHP 8 features:

  • Just in time compilation

PHP 8 has two JIT compilation engines, indicating an improvement of around three times better performance against synthetic benchmarks. 

  • Addition of the match expression

Similar to switch, but with improved safety semantics. It also allows return values. An advantage is that the comparison is an identity check and values are not compared loosely, as is the case with switch.

  • Type changes and additions

With the addition of union Types and Mixed Type, PHP 8 has seen major improvements in the typing system.

  • Syntax changes and additions

With a more concise syntax, PHP 8 simplifies property declaration, shortening it and causing less redundancy. 

  •  Standard library changes and additions

Weak Maps, Throw Expression, and Trailing Comma in Parameter List have been added in PHP 8 to enhance performance where data is being cached. 

The PHP 8 release has been significant for developers with many upgrades and new PHP 8.0 features. After this release, there have also been additional updates with the release of PHP 8.1. Some of the PHP 8.1 new features include: 

  • Support for intersection types
  • New support for enums
  • Support of read-only properties
  • Adding new return type hint called ‘never’ 
  • Array unpacking supported with string keys
  • Support for ‘readonly’ properties
  • Ability to override class constants with its child classes
  • Two new file system functions named ‘fsync()’ and ‘fdatasync()’
  • Support for the AVIF image format

It is expected that PHP 8.2 will be released at the end of 2022 with more PHP 8 new features and improved updates. 

The Roles and Responsibilities of a PHP 8 Developer

PHP 8 engineers are highly skilled individuals. This is because they have many important responsibilities that form part of the development cycle. Some of the most essential roles and responsibilities of PHP 8 coders include: 

  • Analyzing website and application requirements
  • Creating structured PHP modules
  • Writing back-end code
  • Developing back-end portals with an optimized database
  • Finding and solving issues in code and applications
  • Incorporating data storage solutions
  • Reacting to integration queries from front-end developers
  • Finishing back-end development and testing 
  • Consistently updating features to better performance

While PHP developers play an important role in the development cycle for many different software projects, there are also some challenges when deciding to hire remote php5 developers or hire PHP 8 programmers. Let’s now explore all the pros and cons involved: 

The pros:

  • Flexibility. PHP is flexible. It is supported by most operating systems. It is also supported by almost all servers. This means it can be used cross-platform, making it very advantageous. It also allows PHP developers to create custom solutions across multi-platforms. 
  • Speed. PHP offers excellent loading speeds that make applications load quickly. The technology can also easily assess the whole setup. This enables developers to create new software fast and efficiently. 
  • Stability. Unlike with other languages, PHP developers can build highly stable websites and applications. Developers can also get assistance and continuous support fast. 
  • Specific. A PHP developer can create very specific applications, frameworks, and databases to satisfy businesses’ unique software development requirements.

Let’s explore the disadvantages of:

  • Poor documentation. Through the years, the population of veteran PHP developers has declined. Along with this, the documentation of the language is not always easily accessible.
  • Security. Open-source often translates to weak security. However, a good developer will keep this in mind when developing with PHP and implementing innovative and up-to-date security solutions.
  • Fewer libraries. There is a shortage of libraries for some functions in PHP. For example, machine learning.

A Resume of an Ideal PHP 8 Developer Candidate

When looking to hire PHP web developer candidates, it is important to do some research and determine the skills and qualifications a good PHP 8 developer should have. To make this process easier, we have listed an example of a resume of an ideal PHP 8 developer:

While the above can vary between junior, mid-level and senior developers, the basic requirements should always apply.

The Average Monthly Salary of a PHP 8 Developer

When interested in employing an offshore PHP developer, many factors should be considered. Probably one of the most important being the cost. PHP developers’ salaries vary significantly between countries. Let’s now explore the average monthly PHP 8 software developer salary from five different countries:

*Ukrainian salaries are provided based on Mobilunity’s Recruitment Team research on the local job markets. All salaries are net and do not include the service fee (in case of hiring on a dedicated team model). The salaries are provided for comparison purposes and could be not entirely accurate. Contact us to know the exact cost of hiring a developer corresponding to the required parameters.

From this, it is clear that Ukraine is one of the most affordable countries that offer PHP 8 developer for hire candidates. This is one of the top reasons why many leading businesses around the world choose Ukraine as a top hiring destination. 

Why You Should Hire PHP Developers in Ukraine

Based on the salaries we compared, it is clear that Ukraine has one of the lowest rates for businesses looking to hire PHP 8 developer candidates remotely. But this is not the only advantage to hiring from Ukraine. Below is a list of reasons to consider hiring a PHP developer 8 from Ukraine:

  • Affordability 

Ukraine has some of the lowest salaries for PHP developers in the world. It is important to note that this is mainly due to the lower cost of living in the country and does not mean the quality of developers is lower.

  • Access to a pool of talent

Ukraine has thousands of IT qualifications annually. The pool of talent is incredibly large, allowing businesses to find candidates with better skills, knowledge and experience.

  • Convenient time zone

Being in Eastern Europe, Ukraine shares similar timezones with many European countries and parts of the USA, making it convenient to operate during normal business hours.

  • Top tech skills

Ukraine puts many resources into ensuring its IT education field is continually improving. This means that increasingly more students are supported to study in the IT field. 

  • Excellent proficiency in English 

Most developers in Ukraine are fluent in both written and spoken English, allowing for smooth communication.

Mobilunity as a Reliable Provider of Outstaffing Solutions in Ukraine

Having been in business for more than 11 years, Mobilunity specializes in providing global businesses with development teams of exceptional quality. Based in Ukraine, we have access to a large pool of talent that we carefully source and vet for every new client we work with. Also Mobilunity guarantees fair and cost-effective cost to hire Symfony developer.

At Mobilunity, we work with clients in more than 15 countries. Some of our previous and existing clients include 42Matters in Switzerland, FinExpert in Canada, Byg-E in Denmark, XPLG in Israel, ICUC in Canada and i-doit in Germany. 

Mobilunity’s approach is simple but effective. We do not stop at the recruiting process, we also assist with the onboarding of your newly hired team. Further to this, we work to keep remote workers motivated and assist in building the relationship between your business and the new team to ensure smooth cooperation. 

If you are looking for a PHP 8 developer for hire to join your team, look no further, contact the experts at Mobilunity. Find professional candidates effortlessly! 

All salaries and prices mentioned within the article are approximate NET numbers based on the research done by our in-house Recruitment Team. Please use these numbers as a guide for comparison purposes only and feel free to use the contact form to inquire on the specific cost of the talent according to your vacancy requirements and chosen model of engagement.

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