PHP Beginner Questions Interview Preparation

 Level        Type

Beginner                Basics (syntax, variables, data types, operators, loops, functions)


1. What is PHP?
➤ PHP is a server-side scripting language used to create dynamic web pages.

2. How to declare a variable in PHP?
➤ Using $

$name = "Lakshmi";

3. What are PHP data types?
PHP data types are like Integer, Float, String, Boolean, Array, Object, NULL, and Resource — used to define what kind of data a variable stores.
➤You can check a variable's data type using var_dump($variable);
➤ String, Integer, Float, Boolean, Array, Object, NULL.

4. How do you write comments in PHP?
➤ Single-line: //, multi-line: /* comment */

5. What is the difference between echo and print?
Both echo and print are used to display output in PHP
➤  echo can output multiple values, faster. print returns 1, usable in expressions.

6. How to write a function in PHP?
➤ A function in PHP is a reusable block of code that performs a specific task and is defined using the function keyword.
➤ In PHP, a function is created using the function keyword, followed by a function nameparentheses (), and curly braces {} containing the code to run

function greet($name) {
    return "Hello $name";
}

7. What are constants?
➤ Defined using define(), values that don’t change.

8. What is a loop?
➤ Used to execute code repeatedly: for, while, foreach, do...while

9. What is the difference between == and ===?
== checks only value, === checks value and data type both .
👉 Always use === when you want strict comparison (especially when working with login/authentication, form validations,

10. How to include a file in PHP?
include 'file.php'; or require 'file.php';

11.What is the use of isset()?
➤ isset() Checks if a variable is set and not null.

12. What is empty()?
➤ It's checks is variable is empty or not. Returns true if a variable is empty.

13. What are superglobals in PHP?
➤ Built-in variables: $_GET, $_POST, $_SESSION, $_FILES, etc.

14. What is the difference between $_GET and $_POST?
GET: data in URL, visible; POST: secure, in body.
  • $_GET sends data via URL, is visible, less secure, and good for search or pagination.
  • $_POST sends data hidden in the request body, is more secure, and ideal for forms like login or registration.
15. How to create an array?
➤ An array in PHP is a variable that can hold multiple values at once.
You can create it using array() or short syntax [].

$arr = array("one", "two", "three");

16 . What is the die() function?
➤ Terminates script execution and shows an error message.

17. How do you concatenate strings in PHP?
➤ Using the dot (.) operator:
$full = $first . $last;

18. What are magic constants?
➤Magic constants in PHP are special predefined constants that give information about the file, line, function, class, or method dynamically. They are very useful for debugging and meta-programming.
  • __LINE__
  • __FILE__
  • __DIR__
  • __FUNCTION__
  • __CLASS__
  • __METHOD__
  • __NAMESPACE__
They start and end with double underscores (__) and provide static info.

19. What is var_dump() used for?
➤ Displays detailed variable info (type + value).

20.What is a NULL value in PHP?
➤ A variable with no value assigned.

21. What is a PHP array?
➤ An array in PHP is a special variable that can store multiple values under one name

22. What is the use of the $_POST variable in PHP?
$_POST is used to get data from an HTML form when the form's method is POST.

23. What are the different types of loops in PHP?
PHP supports for, while, do...while, and foreach loops to repeat code blocks based on conditions or array data.

24. What is the purpose of the break statement in PHP?
➤ break is used to terminate a loop or switch case early when a certain condition is met.

25. How do you connect to a MySQL database in PHP?
➤ In PHP, you can connect to MySQL using mysqli_connect() by providing server, username, password, and database name.

26. How do you fetch data from a MySQL database in PHP?
➤ We fetch data using mysqli_query() to run the SQL SELECT statement, and mysqli_fetch_assoc() to get rows as an associative array.

27. What is a PHP session?
➤ A session stores user data on the server across multiple pages using a unique session ID

28. What is the use of the $_GET variable in PHP?
➤ $_GET is used to collect form data or information passed via the URL in PHP.

29. What are superglobals in PHP?
➤ Superglobals are special global arrays in PHP used to access data like form inputs, server info, sessions, and cookies from anywhere in the script.
  • $_GET — Data from URL parameters.
  • $_POST — Data from HTML forms (POST method).
  • $_REQUEST — Data from GET, POST, or COOKIE.
  • $_SESSION — Data stored in user session.
  • $_COOKIE — Data stored in cookies.
  • $_FILES — Information about uploaded files.
  • $_SERVER — Server and execution environment info.
  • $_ENV — Environment variables.
  • $_GLOBALS — Access all global variables.
30. How do you handle file uploads in PHP?
➤ We use $_FILES to collect the uploaded file and move_uploaded_file() to save it to the server.











































































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