Code with PHP

A comprehensive, open-source learning platform helping developers fall in love with PHP and its ecosystem.

🌐 Live Site: codewithphp.com
👤 Author: Dale Hurley
📄 License: MIT

🎯 About

Code with PHP is a tutorial-based learning resource featuring hands-on, reproducible tutorials for modern PHP development. Every code sample is tested, every chapter is production-ready, and every tutorial is designed to teach real-world skills.

Tutorial Series

1. PHP Basics — Master PHP fundamentals from zero to hero
2. AI/ML for PHP Developers — Build machine learning applications with PHP
3. Build a CRM with Laravel 12 — Build a complete CRM system with Laravel 12
4. Claude for PHP Developers — Integrate Claude AI into PHP applications
5. Data Science for PHP Developers — Data analysis and visualization with PHP
6. PHP Algorithms — Master algorithms and data structures in PHP
7. PHP for Java Developers — Transition from Java to PHP
8. PHP for TypeScript Developers — Transition from TypeScript to PHP
9. Python Developers ♥ PHP & Laravel — Transition from Python to PHP/Laravel
10. Ruby on Rails Developers ♥ Laravel — Transition from Rails to Laravel

🚀 Quick Start

Documentation Site

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start development server (http://localhost:4321)
npm run dev

# Build for production
npm run build

# Preview production build
npm run preview

Testing Code Samples

All tutorial code is validated in the testing/ directory before publication.

cd testing

# Run all tests
php test-all-samples.php

# View test results
cat TEST-SUMMARY-REPORT.md

Current Test Status: 96/119 passing (80.7%) 🎉

📁 Project Structure

PHP-From-Scratch/
├── src/                     # Astro Starlight documentation site
│   ├── content/
│   │   ├── docs/           # Tutorial content
│   │   │   ├── index.mdx   # Landing page
│   │   │   └── series/     # Tutorial series content
│   │   │       ├── php-basics/
│   │   │       ├── ai-ml-php-developers/
│   │   │       ├── build-crm-laravel-12/
│   │   │       ├── claude-php-developers/
│   │   │       ├── data-science-php-developers/
│   │   │       ├── php-algorithms/
│   │   │       ├── php-for-java-developers/
│   │   │       ├── php-typescript-developers/
│   │   │       ├── python-developers-love-php-laravel/
│   │   │       └── rails-developers-love-laravel/
│   │   └── config.ts       # Content collections configuration
│   ├── styles/             # Custom CSS
│   └── Head.astro          # Custom head component
│
├── code/                    # Executable code samples (organized by series)
│   ├── php-basics/
│   ├── ai-ml-php-developers/
│   └── [other series]/
│
├── testing/                 # Test infrastructure for code validation
│   ├── test-all-samples.php
│   └── TEST-SUMMARY-REPORT.md
│
├── imagen/                  # AI image generation (MCP server)
│   ├── src/               # Gemini 2.5 Flash integration
│   └── output/            # Generated hero images
│
├── public/                  # Static assets
│   ├── images/            # Hero images and graphics
│   └── social/            # Social media preview images
│
├── scripts/                # Utility scripts
│   ├── generate-social-images.js
│   └── update-code-references.js
│
└── astro.config.mjs        # Astro & Starlight configuration

🛠️ Tech Stack

Documentation Site

• Astro 5 — Modern static site generator with component islands
• Starlight — Astro's documentation theme with built-in features
• TypeScript — Type-safe configuration
• MDX — Enhanced markdown with component support
• GitHub Pages — Hosting & deployment

Image Generation

• Google Gemini 2.5 Flash — AI image generation
• MCP (Model Context Protocol) — Claude Desktop integration
• Node.js — Image processing pipeline

📝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Here's how to get started:

1. Content Contributions

   • Edit pages via the "Edit this page" link on any chapter
   • Follow authoring guidelines in .cursor/rules/
   • All code samples must pass tests in testing/

2. Code Quality Standards

   • PHP 8.4+ compatible
   • PSR-12 coding standards
   • Complete, runnable examples (no partial code)
   • Proper error handling and type hints

3. Testing Requirements

   • Copy code to testing/<series-name>/
   • Run php test-all-samples.php
   • Document expected failures if applicable

Authoring Guidelines

Key rules documents:

• tutorials-global.mdc — Global writing standards
• authoring-guidelines.mdc — Tutorial structure & patterns
• astro.config.mjs — Astro & Starlight configuration

🎨 Features

For Learners

• ✅ Progress Tracking — Built-in chapter completion tracking
• 🔍 Full-Text Search — Search across all tutorials
• 📱 Mobile-Friendly — Responsive design for learning on the go
• 🎯 Hands-On Code — Every example is tested and runnable
• 🔗 Deep Linking — Share specific sections with others

For Contributors

• 🧪 Automated Testing — Validate all code samples before publish
• 🎨 Image Generation — AI-generated hero images for chapters
• 🔄 Real-Time Preview — See changes instantly

🔗 Links

• Website: codewithphp.com
• Repository: github.com/dalehurley/codewithphp
• Author: dalehurley.com
• Astro: astro.build
• Starlight: starlight.astro.build
• PHP Documentation: php.net

📊 Project Status

• PHP Basics: ✅ Complete (25 chapters)
• AI/ML for PHP Developers: ✅ Complete (25 chapters)
• Build a CRM with Laravel 12: 🚧 In Progress (40 chapters planned)
• Claude for PHP Developers: 🚧 In Progress (40 chapters planned)
• Data Science for PHP Developers: 🆕 Starting
• PHP Algorithms: 🚧 In Progress (38 chapters planned)
• PHP for Java Developers: 🚧 In Progress (23 chapters planned)
• PHP for TypeScript Developers: 🆕 Starting (16 chapters planned)
• Python → PHP/Laravel: 🚧 In Progress (11 chapters)
• Rails → Laravel: 🚧 In Progress (11 chapters)
• Code Test Coverage: 80.7% passing (96/119 samples)
• Active Development: ✅ Ongoing

📄 License

MIT License — See LICENSE for details.

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Built with ❤️ by Dale Hurley