Chapter 3. PHP and the Web

Terms You’ll Need to Understand

  • Server-side

  • Client-side

  • Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

  • GET request

  • POST request

  • Superglobal array

  • HTTP header

  • Cookie

  • Session

  • Session identifier

Techniques You’ll Need to Master

  • Distinguishing between server-side and client-side

  • Handling form data using superglobal arrays

  • Working with cookies

  • Persisting data in sessions

Server-side Versus Client-side

One of the keys to understanding PHP’s role in the Web is to understand how the Web works at a fundamental level. This generally involves a basic understanding of HTTP, Hypertext Transfer Protocol. To examine the basic operation of the Web, consider a typical HTTP client, your Web browser. When you visit a URL such as http://example.org/, your browser sends ...

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