A Love Letter: Passbolt Joins the PHP Foundation as a Company Member

Today we’re proud to announce that Passbolt has officially joined the PHP Foundation as a Silver sponsor. We’re putting our financial support behind the programming language that has helped us, and countless others, build secure, scalable applications. 

PHP has come a long way, and with continued investment from the community, its best days are still ahead. That’s right, the scripting language powers over 77% of the web, from small personal blogs to enterprise applications, and it deserves support in every possible way from all of us who rely on it every day.

Why Do We Love PHP at Passbolt?

At Passbolt, PHP isn’t just something we use, it’s something we depend on. Our password management platform is built on it, and we owe much of our success to the strength and flexibility of the PHP ecosystem.

Over the years, PHP has taken a few punches. But here’s the reality: it is one of the most practical and reliable choices for web development today. For starters, it runs practically everywhere. If you’ve got a Linux server, chances are that there is a set of PHP packages already good to go, with no complicated setup required. That kind of universality is hard to beat, and one of the reasons why passbolt is so easy to self-host natively on Linux.

Then there’s performance. Compared to many other interpreted languages, PHP is fast, and it keeps getting faster. With each new version, from PHP 7 to PHP 8, the language has seen significant improvements in execution speed and efficiency. If you’re still picturing PHP as the sluggish script engine of a decade ago, it’s time for a reality check.

And let’s talk about security, because, yes, PHP applications have had their share of infamous exploits in the past. But a lot of the issues that gave it a bad reputation have been addressed through modern frameworks, such as CakePHP, Laravel or Symfony,  implementing security best practices. Today, PHP offers robust security features, and when used correctly, it’s as safe as any other mainstream language.

At the end of the day, PHP is still here, not because of nostalgia, but because it works. It’s easy to deploy and update, it’s fast, flexible and secure. That’s why it still powers a massive chunk of the web, why we continue to use it, and why we think it deserves our support.

What’s the PHP Foundation?

During its 26-year history, PHP has evolved through the dedication of a diverse group of developers, from its creator Rasmus Lerdorf to key contributors like Zeev Suraski, Andi Gutmans, and Nikita Popov. But like any open-source project, PHP has faced its share of challenges, particularly when it comes to sustainability. The departure of Nikita Popov in 2021 served as a wake-up call for the community, highlighting the risks of relying too heavily on a small number of core maintainers.

In response, the PHP Foundation was established to secure the long-term future of the language. Formed by a coalition of companies and community leaders, the foundation ensures that PHP is actively maintained, modernized, and well-supported. By funding full-time and part-time developers, the foundation helps prevent burnout among maintainers while fostering innovation in the PHP ecosystem.

With the backing of open source industry leaders such as JetBrains, Packagist, Automatic, and many more, the foundation has already begun making an impact. It provides stability for the language that powers the majority of the web, ensuring that PHP continues to evolve without being hindered by resource limitations.

Why Passbolt Is Supporting the PHP Ecosystem?

There’s a deeper reason why we’re supporting the PHP Foundation than just the technology: we believe in being good open source citizens. Open source software is built on mutual support, and if we want PHP to remain fast, secure, and well-maintained, it’s only fair that companies like ours contribute to the cause.

If PHP were to stagnate, every company that relies on it (ours included) would have a much bigger headache on their hands. Supporting the foundation isn’t just an act of goodwill; it’s a smart investment in the future of the technology we rely on.

A Not-So-Subtle Nudge to Other Companies

So, here’s the deal. If your business depends on PHP, whether you’re running a Laravel-powered SaaS, maintaining a WordPress competitor, or building something totally unique, you should consider supporting the PHP Foundation too.

Sustainable open source development isn’t something we can just leave to “someone else”. It requires all of us to step up. The good news? Joining is easy, and whether you contribute as a silver, gold, or platinum member, you’ll be helping ensure PHP continues to thrive.

At Passbolt, we’re proud to play our part. Now, who’s next?

Check out the PHP Foundation and how you can get involved here: 

https://thephp.foundation/

Dive into the PHP blog post.