PHP is used widely used by many dynamic websites and web applications as server-side languages i.e. backend programming across the world. Although at beginner level all the programmers starts with the procedural approach in PHP, similar as in the other programming language as C, Java. To write scalable, cleaner, reusable code the Object Oriented Programming (OOP) is essential to be implemented in PHP.

In this article/blog we will learn the basics of object oriented programming, class and objects in PHP with examples.

Keywords:

These are the reserve words having special meaning in PHP. They are language construct, it means we cannot use any of them as constants, variable name, class name, function or as method name. Example, class, public, private, protected, function etc.

$this: $this refers to own itself i.e. current class object. It means, if we are using it in any class, we can use it to access the variables, methods i.e. class properties within the class.

Let us know start the object-oriented principles in PHP with examples.

What is Class ?

Class is a user-defined data type, which includes a function along with data. A class is defined using the keyword class, followed by class name, start curly braces ({), and end curly braces (}), which signify the start and end of the class.
The structure of the class written within those curly braces.

For Example: If we have to create a student class, having two properties of student name, age, along with member functions get_name(), get_age(), set_name() and set_age(). We will create it as follows:

<?php class Student
{
  // Member variables
     public $name;                                   
     public $age;
  //Member functions or methods
    public function get_name()
    { 
       return $this->$name;
    }
    public function get_age() 
    {
      return $this->age;
    }
    public function set_name($name)
    {
     $this->name = $name;
    }
    public function set_age($age)
    {
     $this->age = $age;
    }
} ?>

What is Object: Object is an individual instance of a class. To create an object of a class new keyword is used along with class name as follows.

<?php $obj = new class_name(); ?>
or
<?php $obj = new class_name; ?>

both above mentioned methods are same.

for example, we can create an object of the student class as follows

<?php $student = new Student; ?>

Conclusion

In conclusion Object Oriented Programming is the backbone of modern PHP development. By understanding the concepts of classes, objects, and $this, you can begin writing structured, maintainable, and professional PHP code.

If you’re aspiring to work with PHP frameworks like Laravel or Symfony, mastering OOP is not just helpful—it’s absolutely necessary. Start small by creating classes and objects, and gradually apply more advanced concepts like inheritance, polymorphism, interfaces, and traits.

Tip for Beginners: Convert your small procedural PHP scripts into OOP-based versions to get hands-on practice—it’s the fastest way to learn!