PHP application checklist

List of useful approaches to improve and check your PHP-based project.

Table of Contents

• Base section
• Architecture section
• Code section
• Database section
• Frontend section
• Security section
• Administration section
• Team section
• Tools section
• Metrics section
• Scalable and performance section

Base section

• Do you use the latest stable PHP version?
  • Supported versions
• Try to be aware of last changes, technologies and tools.
  • PHP: The Right Way - best PHP practices.
  • Awesome PHP - list of PHP libraries, resources and shiny things.
  • The twelve-factor app - Methodology for building software-as-a-service apps.

Architecture section

• Do you use well supported, not outdated and popular PHP framework, not your own?
  • Laravel, Symfony, Zend Framework, Yii and etc. - frameworks.
  • Slim, Lumen and etc. - microframeworks.
• Do you have a lot of custom solutions? Maybe it’s easier to use external libraries, PHP extensions and SPL?
  • The PHP package repository
  • PHP extentions
  • Standard PHP Library
• Do you use dependency manager?
  • Composer, One page Doc, 17 useful Composer tips
• Try to follow by best coding practices like SOLID, KISS, DRY and etc.
• Try to create common solution, not unique.
  • PHP Package Checklist

Code section

• Do you use code version control system and appropriate branching model?
  • Git, Mercurial - source control management tools.
  • Git Flow, GitHub Flow, GitLab Flow - branching models.
• Do you have common code style? Does it apply automatically?
  • PHP CS Fixer, PHP Code Sniffer
• Do you have automatically generated code documentation for your app and API?
• Do you have code review and acceptance policy?
• Do you have code auto-completion and live templates, skeletons for commonly used files?

Database section

• Do you use ORM model to not depend on database type?
• Do you have any backup system?
• Do have clear migration system?

Frontend section

• Do you use any template engine?
• Do you use any up to date frontend framework?
• Do you use last HTML version?

Security section

• Try to follow OWASP Top 10.
• Always use protected connection for your web application.
  • Let’s Encrypt, SSL For Free - free SSL certificates.
• Do you check project code for vulnerabilities?
  • RIPS, composer.lock checker
• Do you have password and other sensitive data saving policy?
  • OWASP Cheat Sheet, Hashing

Administration section

• Do you dev or testing environment and splited configuration for them?
• Try to use containerisation.
• Do you have any hardware monitoring system?
• Do you have logging system?
• Do you have log prioritization?
• Do you have any notification system when errors occurs?

Team section

• Do you have clear team structure?
• Do you have problems in communication?
• Do you use bug reporting system?
• Do you use predefined templates for bug report description?

Tools section

• Do you have connected debugging tool for your application?
• Do you use deployment tool?
• Maybe it will be useful to integrate CI in your development process.

Metrics section

• Do you know your code coverage for tests?
• Do you know your code quality? Try to use static code analysis tools.
• Do you know your team productivity and development score?

Scalable and performance section

• Try to use queue system for better performance.
• Try to use cache system.
• Try to use async php.