PHP From ZeroModern PHP course

practical capstone projects

Job-Ready Web App Checklist

A portfolio app does not need to imitate a large company platform. It should show that you can finish a small application and make ordinary engineering decisions deliberately. A reviewer should be able to install it, understand its boundaries, exercise its main workflow, and see how rejected requests are handled.

Make Setup Reproducible

Document the supported PHP version, required extensions, Composer installation step, environment configuration, database setup, migrations, seed data, and test command. Run those instructions from a clean checkout before sharing the project.

Show Safe Web Development Habits

The code should make trust boundaries visible. Validate request data before using it. Escape values when rendering HTML. Protect state-changing browser forms with CSRF tokens. Use prepared statements for database values. Authenticate users and authorise access to individual records rather than assuming a logged-in user may edit everything.

Include Evidence

A small, finished project is stronger than a sprawling app with half-integrated technology. Include focused tests for important rules and persistence boundaries. Explain how production secrets, error logging, migrations, deployment, and rollback would work. Record one or two design decisions you can discuss honestly in an interview.

README setup works from a clean checkout.
Migrations and seed data are documented.
Tests cover normal and rejected requests.
Security controls are visible in code.
Deployment and rollback steps are explained.

Before calling the app job-ready, walk through it as another developer: install it, run its checks, submit invalid data, try an unauthorised action, inspect logs, and explain what you would improve next.

Practice

Practice: Review A Portfolio App

Use the checklist to identify the next highest-value improvement in a PHP portfolio project.

Requirements

  • Document setup, configuration, migrations, and test commands.
  • Show validation, escaping, authentication, authorisation, and CSRF protection.
  • Use structured persistence and prepared statements.
  • Include automated checks and a deployment outline.
  • Do not add technologies only to pad a CV.
  • Be honest about orientation-level tools.
  • Prefer a finished understandable app over a sprawling incomplete one.
Show solution

Run the setup from a clean checkout. Apply migrations, execute automated checks, and exercise both normal and rejected journeys. Review secret handling and production error settings.

Choose the highest-value missing improvement rather than adding a new technology for appearance. Prepare a short explanation of the app's boundaries, tradeoffs, failure handling, verification, and one sensible next step.