The
Zend engine, commonly known for the important role it plays in the web automation language
PHP, was originally developed by Andi Gunmans and Zeev Suraski. Zend is a highly optimized scripting engine, and is the centerpiece of newer versions of PHP.
The word
Zend is formed by combining the names
Zeev and
Andi.
The term Zend engine first appeared in 1999 alongside PHP version 4. For the first time the engine was a modular component, and could be used in applications outside of PHP. The performance, reliability and extensibility of the engine played a significant role in increasing the popularity of PHP.
