Level 5 exam — PHP · GUIDINEE.COM

Exam — fresh questions

12 new questions to validate Pro level & deployment: patterns & SOLID, performance, Docker, deployment & CI/CD.
Answer everything, then click Check: your score and explanations will appear.

5.1 · Recall

1. What are design patterns and the SOLID principles?

Native PHP functions to speed up pages Proven solutions + 5 principles toward decoupled, maintainable code A framework competing with Laravel Legal obligations for publishing code

Patterns: validated recipes and shared vocabulary. SOLID: 5 principles (S, O, L, I, D).

5.1 · Application

2. Riad's SQL is mixed with HTML and every fix breaks something else. First move?

Copy-paste the queries into each page Add three abstraction layers everywhere Centralise data access in a Repository and inject dependencies Rewrite everything in a single file

Repository + injection: centralised data, decoupled, testable code.

5.1 · Arbitration

3. Riad learns patterns and wants to apply them everywhere, even on a one-page script. Decision?

Leave the script simple: structure what grows and lasts, with measure Never use classes again Enforce SOLID to the letter on each line Apply all patterns, that's what being pro means

Judgment: over-engineering is a trap just like mess.

5.2 · Recall

4. What does OPcache do?

It caches the compiled PHP bytecode: compilation only once It deletes the database It replaces Redis and the application cache It writes SQL queries for you

OPcache: no more recompiling on each request — a major almost-free gain in production.

5.2 · Application

5. Riad's shop crawls: the same catalogue queries keep hitting the database. First lever?

Delete the database Rewrite all loops at random Add servers without measuring Cache the catalogue and index the slow queries

Cache + query optimisation: often the most profitable lever, guided by measurement.

5.2 · Application

6. Riad wants to optimise without missing the target. Which approach?

Never touch the code, whatever happens Optimise by intuition, without measuring Measure (profile) to find the real bottleneck, optimise targeted, re-measure Optimise everything everywhere at once

Golden rule: measure before optimising — never blind premature optimisation.

5.3 · Recall

7. What does a Docker container hold?

Only the code, with no environment The application WITH its whole environment (PHP, extensions, config) Only decorative images Nothing at all, it's an empty folder

The container ships its environment: it runs identically everywhere.

5.3 · Application

8. Riad's app works on his machine but not on his colleague's (missing PDO extension). What does he do?

Reinstall PHP at random until it passes Abandon the project Install the extension by hand on each machine Write a Dockerfile (extensions installed in the image) + Compose

Dockerfile + build + run: same image, same behaviour — the end of “it works on my machine”.

5.3 · Application

9. Riad must bring up PHP + MySQL for a newcomer in one command. Which tool?

An email with screenshots Advanced Kubernetes from day one A shared spreadsheet Docker Compose (docker compose up: stack together)

Compose describes the whole stack: immediate onboarding, reproducible identically.

5.4 · Application

10. Riad deploys his shop: where do the database password and secret key go?

Hard-coded in the code, it's simpler In the Git repo, to share them In environment variables (.env out of the repo), never in code or Git In a public code comment

Secrets out of code, the Dockerfile and Git — supplied by the environment.

5.4 · Arbitration

11. Riad is starting out and must get his showcase online fast. Which choice?

Administer a full VPS from day one Start with simple hosting (shared/PaaS), connected Git repo Never deploy, keep localhost Send files over FTP with no HTTPS or backups

Simple to start (online fast); VPS for control when ready to take on maintenance.

5.4 · Arbitration

12. Before exposing real customer data, what must Riad do?

Get infrastructure, access and backups validated by the IT department, offers checked when choosing Delete logs and monitoring to go faster Deploy fast without telling anyone Publish the secrets to ease access

Sensitive data: IT-department validation, tested backups, checked offers, HTTPS and monitoring in place.

What's next?

Score ≥ 80%: move to Level 6 “In practice” — concrete cases, troubleshooting and the PHP toolbox (NO exam).
Score 50-79%: re-read the explanations above — each re-explains the concept — then redo the failed sections' 48h challenges.
Score < 50%: resume sheets 5.3 (image vs container) and 5.4 (CI vs CD), your two vital moves, before continuing.