As the internet grows more and more, many businesses use scripting languages for browser-based applications. While developing software in scripting languages such as PHP, the concern is about protecting source code from being seen or misused. The problem is getting your source code to be able to be run in PHP but not able to be read by people. Most people choose encryption to solve this dilemma but the motto for encryption is: "If it can be encrypted, IT CAN BE DECRYPTED." Although this is very possible for anybody who gets their hands on your PHP scripts, it still doesn't prevent them from stealing your ideas and code from your work.

With encryption being a temporary solution, you need something permanent. Obfuscation is a permanent solution to your source code worries. Obfuscation is the process of changing function, variable, and class names into new names of randomly-generated letters and numbers as well as removing all formatting and documentation (e.g. comments) from the source code to produce the same program but unable to be interpreted by anybody.

Think of obfuscation as a paper-shredder. The paper is shredded and rendered in a very unreadable form. Still the same paper, it is simply put into a very undecipherable format. However, think of it as if the computer can piece every shred of paper together and read it. Although you can't do it, the computer can do this very easily. Obfuscation retains the program's structure (which is essential to the program running) but the compiler does not care what you name a function or a variable. It simply follows the program's syntax and structure. You can think of it as if you have a keypad with numbers ranging from 0 to 9. If someone were to rearrange the number buttons or replace them with a foreign number system, you could still remember the numbers according to their appropriate places to press in order to produce the numbers.