Official documentation worth bookmarking for PHP, JavaScript and Node.js developers

Search results for programming questions are crowded with copied answers, outdated tutorials and AI-generated pages that sound confident but describe APIs that no longer exist. The fastest way to avoid that noise is to go to the primary source first: the documentation written by the people who maintain the language, runtime or framework.

This guide lists the official and community-maintained references we consider worth bookmarking for developers who work with PHP, JavaScript, Node.js and the web platform. Every link was opened and confirmed live on 7 October 2026. For each one we explain what it is for, what makes it reliable, and how to use it efficiently.

We have grouped them by job: learning the web platform, language and runtime references, framework documentation, security guidance, and tools that tell you which versions are still supported.

The web platform: MDN Web Docs and web.dev

MDN Web Docs

MDN Web Docs is the reference most front-end developers return to for HTML, CSS, JavaScript and browser APIs. According to its about page, MDN is an open-source, collaborative project owned by Mozilla Corporation that began in 2005 as a community-driven wiki documenting open web standards. Content is maintained in a public repository, so corrections can be proposed and reviewed in the open.

Two habits make MDN much more useful:

• Read the browser compatibility table at the bottom of each reference page before using a newer API in production.
• Use the "Learn web development" guides for structured introductions, and the reference pages when you only need the signature or parameters of an API.

web.dev

web.dev is published by Chrome Developer Relations. Its about page says its aim is to help developers build websites that are accessible, fast and secure, and that work across browsers. It is strongest on performance, Core Web Vitals, accessibility and progressive web apps, with courses and articles written by members of the Chrome team and external experts.

Because it is written by one browser vendor's team, check MDN's compatibility data for anything browser-specific before you rely on it.

Language and runtime references

The PHP manual

The PHP manual covers the language reference, security, features such as sessions and file uploads, and a function reference organised by extension. The user notes at the bottom of many pages can be helpful, but they are written by readers and are sometimes years old, so treat them as hints rather than authority.

Bookmark PHP's supported versions page next to it. On the day we checked, it listed four supported branches:

The page explains the policy: each branch gets two years of active support followed by two years of security fixes only. If your servers still run PHP 8.2, its security support ends on 31 December 2026, so an upgrade belongs in your plan now.

Node.js API documentation and release schedule

The Node.js API documentation documents every built-in module, with a stability index for each API and a "History" table showing when it was added or changed. That history table answers a common question quickly: whether a feature such as the global fetch is available in the Node.js version you deploy. (For example, the docs show fetch stopped being experimental in v21.0.0.) If you run an older major version, use the version-specific URL, such as https://nodejs.org/docs/latest-v24.x/api/.

The Node.js releases page shows which lines are supported. On 7 October 2026 it listed Node.js 26 as Current and Node.js 24 (Krypton) and 22 (Jod) as LTS lines, with Node.js 25 at end of life. The page states that production applications should only use Active LTS or Maintenance LTS releases, and that starting with Node.js 27 the release cycle will become annual, with every major version moving to LTS.

TypeScript

The TypeScript documentation includes the Handbook, which is the clearest explanation of the type system, plus reference pages for compiler options in tsconfig.json. When a compiler error is unclear, the compiler options reference usually explains which flag is responsible.

Framework and CMS documentation

Framework documentation is versioned, and reading the wrong version is one of the most common sources of confusion. Always check the version selector before you copy an example.

• Laravel documentation: the docs URL now redirects to laravel.com/framework/docs. On the day we checked, the version menu listed releases from 6.x to 13.x. Match it to the laravel/framework version in your composer.lock.
• react.dev: the official React documentation, with a "Learn" section for concepts and a "Reference" section for hooks, components and APIs.
• WordPress Developer Resources: handbooks for themes, plugins, the block editor and the REST API, plus a code reference for functions, hooks and classes.

When documentation and a blog post disagree, trust the documentation for the version you run, then check the project's changelog or upgrade guide.

Security guidance: the OWASP Cheat Sheet Series

The OWASP Cheat Sheet Series was created, in its own words, to provide a concise collection of high-value information on specific application security topics. It is written by application security professionals and covers topics such as authentication, authorisation, access control, Content Security Policy, clickjacking defence and CI/CD security, with newer sheets on areas such as AI agent security.

The cheat sheets are practical: they tell you what to do, not just what the risk is. Good ones to read before your next project include the Authentication, Session Management, Password Storage and Input Validation cheat sheets. The site also offers indexes mapped to the OWASP Top 10 and the Application Security Verification Standard (ASVS), which helps if you need to show coverage during a security review.

There are also stack-specific sheets that are directly relevant to readers of this site, including the Laravel, Nodejs Security, NodeJS Docker and PHP Configuration cheat sheets, and the SQL Injection Prevention cheat sheet, which applies to any language that talks to a database. Reading the one for your stack takes less than an hour and usually turns up at least one setting worth reviewing.

Searching many references at once: DevDocs

DevDocs combines many developer documentation sets in one interface with instant search, offline support, a mobile version, a dark theme and keyboard shortcuts, as described in the project's README. You choose which documentation sets to enable, so it stays fast.

It is especially useful on slow or unreliable connections: once you have enabled the documentation you need, it works offline. Remember that DevDocs mirrors upstream documentation, so for anything security-sensitive or very new, confirm against the original site.

Knowing what is still supported: endoflife.date

endoflife.date is a community-maintained site that tracks release and end-of-life dates for languages, frameworks, databases, operating systems and applications. It also has a public API, which is useful for automated checks. For example, this request returns PHP's release cycles as JSON:

curl -s https://endoflife.date/api/v1/products/php/

The response includes each cycle's release date, end of active support and end of security support. Use it to build a simple monthly reminder, but confirm critical dates against the official project page (such as PHP's supported versions page) before planning an upgrade.

A bookmark folder that works

A long, flat list of bookmarks is rarely used. A small folder structure is easier to scan:

Two more habits keep it useful:

• Bookmark the version you run, not only the "latest" page, for runtimes and frameworks with versioned docs.
• Check the folder for broken links once or twice a year. Documentation sites reorganise; a redirect today can become a 404 later.

How to read documentation efficiently

Having the right bookmarks is half the job. The other half is reading them well:

1. Start from the reference page, not the tutorial, when you already know what you are looking for. Reference pages list every parameter, return value and error.
2. Check the version and the date. Most official docs show which version a page applies to, and many show when it was last updated.
3. Look for the stability or deprecation notice. Node.js marks APIs with a stability index; the PHP manual flags deprecated features. Avoid building new code on anything marked deprecated.
4. Read the examples, then run them. A two-minute test in a scratch file confirms that you understood the page correctly before the code reaches a pull request.

Summary

Primary documentation is faster and safer than search results once you know where it lives. Start with MDN and web.dev for the web platform; the PHP manual and Node.js API docs for your runtime, alongside their support schedules; the official docs for the framework version you actually run; and the OWASP Cheat Sheet Series for security decisions. Add DevDocs for fast offline search and endoflife.date to keep an eye on support dates. Then spend ten minutes organising those bookmarks so they are there when you need them.