PLC is a logic controller which has inputs and outputs to control a particular process. The relation between these inputs and outputs is established via a control logic. This control logic can be written using different programming languages. One of the most common and easier to understand language is the ladder programming. Check the video to know why the language is called ladder programming.
The programmable logic controller, or PLC, is a special purpose computer. It has no display, no keyboard, no printer, no hard drive, and hides in the control panel out on the factory floor, but it is still a computer.
Initially, the PLC was a replacement for panels of relays, devices that turn on and off. Making a machine run using relays as logic was time-consuming and challenging, and making a change in the logic or the operation of the machine was almost as complicated as starting over.