Ever wondered what is that one thing that websites like Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Wikipedia, and Wordpress have in common? They all use PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor or simply, PHP as their backend server-side language.
PHP today has 63.73% market share and is leading as the most preferable server-side language for website development.
A great language is often supported by great frameworks. And PHP has some of the best frameworks for a backend language.
Here are 5 of the most loved PHP frameworks for web development
Laravel
Laravel quickly gained popularity among programmers and PHP framework development alike. Laravel has object-oriented libraries and many such pre-installed libraries unlike other frameworks.
The Authentication library in Laravel has many advanced features like checking active users, Bcrypt hashing, password reset, Cross-site Request Forgery protection, and encryption.
Another feature that makes Laravel pleasant is that it reliably supports MVC Architecture like Symfony which ensures clarity between logic and presentation. Improved performance, better documentation, and multiple built-in functionalities are some of the core benefits of MVC architecture.
Laravel Notable Features:
- MVC Architecture pattern
- Handles NoSQL structures like MongoDB and Redis fairly well
- Built in testing syntax
CakePHP
CakePHP is easier to code when compared other PHP frameworks. One can achieve more in terms of end-product while creating lesser codes. CakePHP easily distinguishes between the logic layer and the business layer.
A noteworthy thing is that CakePHP has two folders in each of its projects. The first folder is specific to core lib cake and the second folder is application specific. This offers the facility of class inheritance where the objects of one class can mimic or inherit the properties of objects from another class.
Not to forget the fact that CakePHP is compatible with n number of websites and directories; providing superior functionalities with all latest PHP versions be it any type PHP framework development.
CakePHP Notable Features:
- Supports all kinds of database drivers and database types for both PDO and native
- Bake Script
- Search engine friendly URLs
CodeIgniter
CI is one of the oldest PHP frameworks out there which has a very strong backing community. There are tons of libraries and tutorials available online for CI. In terms of performance and PHP framework development, CodeIgniter beats other frameworks.
Being uncomplicated compared to other frameworks means one can quite easily get a hold of the core functionalities. Developers can easily create a full-featured web application with the simple and elegant toolkit from Codeigniter.
CodeIgniter has been among the favourites because it is incredibly fast and light.
CodeIgniter Notable Features:
- Easy to learn, fathom, and deploy
- Powerful documentation of client control
- Lightweight and broad
Other equally popular PHP frameworks
Zend
- Use-at-will architecture with minimum interdependencies
- Multitude of components
- Agile caching sub-system
- Support for multiple database and vendors
- Extensive MVC implementation
Symfony
- Highly flexible
- Easy testing
- Large community and great documentation
Phalcon
- Dependency injection
- Autoloading mechanism of PHP classes
- Micro or Full stack application
- Low memory consumption compared to traditional frameworks
Conclusion
PHP development and integration for a website requires a thorough research before taking the next step. There are tons and tons of features scattered across various frameworks and all of them serve a different purpose. Analyzing and evaluating website specific needs helps organizations contemplate the right solutions.
