Top Rated PHP Frameworks
As we know PHP is one of the best Server side scripting language in the programming World now a days developers need to build complex websites and web apps, but certain complexity level it can take too much time and hassle to always start from scratch, hence came the need for a more structured natural way of development. PHP frameworks provide developers with an adequate solution for that and thats why php framework come to the picture.
in this post you get worlds most 10 handpicked php framework with it’s pros and cons, so let’s begin.
What is PHP Framework?
PHP frameworks streamline the development of web applications written in PHP by providing a basic structure for which to build the web applications. In other words, PHP frameworks help to promote rapid application development (RAD), which saves you time, helps build more stable applications, and reduces the amount of repetitive coding for developers. Frameworks can also help beginners to build more stable apps by ensuring proper database interaction and coding on the presentation layer. This allows you to spend more time creating the actual web application, instead of spending time writing repetitive code.
Before diving into framework you must know about MVC
The general idea behind the workings of a PHP framework is referred to as Model View Controller (MVC). MVC is an architectural pattern in programming that isolates business logic from the UI, allowing one to be modified separately from the other (also known as separation of concerns). With MVC, Model refers to data, View refers to the presentation layer, and Controller to the application or business logic. Basically, MVC breaks up the development process of an application, so you can work on individual elements while others are unaffected. Essentially, this makes coding in PHP faster and less complicated.
Why should you use Framework?
As mentioned above we use framework for basic structure for streamlining the development of web apps.
- Make speed development possible
- Provide well-organized, reusable and maintainable code
- Let you grow over time as web apps running on frameworks are scalable
- Spare you from the worries about low-level security of a site
- Follow the MVC (Model-View-Controller) pattern that ensures the separation of presentation and logic
- Promote modern web development practices such as object-oriented programming tools
Prons of Using PHP Framework
1. Rapid Development
2. A Framework Makes Your Application More Secure
3. Easier Maintenance
4. Stronger Teamwork
5. The Community Is There for You
Cons of Using a PHP Framework
1. Slower Execution
2. General Solutions for Specific Problems(Framework thing You Know)
3. A Framework Takes Time to Learn and Master(make a patient)
4. Limited Visibility and Control(Depend upon Community)
5. A Framework Introduces an External Dependency(May be your dependency have a bug)
Conclusion of Framework
A modern PHP framework is a powerful tool in a software developer’s tool chest: it can save you a lot of time and effort and provide peace of mind as you develop your PHP application. Just remember that this shouldn’t replace learning core PHP first!
so let’s begin
1. Laravel
Although Laravel is a relatively new PHP framework (Since 2011), according to online survey it is the most popular framework among developers. Laravel has a huge ecosystem with an instant hosting and deployment platform, and its official website offers many screencast tutorials called Laracasts.
Prons :
- Best Suitable when There are complex backend Requirements weather small or large.
- will help you customize complex apps. Among these: seamless data migration, MVC architecture support, security, routing, view template engine, and authentication, among many others.
- For developers who want to build B2B or enterprise websites that will evolve with changing web trends, Laravel is the way to go.
Cons :
- It might be a bit problematic to upgrade the framework version. This is caused by the lack of continuation in between them. Which brings us once again to first point. It will take a highly-skilled developer or a team to perform an upgrade such that it doesn’t bring your whole system down.
- The community is not as big as for some other languages and frameworks. Again, this might not be too critical, as there are still quite a few people there. But, most of them as from the U.S. which might create some inconveniences for developers from other countries.
2. Symfony
The Symfony framework was launched in 2005, and although it’s been in existence for much longer than other frameworks on this list, it’s a reliable and mature platform, The components of the Symfony framework are used by many impressive projects such as the Drupal content management system, or the phpBB forum software, but Laravel — the framework discussed above — also relies on it. Symfony has a wide developer community and many ardent fans.
Prons:
- A significant amount of developers is using Symfony actively, its community is one of the biggest in the market.
- Well-known platforms like Drupal, Magento and eZ Publish using Symfony, so it is a good recommendation for this framework.
- Symfony is regularly updating to keep it up-to-date with web developers’ needs.
cons :
- At the begging, you could find harder to learn Symfony than the other PHP framework.
- It relies on other technologies and that is why some applications could load slower — there is a lack of origin elements.
- Because of the need to pre-built code for multiple uses, it requirements more time for testing and, as a result, a development process is slower.
3. CodeIgniter
CodeIgniter is a lightweight PHP framework that is 10 years old (released in 2006). CodeIgniter has a very straightforward installation process that requires only a minimal configuration, so it can save you a lot of hassle. It’s also an ideal choice if you want to avoid PHP version conflict, as it works nicely on almost all shared and dedicated hosting platforms (currently requires only PHP 5.2.4).
CodeIgniter is not strictly based on the MVC development pattern. Using Controller classes is a must, but Models and Views are optional, and you can use your own coding and naming conventions, evidence that CodeIgniter gives great freedom to developers. If you download it, you’ll see it’s only about 2MB, so it’s a lean framework, but it allows you to add third-party plugins if you need more complicated functionalities.
Prons :
- It is a frame work which offers developers simple set up options. Even a beginner finds this platform ideal for setting a task.
- Highly illustrated documentation.
- Superb speed, no lags, very smooth.
- Codelgniter has massive community support.
Cons:
- The library is not so exhaustive or refined as in other platforms.
- Lack of default modular separation of codes.
- It is difficult to maintain or modify codes(It’s Mess sometimes).
4. Yii
I personally Love this Framework it’s motivate us, YII which stands for Yes, it is! is, in fact, simple and evolutionary. It’s a high-performance, component-based PHP framework for developing modern web applications. Yii is suitable for all kinds of web apps. For this reason, it’s a universal web programming framework. Yii is easy to install Plus it has a Robust security System.
Prons:
- Its architecture helps the developer to craft a smart website keeping its database servers isolated from the users and helps the developer to build effective and cleaner web-application.
- Uniquely designed controller helps to link different libraries and packages, eventually decreasing the programming load from the developer. It is similar to the whole setup where you just need to make few changes as per your requirement, and the job is done.
- Changes made in one line reflect throughout the program. Thus, saving you from hard work of making changes all through the program.
- Yii framework development services have added the feature of security to protect sensitive data against the threat and thus maintaining the user credentials and data. Cross-site forgery and scripting and cookies attack preventions are some of the security features.
Cons:
- It doesn’t allow multiple relations built up..
- Yii seeks a greater attention from the developer while developing the application, as one mistake and the program can get oversized.
- Learning Yii requires quite enough knowledge about PHP language, programming skills, and about different add-on it comes with. Sometimes it gets boring and difficult for the beginners to learn from it.
- It is largely dependent on the static methods, the one many of the developers stand against.
5. CakePHP
it’s a decade old, but it’s still among the most popular PHP frameworks, as it has always managed to keep up with time. The latest version, CakePHP 3.0 enhanced session management, improved modularity by decoupling several components, and increased the ability of creating more standalone libraries.
If you’re looking for a toolkit that’s simple and elegant, look no further. CakePHP will help you develop visually impressive, feature-loaded websites. In addition, CakePHP is one of the easiest frameworks to learn, especially because of its CRUD (create, read, update, and delete) framework. CakePHP hit the market in the early 2000s, and since then it’s gained better performance and many new components.
Prons:
- CakePHP also comes with a templating system that is both fast and flexible. It further allows programmers to enhance the application’s look and feel by creating custom templates. Some developers even help enterprises in designing tailor-made custom CakePHP templates within a shorter amount of time.
- Many developers find it daunting to work with standard PHP classes. While dealing with different classes, CakePHP allows programmers to directly access Core and App directories. So it becomes easier for them to define the functions of each class in a much simpler way.
- In comparison to other PHP frameworks, CakePHP comes with more innovative built-in tools to make the web applications safe and secure.
- The code generation and scaffolding feature of CakePHP enables programmers to rapidly create prototypes and reusable code.
Cons:
- Bulky codes. When we compare CakePHP with other frameworks the codes for doing a particular task look huge.
- It is one of the slowest performing platforms.
- The loading of codes, even though auto loading options work in a minimum pace.
Which PHP framework is best suited for Your requirement?
Using PHP frameworks simplifies the development process, which helps to minimize workload. Each framework has its own strengths and weaknesses, and they all vary in terms of community, documentation, and the database they support.
As such, the decision on the best framework to use depends on various factors such as security, ease of use, scalability, documentation, and more. So, start by understanding the requirements of the project or application you want to develop. Then, choose the most suitable PHP framework from this list. You can’t go wrong.
