Compare, Ponder and Choose- The Right PHP Framework

With more and more local businesses going online, web application developers often find it a daunting challenge to impress clients. Along with optimizing the performance, scalability and aesthetics of the website, it has also become essential for a programmer to complete the project at a rapid pace. Therefore, most developers use PHP frameworks to build a powerful web application at a rapid pace without writing lengthy code. The frameworks further allow programmers to reuse code for projects of similar nature. A programmer also has option to pick from a wide variety of PHP frameworks. So each developer must know some of the widely used PHP frameworks to choose the right option according to the specific needs of his project.

5 of the Widely Used PHP Frameworks for Web Development

Symfony: As a full-stack framework, Symfony is popular among beginners due to its simple and easy-to-use nature. The novice web developers also have options to access a wide range of books and tutorials to resolve problems. The latest version of the framework comes with a comprehensive library of classes written in PHP 5, components, tools, test suites and template engines, along with architecture to build complex websites at a rapid pace. The programmers can further use the command line generators to start new projects quickly, while availing the advantages like automatic code generation. But a user has to put some amount of time and effort to understand Symfony, as it is different from other PHP frameworks. 

Zend: As an open source framework, Zend allows programmers to build a variety of web application and web services using the new features of PHP 5.3+ like namespaces, lambda functions, late static binding and closures. It is also popular due to its own IDE and web browser support. Zend is also widely used by programmers across the globe due to its effectiveness in form creation and data filteration. With more than 15 million downloads, Zend framework has become synonymous with PHP web application development. However, the innovative and advances features make Zend complex. So the beginners often find it difficult to start using the PHP development framework. But the framework is the best bet for programmers who are familiar with the software.

Yii: Within a very short span of time, Yii has joined the league of the best and widely used PHP frameworks till date. It also targets most of the small problems that other frameworks ignore. Along with being future-friendly and highly functional, the framework further allows developers to solve new problems arising during the coding phase. It also saves the time of programmers by simplifying some of the repetitive tasks like creating, reading, updating and deleting the code. A programmer can automatically generates the base code, and saves developers from writing longer lines of code. However, the beginners do not have options to access books and tutorials related to Yii as the framework is comparatively new.

Codeignitor : The easy-to-use to features of the PHP development framework has made it popular among both experienced developers and beginners. It also provides a comprehensive architecture and a simple yet elegant toolkit to rapidly build robust web applications. As Codeignitor is designed with an MVC folder, it makes easier to separate business logic from presentation without putting any extra effort. At the same time, the lightweight software further enables developers to optimize user experience by integrating third-party applications. A developer also has option to access good documentation, and avail the assistance of a large community to solve problems immediately. However, the Codeignitor allows freeway coding that is prone to various types of errors.

CakePHP : CakePHP is widely used by web programmers to build, deploy and maintain a variety of complex web applications at a rapid pace. The framework further allows programmers to avail several advantages by writing PHP4 compatible code. A programmer can avail several advantages by using this PHP development framework including high performance, large-scale monolithic libraries, standard hosting compatibility, minimal configuration, and clear documentation. The beginners can further avail support by accessing tutorials, message boards and groups. But CakePHP is designed with a set of strict conventions that affects its flexibility. 

A web application developer has option to pick from a large number of PHP frameworks. Each framework is further designed with a set of features and functionality to enable programmers to build websites at rapid pace. But a programmer must understand the pros and cons of each PHP framework before choosing the right option. It is also important to pick a PHP framework by keeping in mind specific needs of the web development project. While thinking to outsource php development projects, clients are looking at developers who have solid expertise in specific framework and not just generic PHP.

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