PHP is one of the most favoured server-side scripting languages and is known for its simplicity. It is the language of choice for web development, with almost 80% of all existing websites breathing on PHP code. However, it would be difficult to build on raw PHP code alone and this explains why the PHP framework ecosystem is so diverse.
So, why use a PHP framework?
Customers utilize frameworks because they provide a fundamental structure and offer ready to use components, libraries, and enforce proven architecture. Simply put, PHP frameworks improve productivity and make web development less tedious.
Choosing the right framework can be tough, but we have created a list of five of the most popular frameworks used by PHP Developers.
1. Laravel
Laravel, which was released in 2011, has quickly shot to fame and is now widely considered the king of PHP frameworks. Laravel is built to be simple, easy to learn and supports rapid application development. Laravel has its own light-weight templating engine called 'Blade', which is a sophisticated syntax that simplifies tasks you frequently need to do such as authentication, sessions, caching and RESTful routing. The best thing about Blade is that it allows you to write plain PHP in the templates, meaning that it brings no performance overheads to your application.
2. Symfony
Despite the release of Symfony 3 in 2015, Symfony 2 is still undoubtedly the go-to for developers. It is particularly useful when tasked with large-scale projects. One of the most attractive features of Symfony is the reusable PHP libraries that can be used to complete different tasks e.g. form creation, object configuration, authentication and templating. Also, Symfony components fuel some of the largest open source projects like Drupal, PHPBB, PIWIk, OROCRM and Laravel.
3. CodeIgniter
Launched back in 2006 by EllisLab, CodeIgniter is the oldest framework on our list. This lightweight framework has withstood the test of time due to its ability to run any web-based application rapidly and effectively. CodeIgniter is a lean framework, only taking 2MB to download, while still allowing you to add third-party plugins for more complicated functionalities. However, the future of CodeIgniter is unclear because EllisLab has stopped supporting the framework and CodeIgniter now lies in the hands of its very loyal community.
4. Yii
Yii dates back to 2008, making it slightly younger than CodeIgniter. It was considered subpar to Laravel and Symfony, but with the release of Yii 2.0, it is now fast becoming the preferred choice for enterprise-grade web application development. The main competitor to Yii is Symfony because both dialects work with Full Stack and have their source code on GitHub. However, Yii is believed to be a little easier to grasp and mainly selected for speed development instead of Symfony.
5. Phalcon
Phalcon is another modern framework built for speed. It is among the frameworks that have seen success in a very short space of time since its release in 2012. Phalcon is a PHP extension framework written in C and C++ to reach the highest level of performance optimization possible and is said to be one of the fastest frameworks available today. It not only boosts execution speeds but also decreases resource usage. Phalcon is easy to learn and brings in all features to develop web applications of any size and complexity.
Our Specialist Recruitment Consultants have seen the rise and fall of different PHP frameworks over the years, but one thing they have noticed is how Symfony and Laravel continue to stand-out as the best frameworks to have experience using, according to the requirements of hiring managers. While frameworks such as Codeigniter and Yii are still good PHP frameworks to have experience using, unfortunately, they are not regarded as the most efficient or in-demand.
Get in touch with our team to find out more about PHP jobs currently available.