In the simplest of terms, PHP is an open-source platform used for the development of web applications. To put it in a different way, PHP frameworks provide a structure or a background for building web applications. This saves time by getting rid of repetitive codes. If you are new to this market with PHP, it works best to opt for a more modern PHP framework that is easy to grasp and master. Here is a list of the best PHP frameworks available now.
Laravel is probably one of the newest PHP frameworks 2018 in the market, but it has proven its mettle in this category. It has garnered a lot of popularity in the recent past owing to its user-friendly structure. Learning this framework is quite easy since every version is documented with the required tutorials, and blog updates for its users.
Apart from that, Laravel is popular for two other aspects. First and foremost, there are quite a few commands here that promote efficient application development. On the other hand, it also provides some rather useful tempting options. It is also easy to deploy for the Laravel development companies.
This is another interesting top PHP framework. Ever since its inception in 2012, this framework has been working rather well for read-only websites. In fact, PHPixie is arranged in such a way that there are independent components up for use. This means that you can use the components even without using the complete framework.
The fact that this framework works with minimum dependencies makes it quite an interesting catch in the market. Some of the features captured by PHPixie are object-relational mapping, authentication and authorization, schema migration, input validation, and the likes. With the help of HAML markup language, PHPixie gives rise to an efficient routing system.
Symfony is an easy-to-use MVC PHP framework that is especially used for large-scale enterprise solutions. This framework mainly finds its applications in a lot of important content management systems like Drupal, OROCRM and the likes.
One of the primary advantages for Symfony is its set of reusable components. The codes and components come in handy for multiple, large-scale projects and systems. Also, using this framework is pretty convenient since there is a huge platform or community of developers that supports all the users.
In fact, Symfony is in use by even the popular PHP framework called Laravel. With its support system, Symfony makes it easy to code and develop.
As the name suggests, Slim is a micro-framework for PHP. It has a very lightweight structure that makes it easy to use. This framework finds its applications in small-scale RESTful APIs and services. However, let us not be fooled by its name or the lightweight structure, Slim proves to be quite the heavyweight in small web applications.
Client-side HTTP caching and cookie routing are some of its most important features and qualities. It also supports URL routing and is especially helpful for developing flash message features for HTTP requests. Slim proves to be a lightweight alternative for web development procedures where the full PHP framework is not imperative.
Quite contrary to the easy-to-use Slim framework, Zend is next on the list of PHP frameworks. It is useful for the more complex website designs and structures. All thanks to the huge palette of configuration options, Zend offers a number of different PHP framework functions that could be used for advanced web designing.
However, it comes with one drawback. Mastering Zend framework is no cakewalk and it takes time before one can fully implement the framework. There are some rather interesting functions here like cryptographic coding, online debugging, drag and drop editing, online database connection and the likes. It works best with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.
In our list of the best PHP framework comparison, Phalcon proves to be quite different. This is because, unlike the others, this is based on C+ and C++ coding. Thus, it is packed with a number of different functions and features to enable proper web designing. Features like asset management, translation, and caching and even security maintenance make Phalcon quite popular in the market.
However, in spite of being an advanced framework, it is not very difficult to learn and master this framework. This is because the framework versions are well documented. The structure of the framework is such that it is optimized best at the lower levels.
While most of the frameworks mentioned in the list of the top 10 PHP frameworks are rather recent and are a few years cold, CodeIgniter is one of the oldest in the market. Its power lies in its simplicity. Why do we call it simple? This is basically because it is easy to use and install. The users do not have to configure much and it is mostly automatic.
Moreover, since all the versions are well-documented, this framework is a great place for beginners to start from. The other benefit offered by CodeIgniter is speed. It works much faster than even some of the more advanced frameworks. Besides, it works rather well on most shared platforms.
Yii, again, is one of the oldest frameworks in use. But, as they say, old is gold and this time, the same old framework has revamped to bring Yii 2. What sets Yii 2 apart is its speed. It functions much faster than its counterparts, all thanks to the lazy loading techniques. Talking about its utility, it can work very well with large-scale web development. It can also be used in combination with AJAX and JQuery for best results. Yii 2 also makes use of a code generator called Gii that promotes object-oriented programing. Code generation is easy and interactive and the framework works on a strictly Don’t-Repeat-Yourself concept.
Being more than 10 years old in the market, CakePHP has still managed to maintain its charm. It functions on the basic properties and features of a good PHP framework. It is a continuously evolving framework that strives to keep up with the latest technological advances. The ecosystem of developers ensures that CakePHP is always updated.
Hence, it is safe to say that it works well as a modern PHP framework. It mainly finds its applications in commercial web applications. Some of the features that help CakePHP stand out in the market include cross-site scripting, SQL injection prevention, form validation, and the likes. Coupled with its high speed and security, this proves to be a great choice for commercial web application development.
In the simplest of terms, FuelPHP can be described as a flexible PHP framework. It essentially follows the MVC pattern and the HMVC pattern. This framework pays special attention to the security of the application development process. Owing to the fact that this framework possesses its own authentication framework, it becomes easier to use this platform.
There are two aspects to security maintenance in FuelPHP; the first is the URL and input filtering followed by output encoding. The best part about FuelPHP is that it can handle complexities very well. Thus, for web development projects with complexity and varying sizes, FuelPHP could be the best solution from here.
These were the best PHP frameworks that we have with us today. Which one is your favorite? Do let us know in the comments below.
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