List of Best PHP Frameworks for Developers

According to the web industry report, nearly 81.7% of websites are running on PHP. Hence, it paints the picture of PHP in the programming world and how crucial it is for websites. To create a working and smoothly running applications, choosing the right framework might take your time, but it’s better to wait than sorry.

Each PHP framework is unique with its holistic approach. While some save time as well as efforts to create an integrated application than some skyrocket the speed of websites and provide robust solutions to business needs.

Undeniably, PHP frameworks are highly useful when it comes to PHP maintenance. There are several types of frameworks and to know about each of them before creating an application is paramount. Let’s talk about them to clarify the confusion that can lead a developer to broom the wrong idea under the carpet. When you are short on time and have to develop an app within a limited amount of it, then choosing the right framework can help miles.

FRAMEWORK CONSISTS OF:

Toolbox– It’s enabled with integrated components, which allows us to write fewer codes and contributes to reducing the risk of errors. Furthermore, it allows the developer to devote his time and skills to other components and gives him the freedom to use skills on coding and managing guidelines, and he can work on necessary tools to carry on operations hassle-free.

Methodology-  Coding is one of the most complex tasks in creating an application or constructing a website. It allows efficiency to work on super-complex tasks and hit the ball out of the park. By following the right methodology, one can guarantee stability, maintainability and upgradeability.

LIST OF Top 6 PHP FRAMEWORKS

#1. Laravel

Equipped with tons of exciting feature, ‘Laravel’ is another brilliant stroke for PHP framework. Written in PHP5, it offers various features like RESTful routing, native PHP or a lightweight tempting engine etc. Moreover, it offers a solid foundation for well-tested and reliable code due to its various Symfony components. Due to its easily readable and constructed components, it takes less time to perform a function and allows you to speed up the work. Using Laravel means freedom and you can work hassle free on MySQL, Postgres, SQL Server, and SQLite.

Some of the best features of Laravel are :

1. Easily manage third-party applications.
2. Faster than all other PHP frameworks due to Eloquent ORM.
3. Easily readable and highly impressive syntax.
4. One of the largest community of Laravel developers working to maintain the standards and credibility.
5. Completely Flexible in creating small applications to a giant one.
6. Built-in unit testing.

Video ► Learn LARAVEL Installation and Configuration Process

#2. Phalcon

Regarded as one of the most faster frameworks, ‘Phalcon’ has emerged as a hot choice for millions of websites due to its lower resource consumption feature. Since its release on 14 Nov 2012, it has gained tremendous popularity in the web development world. Programmers don’t need to use or learn C language as it’s entirely built on it. From translations, security, assets management to universal auto-loader, ‘Phalcon’ is a fast performance-based framework and is regarded as a top-most priority by prestigious international companies.

Before Phalcon was introduced, speed wasn’t considered as an important factor. As Google updated its guidelines and regarded speed as a crucial part for the website’s ranking and success, businesses felt the need to have a reliable and strongly built frame. Hence, Phalcon came as the saviour for them. Google loves Phalcon, too.

Some of the features of Phalcon are :

1. Written in solid code.
2. Designed in a way to allow the developer to either uses an entire framework or selected objects.
3. The programmer can easily differentiate between the controller and modules.
4. Tougher than other frameworks, which makes it the work of a maestro.
5. Easy learning curve.

 

Video ► Create Poll App In a Bit with Phalcon

 

#3. Symfony

Built on best Symfony components including Drupal, phpBB, ‘Symfony‘ is the perfect answer to create websites and applications.  Due to its lucrative features, it has witnessed more than a million downloads till date and counting is still going on. Supported and backed by more than 300,000 developers, it is prophesied that it will likely to create ground-breaking results and methodologies in the coming years.  Due to super flexible in nature, it adapts to changes in no time and provides desired results i.e. allowing freedom to customize everything to match the needs and requirements. To some developers, it sounds hard, learning it because of Models, Views, Controllers, Entities, Repositories, Routing, Templating, etc. may sound impossible or time-consuming to learn. But looks could be decisive.

Some exclusive features of Symfony are :

1. Allows fully customization feature to designed and create everything according to the needs.
2. Can work as a standalone micro-framework.
3. No need to install the entire framework if you want to use it for micro-purpose.
4. Comes with unmatched features like documentation and best practices.
5. Helps in the growing ecosystem of experts’ community, IRC’s and mailing lists that sets new milestones during marketing campaigns.
6. Improves productivity during the development process.
7. ‘Bundles’ presentation helps in adding extra functionalities.

Video ► Symfony2: Getting Easier – Interactive Generators

#4. Yii

Pronounced as ‘Yee’, ‘Yii’ is coined as a super-fast, secure and completely professional PHP framework.  Like all other frameworks, the learning curve gets steeper, but not impossible to learn the beautifulness of codes. The loading time is tremendously fast that opens the website within a click.

From input validation and output filtering to SQL injection attacks and cross-site scripting (XSS) prevention, it works on certain parameters to ensure the safety and authenticity of the website.

If you are looking to develop a website for social media integration and interaction, Yii works best for that.

Exclusive features of Yii are :

1. One of the best platforms to write and run both unit and functionality tests.
2. Enables fast loading feature due to its powerful caching system.
3. Built-in authentication support.
4. Message translation, date and time formatting, number formatting, and interface localization.
5. Clean and reusable code.
6. Follows MVC pattern.
7. Works hassle-free with 3^rd party codes, making it one of the most loved and used frameworks in the world.
8. Detailed documentation to guide if get stuck in the process.

Video ► Lesson : Preparation

#5. CodeIgniter

With a small footprint and an open-course framework, ‘CodeIgniter’ is built for developers who look for a simple yet beautiful toolkit for creating full-fledged good applications. In simpler words, if you are looking to bundle the website with seamless features that load the website faster and efficiently, CodeIgniter is your perfect answer to cover all the needs.

Some of the features are :

1. Zero Integration and Configuration needed.
2. No Large-scale Monolithic Libraries.
3. No restrictive coding rules.
4. Compatibility with Standard Hosting.
5. No template language.
6. Beginner-friendly framework.
7. Wide compatibility and astonishing speed.

 

Video ►Introduction To CODELGNITER

#6. Cake PHP 3.0

‘Cake PHP 3.0’ has been used extensively to develop various kinds of websites as it comes loaded with absolute features. Cake PHP has been around for a long time now. It requires less code to build an application with higher efficiency and speed. Moreover, it comes with tools like PSR-0, PSR-1, and composer to enable better interoperability that results in less time spent on syncing systems with each other. One of the most prominent features of this framework is; it’s very easy to set up as it doesn’t demand XML or YAML file configuration. Being licensed under MIT, it is completely trustable and reliable.

Some exclusive features of Cake PHP 3.0 are :

1. Best for commercial applications.
2. Secure applications from various deadly threats.
3. Easy database setup.
4. Comes with several built functionalities.
5. Build prototypes at a rapid speed to meet your requirements.

 

Video ► CAKE PHP KEY NOTES

Which One Should I Go For?

The motive of PHP Framework is to reduce the workload in designing brilliant applications by simplifying the overall process. All the available frameworks mentioned above, and otherwise, have their own list of pros and cons. They have different degrees of community support, official documentation and developer inputs, as well. Zeroing on an ideal framework completely depends upon your project requirements. You can prioritize what you need most in the project (size, scalability, security, etc.) and choose one that fits your bill, even though you might need to compromise on secondary areas.

Hence, before choosing your framework, be thorough with your own pre-requisites and then go ahead with the best of your knowledge.