Over time, websites have evolved into more complex and demanding platforms, offering significantly greater value than in the past. As developers will often emphasize, PHP frameworks server as the go-to tools for creating these dynamic sites. Consequently, best php frameworks power approximately 80% of the web pages on the internet.
In this article, we have compiled a list of the best PHP frameworks available for you.
Why is PHP going strong?
PHP has been widely adopted as a leading web development platform for more than two decades, driving the functionality of a significant majority, approximately 77.5%, of websites. Since its launch in 1995, developers have built millions of sites and applications using PHP, and it continues to exhibit strong growth.
- By being an open-source programming language, PHP enables developers to create dynamic websites and web applications freely.
- It is also famous for its ability to be embedded into HTML without requiring external libraries.
- PHP provides an easy learning curve and a user-friendly experience. Moreover, its syntax and command language are comparatively more straightforward,
- making it easier for aspiring developers to start with PHP compared to other languages.
- It supports major popular databases such as MariaDB, MongoDB, MySQL, Oracle, etc.
- It supports significant web browsers and servers and can be used across platforms like Mac, Windows, and Linux, making it platform-independent.
- Laravel includes access to a wide range of frameworks that help developers reduce overall development costs.
Undoubtedly, the robust ecosystem of frameworks and micro-PHP frameworks greatly contributes to PHP’s popularity among developers, taking web development to a whole new level. Therefore, let’s delve deeper into the PHP frameworks that developers should pay attention to in 2023.
What are PHP Frameworks and Micro-PHP Frameworks?
PHP frameworks are pre-built libraries that provide developers with a collection of commonly used functions, thereby saving them valuable time that would otherwise be spent on coding these functions from scratch.
Now, let’s come to microframeworks. What’s the need for a microframework? Can’t you use a full-stack framework?
In recent years, full-stack frameworks have introduced new features aimed at building large and complex websites. However, this has resulted in the inclusion of unnecessary overhead for developers looking to create simple websites.
Developers created micro-frameworks as stripped-down versions of full-stack frameworks to cater to specific use cases.
In simple terms, think of a full-stack PHP framework as an SUV and consider a micro-framework as a bicycle. SUVs can accommodate more people, but they also consume more fuel. On the other hand, bikes are lightweight and serve the purpose at a low cost.
Now that we understand the fundamental difference between PHP frameworks and micro-frameworks, let’s explore the top 10 popular frameworks that can power your PHP projects.
List the Best PHP frameworks to use in 2023:
1. Laravel
Laravel stands out as one of the best PHP frameworks and brands itself as a framework for Web Artisans. It rightfully earns this reputation by providing developers with a powerful toolkit that simplifies the development process and enables the creation of beautiful applications effortlessly.
Enterprises can benefit from Laravel’s serverless deployment, powered by AWS Lambda, which facilitates seamless scalability based on demand. Prominent companies like Bankrate, The New York Times, Disney, and Twitch have shown a preference for Laravel when it comes to their web applications.
Best Features
- Effortless session-based authentication
- The process queue system enables running tasks such as sending emails in the background using Redis, Amazon SQS, and MySQL.
- Robust, painless browser testing experience
- It is renowned for its expressive APIs and elegant syntax.
2. Yii
The name Yii stands for Yes, It Is! Yii, a full-stack, open-source PHP framework, first released in 2008. Yii facilitates modular design, empowering developers to utilize solely essential components and avoid bloating the application with redundant code. It offers several notable features, including lazy loading, caching, and automated code generation.
Elance, a popular freelance platform, utilizes Yii as its backend. Twilio and Zendesk are among the companies that employ Yii.
Benefits of Yii
- It supports multiple databases such as PostgreSQL, Oracle, and Microsoft SQL.
- In-built robust security features, such as input validation, output filtering, and cookie filtering, actively prevent hackers from gaining access.
- The framework also includes in-built testing support for unit and functional testing, aiding developers in ensuring high-quality code and detecting bugs in early development.
3. Symphony
Symphony, which was built in 2005, is a PHP framework designed to build high-performance web apps with scalable features and database support.
It also follows a philosophy called “Don’t Repeat Yourself,” which emphasizes avoiding duplication of functionality to maintain clean code. Companies such as Spotify, Yahoo, and Dailymotion utilize Symphony as their backend.
Benefits of Symphony
- It supports authentication, such as OAuth and LDAP, ensuring effortless integration with existing authentication systems.
- The Symphony community provides ample support and rich documentation, including API guides to help developers learn and build.
4. CakePHP
CakePHP imposes strict rules on developers, requiring them to follow the framework’s guidelines regardless of the circumstances. The purpose of this strictness is to attain a more consistent and understandable code.
CakePHP Framework is utilized by companies such as Hyundai, BMW, and Caledonia.
CakePHP benefits
- Convention over configuration patterns alleviate developers from unnecessary burdens, as they are only required to make a limited number of decisions.
- Built for handling heavy, complex applications, it is suitable for enterprise applications.
- Its stable framework has proven to be suitable for projects that require scalability and stability.
5. Zend
Over 40,000 enterprises, including Cisco, Credit Suisse, eBay, PRADA, BNP Paribas, and more, utilize Zend, an enterprise PHP solution. Zend provides fixes and security support for over 3 years, even after community support ends. Some refer to Zend as a component library, which consists of loosely coupled components that developers can independently utilize.
Zend stands out from other PHP frameworks due to its preference for object-oriented programming.
Benefits of Zend
- The object-oriented model enables customization of the apps without altering the basic code.
- It complies with HTML-5 and has many front-end features.
- Zend, a multilingual framework, facilitates app reach to users worldwide.
6. CodeIgniter
CodeIgniter is a PHP framework known for its simplicity and elegance in developing applications. Its origin story is quite intriguing. Rick Ellis, dissatisfied with all existing PHP frameworks, identified the gaps and developed CodeIgniter.
This framework, called an open-source rapid development framework, allows for dynamic website development. Companies such as Nissan, Buffer, and Casio utilize this framework.
Benefits of CodeIgniter
- CodeIgniter incorporates a comprehensive built-in security mechanism to safeguard against CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery) and XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) attacks, providing protection against unauthorized access attempts.
- CodeIgniter boasts a small footprint, with the app size being only 2MB! Research also revealed that CodeIgniter outperformed other PHP frameworks in terms of memory usage.
7. Phalcon
Phalcon PHP, a PHP framework, distinguishes itself from other frameworks such as CodeIgniter, Symphony, and Laravel. These frameworks are written in PHP and contain extensive logic and large file sizes. Its standout feature is being written in C and compiled as a PHP framework.
However, it offers notable features such as logging, caching, security block, and dependency injection, making Phalcon ORM equipped with everything required to build a high-load Enterprise app.
Phalcon offers another fantastic feature: it serves as both an entire stack framework and a micro-framework. Even when used as a micro-framework, developers can access many features of the complete stack. Additionally, it provides a flexible basic framework with adjustable rules, offering developers who love to experiment more flexibility.
8. Slim framework
Slim framework, a PHP micro-framework, aids in developing lightweight APIs with just a few lines of code. Furthermore, its robust HTTP routing system contributes to SEO by efficiently handling numerous requests.
It retains its status as a lightweight and contemporary micro-framework, offering a built-in error handling and debugging system that facilitates testing. Additional benefits encompass well-documented resources, an extensive community, and HTTP caching for enhanced performance.
9. Laminas
Laminas, an open-source PHP web application framework, serves as a tool for building web applications, APIs, and microservices. It initially went by the name Zend Framework and was designed with a focus on speed, security, performance, and extensibility.
key features of Laminas
- A powerful routing system enables developers to define routes easily and handle HTTP requests
- This line separates the presentation layer from the business logic in an MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture
- It simplifies database interactions and supports multiple database systems with its built-in ORM (Object-Relational Mapper)
- A comprehensive collection of utilities and frameworks for standard web development functions, such as form validation and session management, with seamless integration capabilities for third-party libraries.
- Dependency injection is a technique that manages object dependencies in a flexible and decoupled way, providing support for the same
Developers who need a comprehensive, full-featured framework for building web applications find Laminas to be a good choice. Its robust set of features and strong emphasis on performance and scalability are well-known. Companies like Cisco WebEx and BBC have used Zend Framework for their website development.
10. Fat-free-framework
Fat-free-framework lives up to its name by removing extra fat from code. The size of this micro-framework is only 60kK, and it is a mature PHP micro-framework. It offers efficient URL routing, a robust cache engine, integrated code highlighting capabilities, and extends support for multilingual applications.
Fat-free supports major database systems while maintaining simple integrations. Consequently, it remains lightweight and easy to learn, promoting minimalism in components and avoiding complexity. However, this also means it equals another micro-framework. Fat-free actively strives to maintain a balance between code elegance and performance.
Conclusion
Using PHP as part of your back-end web development structure is not mandatory, but given the popularity of the language, it is worth considering. However, when you decide to utilize PHP, you should determine which PHP framework can provide the best support for your development.
The flexibility and efficiency offered by PHP frameworks are notable advantages that are commonly associated with the language. Therefore, being specific and conducting research become essential factors for making this decision.
Consider hiring qualified developers who have a deep understanding of PHP development. Orbitwebtech developers possess years of experience in coding PHP across multiple frameworks. They are enthusiastic about assisting businesses in completing their projects according to your specific requirements.
