Best PHP Frameworks’2018 for Modern Web Development

5 Best PHP Frameworks’2018 for Modern Web Development

Websites have become more complex and demanding with time. On the plus side, they now deliver far more value than they used to in yesteryears. As most developers will tell you, PHP frameworks are the go-to creation tools that give life to those sites, and as a result, almost 80% of the web pages on the internet are backed by PHP frameworks. In this article, we have compiled for you a list of best PHP frameworks out there.

What makes these frameworks so popular and a breeze to work with is the fact that they contain ready to use libraries and components. We can draw up a long list of the pros of using a PHP framework and why it helps your website development process more productive and fun.

But right now, as a developer, your head must still be buzzing with choosing a PHP framework for your project and we’ll not test your patience anymore.

Choosing a PHP Framework

To choose the best PHP Framework for large scale applications, you must answer these questions first:

• What functionalities and components do I want from the Framework?
• Is the framework being regularly developed?
• Is there a large community around the particular framework?
• What is the learning curve?

Keeping these questions in mind, we’ve shortlisted the following list of PHP frameworks for you:

Laravel

If frameworks were people, Laravel would probably be the king. If you want to code beautiful designs, you’re looking for Laravel since it’s positioned as the go-to PHP framework for web artisans. The reason for its wide popularity boils down to ease of use and virtually no learning curve. And despite that, it’s a framework developer use for some serious work. So it may seem like a simple tool at first, but it’s a beast when it comes to producing concrete work.

Why should you consider Laravel?

• If you are looking for an easy-to-learn framework
• A PHP community’s favorite
• Outstanding training materials
• A simple unit for testing purposes

Symfony

Developed by SensioLabs, Symfony has a large community of over 300,000 developers to boast of. The development team of Symfony not only offers training courses in different languages, but they update their blog on a regular basis to keep their large community active.

Unlike Laravel, Symfony has a steep learning curve owing to the vast amount of features it has to offer. However, the fast growing community and several unofficial support groups make it a lot easier to learn and get familiar with what the framework has to offer.

Why should you consider Symfony?

Symfony has crossed over 500 million downloads, but here are four more reasons to go for it:

• If you are looking for a framework laden with features
• Long Term Support releases
• Contains the largest number of bundles among all the frameworks
• Offers official training courses and certifications

Yii 2

Yii is among the oldest PHP frameworks and is without any backing by a company. Instead, an international team of developers provide the support and efficiently deliver on large scale and modern web development needs. Yii 2 is a direct competitor to Symfony 2 albeit with an easier learning curve. With its stand-out features, Yii 2 is mostly selected when developers need results fast. Its design makes it work well with AJAX and has powerful caching support, making Yii 2 yet another strong choice among developers.

Why should you consider Yii 2?

• If you are looking for an efficient tool to handle errors
• Support for AJAX
• A framework developed and backed by a community
• No hassle in integration with third-party components

CakePHP

CakePHP has seen its share of ups and downs in the PHP frameworks community. But with the release of version 3.0, the giant from old times has made a statement. Released in 2005 and available under the MIT license, CakePHP is completely free to use whether it is for personal or commercial use. At earlier stages, the CakePHP attracted names like Hyundai, Express, and BMW, etc. as its corporate users, and you can reflect on how important it was in its early stages.

Why should you consider CakePHP?

• If you are looking for easy extensions with plugins and components
• Zero configuration
• Support for AJAX
• Built-in validation

CodeIgniter

A powerful PHP framework with advanced features, CodeIgniter is the go-to framework for developers who want to develop their projects quickly. It contains a library which has a simple interface and requires a logical structure to access. CodeIgniter shines for many developers because it allows them to focus on the creativity part and requires little to no coding tasks.

Why should you consider CodeIgniter?

• If you are looking for a framework that requires little coding
• Provides exceptional performance
• Several tools available in one package
• Built-in security tools

We’ve never walked in your shoes; hence, we have no idea what your requirements are for your projects. However, we’ve shortlisted the best PHP frameworks for you and selecting one based on your needs should be effortless now.

If you have any questions regarding the article, use the comment section below and we’ll get back shortly. And don’t forget to share the article with your developer friends and make their lives easier as well!