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Are you looking for the best PHP Frameworks for beginners?
You’ve come to the right place!
Hypertext preprocessor, aka PHP, is the open-source scripting language mostly used for developing static and dynamic websites and web applications. Founded in 1994 and used by almost every web developer by now, it has become the basic standard for web solutions.
While there is no doubt that PHP is the best programming language for website development and web apps, the real struggle starts when selecting the most reliable PHP framework.
If you are someone struggling with the same, then you’ve got to read this blog to get answers to all your doubts.
This blog will mention the top PHP frameworks for beginners in 2020 that you can rely upon without a doubt.
Why Choose PHP Framework For Web Development?
Above 80% of all websites and web applications are nowadays made using the PHP framework, there must be a reason why it is so popular and the superior choice of every developer.
The major benefits of PHP frameworks are that they are cost-efficient, open-source, easy to understand, competitive, personalized, fast, flexible, scalable, and compatible with all primary OS, web servers, and databases.
Moreover, using PHP for web development actually speeds up the entire web development procedure and makes it less intricate.
Now the question that arises here is which PHP framework you should trust?
Obviously, not all of them will work alike and provide you with all the benefits you desire. So, for this, you must read this blog and find the top PHP framework for web development that can help you accomplish your business goals.
Top 5 PHP Frameworks For Web Development In 2020
Given below are the best PHP web development frameworks ordered according to their functions, simplicity, ratings by customers, efficiency as well as popularity.
Laravel: First Choice Of Most Developers
Laravel was founded in 2011 and is among the latest yet most popular PHP frameworks.
It’s been almost a decade since Laravel is topping the best PHP frameworks, and most probably will continue being the best in the future.
The reason behind the popularity of Laravel Development is the functionality that let’s even new web developers handle it with ease while offering many advanced features.
Use Laravel framework in comparison with other frameworks, offers additional security as well as speed, which makes it top the list.
Another plus point about this PHP framework is that it simplifies the entire web development process by easing complex tasks.
If you are looking for a PHP framework that can offer you features like instant hosting with an extensive ecosystem, Laravel is the best option.
CodeIgniter: Best For Beginners
When talking about CodeIgniter, the first point worth mentioning is that it is merely 2MB in size.
As a beginner, you must consider using CodeIgniter, especially if your primary goal is to develop dynamic websites. It is one of the most straightforward PHP frameworks, and it is effortless to install on any operating system.
Moreover, being one of the most popular PHP frameworks, you can easily find its tutorials on the internet to better understand the framework.
Some of the significant benefits of CodeIgniter PHP frameworks include:
- Easy to install and use
- Scalable
- Robust
- Marvelous error management
- MVC architecture
- Plenty Built-in security tools
If your goal is to develop lightweight apps and web solutions, while not compromising with the performance and scalability, you can go with CodeIgniter without any second thoughts.
However, CodeIgniter should not be used for developing web apps that demand high security as its releases are not regular for the moment.
Symfony: Best Overall
The reason we didn’t put Symfony on the second position above CodeIgniter is the fact we are mentioning the best PHP frameworks for beginners.
Without a doubt, Symfony offers every possible feature that any web developer could ever wish, but for a beginner, it is a bit complicated.
But if you are ready to put some effort for those extra PHP functions, you can learn to use it from its documentation.
Symfony PHP framework is highly flexible, and it also allows you to get the most out of PHP.
One of the critical features of Symfony includes in-built app testing and ability to use individual components instead of the entire library.
The only limitations of Symfony Development are that it doesn’t offer prominent performance like Laravel and is also complicated to understand.
Yii: Simple And Robust
Yii is yet another worthy competitor that can be used to create the latest web apps with ease. It is a component-based framework that offers robust performance and is suitable for developing web applications of all kinds.
Yii’s key features are that it doesn’t require a complicated installation procedure and offers high-security tools and features.
You can use Yii for creating any web solutions that demand robust security like CMS, portals, e-commerce websites, and web apps, etc.
If you aim to use a PHP framework with massive community, extensible speed, security, and performance while avoiding the unnecessary need to write SQL statements repetitively, needless to say, Yii is your best bet.
When choosing the Yii PHP web development framework, your only concern should go through its steep learning curve. However, it shouldn’t bother you much as there’s a massive community supporting Yii, who can help you get started with the framework.
Phalcon: One Of the Fastest Frameworks
Let’s start with the oddest thing about Phalcon and then get to the good part.
The source of Phalcon is initially written in the C language, so it kind of makes it the C extension of PHP.
However, to run Phalcon, you aren’t required to learn the C language, but it can count as a plus point if you do.
The reason we’ve mentioned Phalcon in our five best PHP frameworks today is its blazing fast speed. This is because it comes with limited resources and allows the developers to add modules and libraries according to their needs and requirements.
The latest version of Phalcon uses MVC architecture, including ORM, caching, and PHP 7.
What’s unique about Phalcon is that when you install the framework on your device, it includes no files, making it incredibly lightweight.
If you are someone who doesn’t rely on massive libraries rather use selected modules and components, then Phalcon can serve you the purpose.
If we talk about the limitations of the framework, there isn’t much documentation available on Phalcon. Moreover, using a less popular PHP framework like this also requires more work when fixing bugs or finding help for any issues.
The Bottom Line
Even if you are a pro in the PHP programming language, using a PHP framework can help you focus more on developing the website or web apps directly instead of writing codes every time you work on a new project.
We’ve mentioned the best 5 PHP framework; now, it’s up to you to decide which one can offer you the most.
Each one of the PHP frameworks mentioned above has its pros and cons; it depends on your need, which one will be a best suit for you or the project you are working on.
If you are a beginner with PHP website development, our opinion is that you either use the Laravel or Yii PHP framework for a smooth learning curve.