Why frameworks php

Additionally, data sources vary widely; today we also have:. Framework authors often write code specific to their needs, and then generalize how it works for wider applications.

Context is key when looking at the flexibility and extensibility of framework capabilities. For instance, you may want to:. This includes protecting your ability to extend framework capabilities and switch frameworks.

To achieve this flexibility, I recommend following the Interface Segregation Principal when you code. By doing so, you:. If possible, try to stick to interfaces defined by the PHP-FIG , because they are designed to decouple your application from specific implementations. Ensuring the integrity of how your application marshals incoming data and populates your responses requires testing of components including MVC controllers, middleware, and request handlers.

Some frameworks provide specialized tools for testing the entire request and response lifecycle through an application instance, complete with custom assertions. These kinds of tools can be a huge boon towards understanding how all parts work together, and they can simplify and give structure to your testing strategy.

However, they also tie you directly to your framework, at a very fundamental level. To decouple HTTP request lifecycles from a framework, look for other ways you can test. This can be used regardless of the framework — though it may require custom scaffolding to work with an application.

It can also be used in any application that uses that standard. To perform framework-independent integration or functional testing, another option is to use external, black-box behavior-testing systems such as Codeception or Selenium. With these tools, you can create tests that define the client conditions and actions, and assert against what they receive in response. If you have a handful of users, and they all understand what is being done is computationally expensive, your requirements will be quite different than a website that supports hundreds of thousands of customers daily.

They can provide metrics that show how fast the framework can return a response. However, the numbers can be misleading. As your application grows, its bootstrapping costs will typically increase, adding to response times. The complexity or simplicity of your PHP deployment will be determined by system complexity. For example, how many systems — such as databases, caching services, and log aggregators — are involved?

Will you be scaling horizontally? Using frameworks adds more questions and potentially, complexity. For example, some frameworks will require you to pre-compile certain pieces of the application before you deploy.

Depending on your configuration, you may also need to ensure certain environmental variables are set and present on the target system. Some frameworks provide tools that help prepare your application for development, including Platform-as-a-Service PaaS solutions. PHP provides many security tools and the number and quality increase with each minor release.

Many PHP applications support mission-critical websites and web services. Being able to contact a certified PHP expert 24x7x may be important to you.

If so, check if the framework has support options. The offering also includes consultative guidance for using Laminas as well as ready-to-go adapters for commercial PHP applications. Matthew began developing on Zend Framework ZF before its first public release, and led the project for Zend from through What is a PHP framework?

Deciding which one is best for you is easier when you compare how each framework addresses the following 12 capabilities in relation to your requirements: HTTP negotiation Controllers, request handlers, and dependency injection Templates and dynamic content Error handling Rapid application development tooling Data storage Extensibility and framework coupling Maintainability Performance Deployment Security Support The first four capabilities listed are the most critical.

Phalcon rolls out updates and patches to fix bugs somewhat infrequently, which may not work for applications that need high levels of security. It supports the MVC design pattern and also has its own version - hierarchical model view controller HMVC , which adds another layer between the Controller and the View.

With HMVC, duplication is content is not required to show on multiple pages, saving time and memory. Since FuelPHP is relatively new, it offers less support and may have a steeper learning curve compared to other frameworks. Slim is a popular micro PHP framework that helps developers quickly create simple yet powerful web applications. Slim isn't the best choice for building complex, large-scale web applications.

Its dependency injection is also quite weak, making it somewhat unsuitable for enterprise level applications. PHPixie is a highly optimized full-stack framework for developing high-performance web applications.

Generally, simpler and leaner frameworks that are easy to understand are ideal for beginners. Once these are mastered, developers can advance to more feature-packed frameworks if needed.

CodeIgniter is the top choice for a beginner-friendly PHP framework that is easy to use and quick to learn. It works on the MVC architecture, is easy to install, offers several guides and is easy to understand for beginners to get started with developing web applications on PHP.

Managing errors and exceptions in your code is challenging. It can make deploying production code an unnerving experience. Being able to track, analyze, and manage errors in real-time can help you to proceed with more confidence.

Rollbar automates error monitoring and triaging, making fixing PHP errors easier than ever. Without it we would be flying blind. Blog tutorials. Table of Contents. Try Rollbar Today. While some PHP frameworks are intuitive and beginner-friendly, others have a steep learning curve. So, unless directly required, there is no need to stick to intricate frameworks and complicate your life on purpose.

A widespread PHP framework is more likely to have an extensive supportive community of developers and a decent selection of external libraries. Apart from this, using a mainstream framework allows various development teams cooperate easier.

Today, PHP developers in no way suffer from the lack of programming frameworks. To point you in the right direction, here is a rundown of five most noteworthy, best-performing and popular PHP frameworks.

Laravel is the hottest PHP framework of the day. Laravel is adored by junior developers for its shallow learning curve, simplicity and top-of-the-line learning materials, while seasoned PHP engineers praise its built-in development environment, templating engine and RESTful routing system.

Symphony offers an outstanding set of features and long-term support releases but demands a decent level of expertise in return. Symphony boasts one of the largest developer communities that SensioLabs, the framework owner, supports by adding comprehensive learning materials, blog posts, and discussions.

Indeed, with Zend you get the freedom to load only necessary components as individual libraries, which in turn promotes code reuse. The framework not only contains a rich internal library but can also be freely integrated with a plethora of external libraries.

It demands little resources, adopts the MVC framework, and has a blazing performance speed. What sets CakePHP apart is its emphasis on coding conventions, which speed up the development process on the one hand but may stifle your creativity on the other.