If you hire PHP developers or learn PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) yourself, you should know the best PHP frameworks. They provide a valuable time-saving founding for app and web development so they don’t need to be coded from scratch. However, with so many frameworks available online, it might be hard to figure out which one to choose. That is why in this blog post we compiled all of the top ones in one place so that you do not waste time researching for these yourself.
So here are the best PHP frameworks for web developers below.
Top 6 Best PHP Frameworks For Web Development
1. Laravel
Any PHP developer will tell you: if you are looking for a PHP framework, then Laravel is the best one. Created in 2011, it is by far the most popular open-source PHP framework, which is also absolutely free in 2023.
The best part about Laravel is that it allows you to manage complicated apps securely and efficiently in a very short amount of time. Compared to other frameworks, Laravel is really fast, and that is why everyone loves it.
However, keep in mind that Laravel is not perfect either. The framework requires you to create a separate admin panel to edit and manage your content. This might be problematic in cases where different stakeholders have to access the web application’s settings. In these cases, CMS can be a better option.
2. CakePHP
We know it sounds too delicious to be a PHP framework. But trust us, the witty name is only one of the things that make working with CakePHP so fun. Developed by Polish programmer Michal Tatarynowicz back in 2005, it is a framework that follows the MVC architecture and makes app development faster.
Because of its minimal configuration, using Cake PHP is really simple. With it, you can develop visually powerful applications with a lot of features in no time.
As mentioned on their official website, they offer the recipe to success: prototype faster, validate faster, and grow consistently.
3. Symfony
On to the next PHP framework with a pretty creative name: meet Symfony! Symfony is usually the choice for those web developers who work on big web applications and need to make them scalable. It has a lot of features and a flexible modular component system that allows the developers to pick the components they want for their project.
Symfony is also quite easy to install and configure. Its strongest features are durability, reusable PHP components, and database engine independence. So if you are working on an enterprise-level application, this could be a good choice.
4. PHPixie
Another one of the best PHP framework options for developing a high-performance web application is PHPixie. It uses the HMVC pattern like the FuelPHP and is made with independent components.
PHPixie is used by those who want to build customized web applications, social networking websites, and web application services. The main features are object-relational mapping (ORM), authorization, authentication, and caching. The only key disadvantage of PHPixie is that it is comparably new, so it hasn’t made a large community of supporters and developers yet.
5. Yii
Is Yii a perfect PHP framework? Yes, it is! Translated from Chinese, Yii stands for “simple and evolutionary,” however it is also the acronym for “Yes It Is!”
But what exactly are you saying yes to? With Yii, you are saying yes to an efficient, secure, and fast PHP framework that is both flexible and pragmatic.
Some of the advantages of Yii is its easy set-up and installation process. It also has well-written documentation, which is simple to follow. The code generator tools, high performance, and good caching support make Yii an excellent framework for building optimized web applications.
6. Zend
The last top PHP framework on our list is Zend. It is an object-oriented framework that is highly extensible because of its inheritance feature and good interfaces. If you need to build a feature-rich, enterprise-level app, this open-source framework is all you need. The best part about Zend is that it is highly customizable.
Keep in mind that currently, Zend is turning into the Laminas Project. So it is better to switch to Laminas, too, as Zend does not get updates anymore.
The key features of Zend are its high performance, security extensibility, MVC components, cloud API, and much more. The only disadvantage is that Zend is pretty costly, so if you don’t have a lot of budgets to spare, this might not be what you are looking for.
PHP Potential
PHP frameworks are essential for companies to save time and cut costs. So what PHP framework will your business utilize? It is time to make a choice for your company!