3 minutes, 48 seconds read
Published on Jan 2, 2019
Updated on Apr 17, 2020
PHP, or hypertext preprocessor, is an open-source server-side scripting language. It’s extremely popular, too — almost 80% of all websites were using PHP as of October 2018. The major reason for its wide popularity is that it is actually an open source programming language that means it is free to use. It supports MS SQL, MySQL and Oracle databases without any sort of trouble.
A PHP framework provides a basic structure for streamlining the development of web apps. We use them because they speed up the development process. In our last year edition, we already mentioned the top PHP trends but technology always has something new or different to offer. Apart from Laravel, CodeIgniter, Yii, Zend, Cake PHP and Symfony which are as popular as anything can be in the PHP world here are a few PHP trends to look out for this coming year.
Phalcon
A full-stack PHP framework that employs the MVC web architecture design pattern, Phalcon was originally written in C and C++ and released in 2012. Since it’s delivered as a C-extension, you don’t have to worry about learning the C programming language. Phalcon is easy to install and suitable for creating highly configurable web applications that are in line with enterprise development guidelines. Key features include increased execution speed, asset management, a universal autoloader, and top security and caching. Unlike other frameworks, Phalcon optimizes performance due to its efficient memory utilization. If you’re looking to create a blazing fast website, give Phalcon a try. On the negative side, Phalcon developers are a bit slow to patch bugs, which may not jive with today’s need for high levels of security.
FuelPHP
FuelPHP is a flexible, full-stack PHP framework first released in 2011. Apart from supporting the MVC design pattern, it has its own version called the hierarchical model view controller (HMVC). With HMVC, unlike with MVC, content doesn’t need to duplicate to show on multiple pages. As a result, it consumes less time and memory. FuelPHP helps developers deliver end-to-end web solutions that are diverse in size and complexities. Key features include HMVC implementation, RESTful implementation, a URL routing system, vulnerability protection, and a caching system. It extends its security approach beyond ordinary security measures, making it a great option if security is crucial for your project. Because FuelPHP is relatively new, it offers less support and may present a steeper learning curve.
PHPixie
Introduced in 2012 and just like FuelPHP, PHPixie implements the HMVC design pattern. Its goal was to create a high-performance framework for read-only websites. It’s easy to get started with PHPixie, which is suitable for social networking websites, customized web applications, and web app development services.
Key features include HMVC architecture, standard ORM (object-relational mapping), input validation, authorization capabilities, authentication, and caching. PHPixie is built using independent components. For this reason, you can use it without the framework itself. Note that PHPixie has relatively few modules. Besides that, it lacks support for components independently made from the dependencies. Since it’s relatively new, it’s less popular and has a smaller community of users than other frameworks.
Slim
Slim is another popular PHP micro-framework that helps developers quickly create simple but powerful web applications and APIs. Just like PHPixie, Slim is easy to learn. PHP developers use Slim to develop RESTful APIs and web services. Key features include URL routing, session, and cookie encryption, client-side HTTP caching, and more. It’s the best framework for a small web application that doesn’t necessarily require a full-stack PHP framework. In addition, active maintenance and friendly documentation make Slim super user-friendly.
Fat free
Just as the name suggests, Fat free is free of fats. This is one of the most popular and trending PHP micro frameworks that comes with a number of packages. It comes with features, such as data validation, CSS compression, unit testing, image processing, Open ID and others. It supports both SQL and NoSQL databases, supporting the development of web apps with ease.
Aura
It is a set of decoupling libraries that can be used for developing basic apps. These self-contained libraries can be easily integrated with any projects and the best part of these libraries is that they have no dependencies. All the libraries are flexible, compliant and well documented.
PHP programming language helps you to develop web applications that are complex, reliable and faster. Based on your business requirements, hosting plans, experience level, app needs, and development timeframes, although there are a large variety of PHP frameworks to choose from it is important to have a clear understanding of what actually your business needs on the basis of the latest PHP trends.
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