PHP has always been a popular choice when it comes to server-side programming languages. According to the survey, about 85% of all websites were developed using the top 5 PHP frameworks by March 2023 and even in 2024, a lot of websites are developed with PHP frameworks. This includes the most used platforms like Facebook and Wikipedia and It is known as the biggest web development programming language for developers due to its dynamic features.

PHP gives a strong result as opposed to HTML due to its syntax and variables. PHP has complex syntax, conventions, and learning curves. Because of this, there are fundamental PHP hosting services that provide a strong IT base to build an online presence. Do you want to advance your web development expertise? Here are some of the top 5 PHP frameworks in 2024 that play a vital role in web development. This guide is prepared with the best 5 PHP frameworks for professionals and beginners as well as the free options available. Let’s find out.

What is a PHP Framework?

Before knowing the names of the top PHP frameworks, we must first understand PHP frameworks. PHP frameworks are a collection of tools and packages to create web applications more quickly. PHP frameworks are a ready-made platform that provides PHP programming language developers with the basis and tools to create web applications. These frameworks offer established benchmarks, standardized conventions, reusable parts, and a modular architecture in an effort to simplify development.

Top 5 PHP Frameworks 2024 For Web Development

More specifically, PHP is a long-running, widely used server-side scripting language. The main goal of PHP is to make life easier for PHP developers by providing a collection of commonly used features and applying the use of best practices in the code. To understand this better, think of PHP as a basic structure that allows you to integrate your code into the operating system without having to start with every little detail. Let us now highlight the most important factor: the top 5 PHP frameworks.

Top 5 PHP Frameworks in 2024

According to Wikipedia, there are over 35 PHP frameworks, each with its own sharp features. Choosing which PHP framework to choose for your web development solution should be easy. We have created a list of the 5 best PHP frameworks based on the type of project you are working on. So, let’s start listing PHP frameworks without any further delay. Let’s discuss the top 5 PHP frameworks for the year 2024.

The First Framework is Laravel

One of the most widely used PHP frameworks is Laravel. Laravel is new but has a lot of features. PHP is an open-source web application framework that makes it easy to create reliable, leading online web applications. Another name for Laravel is a top PHP front-end framework. It was released in 2011 and follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture. It comes with an expressive and elegant syntax. Apart from its features, it also provides tools for unit testing, real-time events, and many more.

10 Important Features of Laravel

Includes PHPUnit testing.
RESTful controllers for managing requests.
Middleware to filter incoming HTTP requests to the application.
Connect with well-known email providers like Sendmail, Amazon SES, etc.
Using reverse routing, URLs can be dynamically generated based on their route name.
Routing that enables programmers to associate particular controller actions with HTTP requests.
It provides a state-of-the-art template engine that enables programmers to create dynamic websites.
Its comprehensive routing architecture makes it easy for developers to create routes and manage HTTP requests.
Using Laravel Echo, you can create features like live chat, notifications, and other real-time updates using real-time broadcasting.
It speeds up the web development process and supports MVC architecture. Using MVC, two programmers can work on different parts of the application: one can work on the view, while the other writes the business logic of the controller.

The Second Farmwork is Symphony

Symfony is an open-source PHP framework developed by SensioLabs and is a comprehensive PHP MVC framework for building microservices, APIs, and web apps. It is considered as one of the top PHP frameworks by developers. It is the only framework that fully follows the tradition of PHP. It is recommended due to its advanced features and user-friendly environment and the user can also develop microservices. For websites and applications that require scalability similar to PHP API frameworks, PHP backend frameworks are a great choice. Symfony’s modular design is adaptable and allows you to select the parts you need for your project.

7 Important Features of Symfony

It offers a large and vibrant community.
It is a PHP framework with great performance.
It works on the model-view-controller architecture.
An established ecosystem with a large development base.
The composer makes it easy to install over fifty separate components.
It provides protection against forgery, cross-site requests, and other threats.
The Symfony console provides users with the ability to create custom commands to perform a variety of operations using the command-line interface (CLI), including executing migrations, generating code, etc.

The Third Framework is CodeIgniter

This PHP web application framework is available free of cost. It offers a disciplined approach to writing and organizing code and follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture. It provides a collection of libraries and a user-friendly interface to speed up the creation of PHP web applications. Dynamic websites are built with CodeIgniter which is the most accessible PHP framework, lightweight, easy to use and requires very little installation work. It is for programmers who need a simple yet advanced toolkit to create full-fledged web development. Hornet Dynamics, a leader in this field, can help you with CodeIgniter programming services.

5 Important Features of CodeIgniter

5 Important Features of CodeIgniter

Features for integrated security.
Includes support for RESTful API.
It has a large library of “helper” functions available.
Multiple caching is a feature that makes deployment faster.
This framework makes it simple and intuitive for developers to get started right away.

The Fourth Framework is Cake PHP

Cake PHP is an open-source and free PHP framework. It is one of the most preferred PHP frameworks for Rapid Application Development (RAD) and saves developers time by enabling them to build apps faster. It enables building social networks, e-commerce, and online collaboration platforms as well as other highly secure and scalable web applications. There are many extensions built into the Cake PHP framework that help automate many activities, saving developers' work.

6 Important Features of Cake PHP

With the help of Cake PHP framework, better code quality is achieved by enabling consistency between different components of your application.
Minimal configuration is required. No XML or YAML configuration files are required.
The Rapid Application Development (RAD) capabilities of the framework make the development process quite fast.
Supports well-known design patterns like Front Controller, Associative Data Mapping, etc.
This framework provides developers with simple and customizable setup options so that they can create the apps they want.
To help you launch your new application quickly, it comes with several applications.

The Fifth Framework is Yii and Yii 2

Yii is one of the oldest PHP frameworks. Its full name is Yes It Is. It is a fast, secure, and adaptable PHP framework for web development and especially for creating websites with MVC design. This PHP framework is object-oriented and requires an understanding of polymorphism, inheritance, and other concepts. Yii is currently available in two main versions: 1.1 and 2.0. Yii 1.1 is the older generation and is currently in maintenance mode. Yii 2 includes the latest protocols and technologies such as PSR, namespaces, traits, etc. Yii 2 is a PHP MVC web framework that is open-source, object-oriented, and component-based. This framework is component-based and high-performance, enabling quick development of large-scale online applications.

4 Important Features of Yii 2

It reduces the development time. Because it provides you with some guiding tools.
It gives you more time to edit your website according to your client's requests.
Yii 2 provides strong security features to the developers.
It leverages contemporary technologies and is quite extensible.

3 Important Features of Yii

Support for multi-tier caching.
ActiveRecord and Query Builder are available for NoSQL and relational databases.
Encourages code structure based on the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural paradigm and puts it into practice.

Conclusion

A number of considerations such as the project's particular needs, complexity, experience of the development team, and the desired balance between performance and built-in functionalities will determine which PHP framework is the best in 2024. These frameworks provide the functionality and resources needed to build scalable, secure, and effective web development regardless of the size of the project - from small, dynamic websites to large-scale business systems. Along with listing its features, and benefits, this list of the top 5 PHP frameworks will provide you with the information you need for your project.

Top 5 PHP Frameworks 2024 For Web Development

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