Without a PHP framework it becomes difficult for web developers to organize applications because they have to code PHP programs repeatedly.
As developers enter the world of PHP framework, they get to interact with a lot of frameworks. Each of these frameworks has its goods and bads. The aim of this article is to make readers have a small tour of this world.
Yii
Yii provides excellent support for CRUD. The installation of Yii is very much easy; it’s just a 2 step process. Yii makes use of a popular MVC framework structure. The performance of Yii framework is very fast as it only loads those classes which are needed.
Yii comes up with a thorough and clean documentation and tutorials. In addition to this, Yii offers built-in support for jQuery and AJAX for different operations including validation of form, uploading a file, updating portion of a page etc. Last but not the least, another reason for the popularity of Yii framework is its support for extension in order to enhance an application’s functionality.
Apart from the above mentioned advantages, there are some of the disadvantages associated with Yii framework. Despite the guarantee that it would reduce time of development, it is seen at times that users face slowdown in the development. With the code, there is an amount of bloat, if any developer is used to of writing sites by his own using different classes, then he would find himself wondering about the extra files that Yii needs.
CodeIgniter
Web development and CodeIgniter have been in a relationship for so long. Developers find it enjoyable to develop sites with CodeIgniter as it makes them appreciate the significance of PHP development. In addition to this, mostly web developers consider it as their first choice because it allows them to convert their ideas into applicable commands very quickly and easily.
Apart from the above mentioned advantages, CodeIgniter has some of the disadvantages which cannot be ignored. The most considerable ones are the bombing of the GET array, cookie based implementation of the session, issues with reading and extending PHP 4, issues of name spacing etc. It can also be said that Codeignitor allows developers to code freely and does not apply strict coding rules which causes an increase in security concerns
Fat-Free Framework
Because of the various features of fat-free framework, it is now considered as an alternative to CodeIgniter. Fat-free framework has an in-built system of spam protection. In addition to this, it has flexible cache system, both of these systems work automatically. It is very light in weight, fast, and comes with a regulated bandwidth that is used to control the flow of traffic that enters into a web server. This framework guarantees complete protection from bandwidth thefts and Denial-of-Service attacks.
Absence of scaffolding for Meta code generation and permission for authorization is the only drawback of fat-free framework.
Zend Framework
This framework has effectively managed to extend PHP’s spirit. The reason for this is that it not just guarantees an open licensing; however makes users to carry out object-oriented tasks. This framework is user-friendly and has agile codebase that is tested. For making reliable and secure Web 2.0 applications, Zend framework is now considered as an ideal framework. APIs of Flickr, yahoo, Amazon, and Google also support this framework.
Zend has some of the disadvantages as well like a developer needs to write a bit of code just to do something simple. Another disadvantage of Zend framework is that it is very much slow in case where developers do not have opcode caching.
CakePHP
This framework is one of the most common frameworks of PHP, and a large number of developers have already tried this one. In comparison with CodeIgniter, it is heavier. For programmers, this framework has various advantages. Detailed documents come with this framework for the ease of programmers. This ensures programmers that they are handling it right.
The drawbacks of CakePHP are that in order to create fancy URLs, default routes need to be updated. CakePHP is not easier to learn. The major disadvantage associated with cakePHP is a one-way routing.
Recess
For experts as well as for newbies this framework provides a great experience of programming. This framework is also very user friendly, light in weight and faster. The best thing about this framework is that developers can use shared hosts with the feature of drag and drop.
Some of the drawbacks of Recess framework are that it is not robust as compared to other PHP frameworks. Developers find it difficult to make codes using recess framework.
