Best PHP Frameworks for Developers In 2023

Best PHP Frameworks – The website development process used to be known to be very difficult, complicated, and took quite a long time. But since the emergence of various PHP frameworks, all of that feels easier and faster.

Why is that? Because the framework has and provides the most basic structure on the web. Moreover, PHP is a server-side programming language that is widely used by web developers. Of course, this is because there are so many choices of frameworks that are integrated with it.

So, in this article, we will discuss the 10 best and most popular PHP frameworks for developers today. Let’s find a variety of PHP frameworks that will make it easier for developers to build complex, secure, and robust web applications below!

What is a PHP Framework?

A PHP framework is a software that makes it easy to develop websites that use PHP. In the website development process, the word “framework” refers to a library file that contains some basic functions.

The goal of developing a framework is to provide a foundation for building a project more efficiently. That way, PHP developers can work better.

Why Use PHP Frameworks?

It’s like wanting to build a house, a framework is all the carpentry tools that are useful to facilitate the building process, such as shovels, drills, hoes, buckets, and so on.

Imagine if all this equipment did not exist. You have to build a house only with your bare hands. Of course, this will require extra effort and takes quite a long time.

As with the various tools mentioned above, the function of the PHP framework is to help you keep the development process running constantly.

So if you want to develop a new PHP application, the main step that needs to be taken is to choose a PHP framework that has the most complete functions and meets the needs of the development process.

However, there are many choices of the best PHP frameworks available on the internet. Each of these PHP frameworks has its uniqueness and purpose the function.

So you need to read the details of the framework one by one to determine whether to ‘use only one framework’ or ‘combine it with other frameworks.

Best PHP Frameworks

The following are the 10 best PHP frameworks that can be your choice. We will discuss the full explanation below.

1. Laravel

Laravel is a framework that often comes up when you are looking for the best framework for PHP. Many developers use this framework as their choice. That’s why this framework is included in the first list of the best PHP frameworks today.

The Laravel PHP framework is known for having an elegant, neat, and concise syntax that makes it easy for developers to read programs developed by other developers.

So, this will ease the development process even though the developer is no longer in one project and has been replaced by another developer.

2. CodeIgniter

CodeIgniter is a PHP framework that uses the Model View Controller (MVC) architecture. So CodeIgniter uses different components to handle specific tasks. This approach is widely used by many developers because it allows you to develop web applications that can be developed again at any time.

If you are a developer who is just learning PHP Framework, CodeIgniter is the right choice. Apart from being quite easy to understand, this platform has quite complete documentation.

So, you can learn CodeIgniter easily. Because you will find lots of guides when experiencing difficulties. Speaking of performance, CodeIgniter offers solid performance, meaning this framework is perfect for developing light applications on simple servers.

3. Symfony

When discussing the best PHP frameworks, Symfony is one of them. This framework is quite popular, just like Laravel and CodeIgniter. You can immediately try to find out what the reason is.

Symfony is very flexible. One of the best PHP frameworks offers bundle features and components that allow you to take PHP functions directly or use all the functions in the framework simply.

To ensure applications run as they should, this PHP framework also includes built-in testing functionality. Unfortunately, some user reviews say that applications developed using the framework cannot run optimally. According to the developer, Symfony works slower than the previously discussed frameworks.

4. Yii

The Yii framework is a framework that recently appeared on the list of the best PHP frameworks. Configuring this PHP framework is quite easy. Talking about performance, this PHP framework can run quite optimally, aka it can compete with the frameworks discussed earlier.

In terms of functionality, Yii provides components that can speed up website performance. The security features that Yii provides as a PHP framework are providing security features that you can use to build reasonably secure web applications.

5. Zend

For those of you who are familiar with PHP frameworks, you should try using one of the best PHP frameworks. You need basic framework knowledge to use Zend.

Zend is a professional framework used to develop high-performance web applications and enterprise-class applications. Because Zend focuses on enterprise applications, this PHP framework has various authentication components, feeds, forms, services, and many others.

Zend isn’t ideal for small, simple web application development processes. Even though Zend provides various options that make it easier for developers, including Zend Proprietary IDE: Zend Studio. This IDE is directly integrated with Zend Framework.

6. CakePHP

In the early 2000s, CakePHP was one of the best PHP frameworks using the first MVC architecture to hit the market. Maybe it’s been quite a while, but this framework is still a popular framework to use.

The latest version of CakePHP has some performance improvements over time. In addition, they also added various new components.

Other than that, CakePHP is perfect for how they approach conventions in the coding process. This means, when using CakePHP, once you master a set of conventions, you can focus on developing and getting more work done.

CakePHP offers a collection of libraries containing many powerful components and is the most complete. So, at this point, CakePHP as a PHP framework is the best choice if you are looking for functions that are rarely found.

7. Phalcon

You probably won’t believe that one of the best PHP frameworks wasn’t written using a common web application language. This framework is a bit odd because the source code is written in C, so it’s a C extension of PHP. This may sound strange, but in practice, this PHP framework is quite fast compared to others.

Talking about performance, Phalcon lives up to its name, delivering consistently good performance. Phalcon PHP is a very lightweight framework and uses the MVC architecture.

In addition, this framework is very unique because it doesn’t require any files at all. You only need to add the modules and libraries you need when you want to use them, which makes the development process more organized.

8. FuelPHP

FuelPHP is a very sophisticated, modern, highly modular, and scalable framework. In addition, this framework can be developed using the MVC architecture which is widely used by many developers because of its convenience.

One of the best PHP frameworks, it is quite lightweight and supports powerful ORM, template parsing, security enhancements, self-authentication framework, and many other additional packages that can improve the capabilities of developers.

The FuelPHP community has strengths that are proven to be able to enhance current technological developments. One of the proofs is that FuelPHP is still being actively developed today, and plans to make a new release shortly.

They will make the framework fully object-oriented with the ability to install the framework using composer. In addition, it also supports multiple applications in one installation.

9. Fat-Free

Fat-Free is a very standard micro PHP framework. Fat-Free comes packed with features like image processing, CSS compression, unit testing, data validation, open ID, and much more.

Fat-Free supports the use of both SQL and NoSQL databases and makes the process of developing multilingual web applications easier. As previously discussed, Fat-Free is not a new framework, and this framework is the only framework that carries the micro-framework theme.

10. Aura

Aura is a set of libraries that are grouped separated and managed regularly. Which is included in the list of the best PHP frameworks and is suitable for simple application development. Each library is standalone and can be integrated with any project. Each library also has no dependencies.

This makes the collection of libraries available in Aura very flexible. Plus, developers can quickly integrate as many or as few as they choose.

Every library available on Aura conforms to standards and is well-written. Aura also has documentation in each library so that developers can easily find useful information from each available library.

How to Choose the Right PHP Framework for Beginners

There are several factors to consider when you choose to develop web applications using PHP. These factors include:

1. Adjust to the Web Application to be Developed

You have to see in advance what website application will be developed. You have to determine the specifications and also the development process going forward. For example, when you want to develop a web application on a small scale, of course, it is not suitable to use the Zend framework which is designed for enterprise-scale application development.

2. Adjust to your Skill

In addition to planning, you also have to consider the convenience factor in the development process. This is quite important. Especially if you don’t rnderstand how to use frameworks, which sometimes requires basic knowledge of PHP frameworks.

3. Consider the Features Offered

After you find the specifications and the requirements, you can first see the features offered by each framework. While most frameworks provide the same features, you should also look at the additional features they provide. Who knows if there is a framework that icanmeet all your needs?

4. Consider the Technical Support Features Provided

For those of you who are new and want to learn about PHP frameworks, look for frameworks that have a lot of documentation. The goal is to make it easier for you when a problem occurs.

In this section, of course, you should consider older frameworks, such as Laravel and CodeIgniter. Both frameworks have many communities and guides spread across the internet. You can also easily search for or ask for it when you are confused when using the framework.

Closing

A PHP framework is a shortcut that you can take to simplify and speed up the website development process. It’s the same when you go through shortcuts, of course, it will be a little confusing at first, but if you get used to it it will feel easier.

In developing web applications using PHP, you have the freedom to choose the framework you want to use because there are so many of them spread across the internet. But you still need to consider several options before deciding which framework is best for you.

Thus the article about the popular PHP framework today. If you have suggestions for other popular PHP frameworks, feel free to add them in the comments so we can add them to this article.