The Most Popular PHP Frameworks to Use for Web Development in 2023

Nearly 78% of websites worldwide are built by PHP frameworks as compared to other programming languages. Certainly, it has the most advanced front-end and back-end programming language winning the hearts of developers with its most efficient development process. It allows developers to seamlessly insert scripts into HTML files, transforming static website code into robust front-end applications. With PHP, websites and web apps are effectively maintained due to their powerful MVC architecture. It creates cross-platform applications with great compatibility along with all types of modern servers. 

PHP is going nowhere! Companies will need more PHP development services for building dynamic websites and web applications. With so many new PHP frameworks launching in the market, it would be rather difficult to select with best out of all the PHP frameworks in 2023  that are designed with an amazing scripting language. To cope with this daunting task, we have researched and curated the details of the most popular PHP frameworks for web development in 2023. We are here to help you make better and more informed choices to fulfill your project needs.

Understand the basic concept of each framework and the unparalleled benefits that it can give you for business-specific requirements. 

What is a PHP Framework?

PHP is a widely-used server-side scripting language that has been around for a long time, powering countless websites and applications. The reason for its popularity is its existence for over a decade. It has now turned into a helpful framework that provides developers with a ready-made structure, built up with common features and usage of the best and most reliable coding techniques. In simpler terms, it acts like a skeleton, giving you a solid foundation to build upon, saving you from starting everything from scratch.

Why Choose a PHP Framework?

We found some of the most valid and best reasons to choose the PHP framework for your business growth. 

Saves more time

When developing an application, you put in a lot of time and effort into writing several lines of code and meticulously testing them through multiple phases. If you subsequently find yourself designing a new application with a similar interface, rewriting the entire code stack might appear burdensome and practically impossible. This is precisely where frameworks come in handy as a great boon. You may avoid spinning the wheel and easily reuse your current code stack by using a PHP Framework for your prior application, simplifying the development process and saving critical time and effort.

Harnessing capabilities of libraries

You may efficiently reuse your current code for new apps by using a framework. These frameworks include libraries, which are collections of commonly used code snippets. You no longer need to waste time hunting for common code elsewhere when working within the framework thanks to these built-in libraries. They offer a simple code repository, making it easy to integrate recurring features into your apps.

Form validation and CRUD resources

CRUD, which stands for Create, Read, Update, and Delete, provides developers with a streamlined and user-friendly process. When you finish the first code, the procedure automatically moves on to the next job. These vital capabilities are especially useful when dealing with big amounts of data.

Easy Collaboration

It is not simple for a single developer to create a huge application. A powerful final product needs the attention and work of numerous qualified developers. PHP facilitates one-on-one collaboration by streamlining cooperation. You can effortlessly start up where you left off with PHP, even while other developers contribute to the project, assuring flawless synchronization with no mismatches or code conflicts.

Enhanced Security

Frameworks provide integrated solutions with increased security protections over individual developer efforts. Frameworks adeptly manage these issues, prioritizing your application’s security, from assuring data cleanliness to defending against vulnerabilities.

MVC Architecture

The model, view, and controller components enable concurrent development, allowing several developers to work on the same application at the same time. While one person works on the form validation model, another may work on the user interface model, allowing for the efficient development of many elements of the project at the same time.

Best coding practices

Using a framework ensures that a standardized coding methodology is followed. Developers avoid deviating from the set route when writing because the framework is designed with the core aspects necessary for website building in mind. The framework creates a clear sequence that allows you to operate inside its defined constraints.

What are the most popular PHP frameworks to be used in 2023?

Laravel

Laravel, an open-source PHP framework, follows the MVC architecture, allowing developers to simplify and organize their development duties. Originally intended as a more advanced alternative to CodeIgniter, it has gained significant appeal among programmers due to its capacity to manage complicated and sophisticated online applications, propelling it to the top of the PHP framework rankings today.

Laravel developers have access to a multitude of tools that improve efficiency and eliminate the need for repeated operations. Database abstraction, background job queueing, and administration, robust web sockets, authentication system scaffolding, and simple unit testing are among the outstanding features.

Furthermore, Laravel has a comprehensive package system with pre-built functionality, which speeds up web app development for developers.

Benefits of Laravel framework:

• Empowers developers to tailor complex applications to their needs. 
• Accelerates web application speed and security, 
• It equips them with a suite of valuable tools, including Artisan—a built-in command-line tool that automates repetitive tasks efficiently. 
• Additionally, it boosts a robust database migration system, enabling seamless and secure data transfer between different platforms.

Phalcon

Imagine frameworks to be the guardians and rescuers, then Phalcon would unquestionably be Flash! This dynamic framework enables developers to easily create extremely fast websites. Originally designed in the C and C++ programming languages, Phalcon is now supplied as a C-extension, reducing the requirement for developers to learn C programming to take advantage of its features.

What distinguishes Phalcon is its incredible speed and creative design, which make installation seamless and make it a top choice for constructing complicated applications. Among its many distinguishing features is a forms builder, which allows developers to quickly create interactive forms for presenting and obtaining data from users.

Benefits of Phalcon:

• It optimizes website performance by efficiently utilizing memory, resulting in faster loading times. 
• Provides a hassle-free installation process and comes equipped with an array of features, including caching, universal autoloader, asset management, and multilingual support. 
• This makes it an ideal choice for developers seeking to tackle complex projects. 
• Its flexible architecture further adds to its appeal, enabling developers to customize and mold it to suit their specific needs.

Codeigniter

CodeIgniter is a lightweight framework (1.1MB in size, where the user guide outgrows the framework itself! ), excellent for building dynamic websites. Its toolset has a variety of prebuilt modules, allowing developers to easily create feature-rich web applications.

This framework includes crucial features such as simple security protections, encryption choices, and smooth error handling. It also provides a complete set of widely used libraries, which simplifies the development process. Overall, CodeIgniter is the best solution for those looking to streamline chores and expedite coding efforts.

Benefits of Codeigniter

• It is the most preferable and the best choice for beginners due to its user-friendly process and well-documented nature. 
• This framework boasts essential features like MVB architecture and built-in security tools, ensuring a robust development experience.
• Its compact size contributes to its impressive speed, outperforming many other frameworks. 
• Can effortlessly generate clean URLs, enhancing the overall efficiency and aesthetics of your web applications.

Cake PHP

CakePHP is one of the most tried-and-true and entertaining PHP frameworks. Its collection of vital features, which includes code caching, validation, translation, and seamless database access, considerably simplifies a developer’s workflow.

Furthermore, its backward compatibility feature enables developers to create aesthetically attractive websites, which is critical in capturing people, especially for commercial projects. CakePHP strengthens the development process even further by including sophisticated security mechanisms like cross-site scripting protection and SQL prevention, guaranteeing that websites produced with it are secure against possible vulnerabilities.

Benefits of CakePHP:

• It adheres to the CRUD (Create, Read, Update, and Delete) principle and stands as an excellent choice for beginners to kickstart their learning journey. 
• Installing it is so easy, and its security features make it particularly well-suited for e-commerce websites or those with commercial applications. 
• It exhibits great capacity to style pages with visually appealing features enhancing its appeal.
• One of the standout qualities of this framework is its extensive documentation and active developer forums, providing ample support and assistance to developers at all levels.

Laminas Project 

The Laminas Project, previously Zend, is an object-oriented PHP framework that enables developers to build high-quality websites. Laminas provides expandable components, allowing developers to make their changes by leveraging numerous object-oriented principles such as inheritance and interfaces. Its attractiveness stems from its rapid development, solid security, extensive documentation, user-friendly installation, and simplified setup mechanism, making it highly sought after by Agile teams.

Benefits of Laminas

• With its robust MVC components, this framework incorporates various valuable functionalities, including data encryption, serialization, and enhanced security measures.
• It seamlessly integrates with external libraries, expanding its capabilities even further.
• Has a wealth of components that streamline the creation of authentication tasks, service management, and form handling, simplifying these essential aspects of development.

• Moreover, this framework boasts extensive documentation and enjoys the support of a vibrant and extensive community, ensuring that developers have ample resources and assistance at their disposal.

Symfony

Symfony, an open-source framework, has emerged as one of the best options for creating complex corporate websites. It has an MVC design pattern and comes with a set of command-line tools to help developers streamline the web development process and save time. Notably, Symfony allows developers to achieve the same functionality with fewer lines of code, resulting in more succinct and efficient implementations—up to 7% quicker performance to enhance application efficiency.

When you go further into what its offers, you’ll discover a treasure mine of customization tools that improve the usability of web apps. Its powerful component structure enables developers to design complicated products with many functionalities, all while selecting particular features and functions adapted to their needs.

Benefits of Symfony:

• You’ll find great ease in installing and configuring it. 
• Abundant reusable PHP components and libraries at your disposal. Enjoy remarkable flexibility in your development journey. 
• Content management systems like Drupal and even frameworks like Laravel utilize Symfony components. 
• You can count on a large and active community for readily available help and support.

FuelPHP 

FuelPHP is a highly adaptive and extendable PHP framework that uses the MVC pattern and the HMVC (Hierarchical Model View Controller) architectural model. Its inclusion of vital functionality and HMVC implementation enables developers to create complex applications faster without sacrificing quality.

Among FuelPHP’s features is its security-centric approach, which includes URI filtering and output encoding to protect against vulnerabilities. This strong framework has shown to be an excellent option for platforms of all sizes, making it a versatile alternative for developers looking for efficiency and dependability.

Benefits of FuelPHP

• This framework boasts essential features, including RESTful implementation, a URL routing system, robust vulnerability protection, and an efficient caching mechanism. 
• User-friendly configuration and ease of use. 
• A thriving community actively contributes to the continuous development and enhancement of packages and extensions. 
• Offers an Auth package, equipped with authentication and authorization functionalities, ensuring robust security measures for your projects.

Yii

Yii, an object-oriented PHP framework, is well-known for its outstanding efficiency in developing modern online applications. Yii’s name expresses its spirit, confidently declaring “Yes, it is!” to people looking for a dependable answer.

Yii’s adaptability to a wide range of online applications is one of its most notable features. As a universal programming framework, it is simple to install and extremely useful for programmers looking to construct solid, secure, and fast apps.

Yii also has a strong class code generator named Gii. This plugin provides developers with a web-based code interface that simplifies the process of interactively producing models and modules, guaranteeing that the necessary code is easily reached.

Benefits of the Yii framework

• Amplifies the speed and performance of web applications.
• Developers are relieved from the burden of writing repetitive SQL statements, as they can model the database data using objects. 
• With a vast and supportive community, assistance is readily available during a project. 
• It has strong security features and a user-friendly installation process making it an ideal choice for e-commerce platforms, forums, and more. 
• It has an extensible framework that allows programmers to customize nearly every aspect of the core code, tailoring it to their specific needs.

Conclusion

Before deciding on the best PHP framework for your web app development, you must evaluate, analyze, and think about your options. Each framework has its strategy that can help developers reach their goals while creating visually appealing websites. However, it is critical to realize that developing a website is about more than simply its aesthetic or performance. Various more crucial issues require consideration, necessitating the need for someone with excellent technical understanding. The possibility hire dedicated PHP developer offers itself as a solution for creating the finest product for your organization. 

Renowned website application development companies hire capable professionals who can bring your vision to life, providing elegant and feature-rich websites that perfectly integrate with your corporate culture. This may appear to be a difficult endeavor, but with the appropriate team of pros, it is very feasible. So, hire PHP web developers that not only have technical aptitude but also a thorough grasp of your company’s goals.