As a dynamic server-side scripting language, PHP makes it easier for programmers to build large, complex and modern web applications. The PHP developers also have option to choose from several popular PHP frameworks including Laravel development and CodeIgniter. As Laravel and CodeIgniter are open source, the programmers can take advantage of these frameworks to effectuate and speedup PHP web application development.
Laravel enables developers to build robust web application using the model-view-controller (MVC) pattern. So the programmers can build large and complex websites quickly by keeping the user interface and business logic separate. Laravel further comes with a dedicated dependency manager, expressive syntax, database agnostic schema builder, advanced ORM, efficient query building, simplifies routing and simple authentication. Thus, the features and utilities provided by Laravel make it easier for programmers to build, deploy and maintain a variety of web applications.
On the other hand, CodeIgniter is designed as a rapid web application development framework for PHP. The programmers can use it to create dynamic website within a shorter amount of time. CodeIgniter is loosely designed based on the MVC development pattern. Despite recommending programmers to use MVC pattern, the framework does not compel them to adopt the programming paradigm. CodeIgniter also comes with a number of useful features like minimal configuration, clear documentation, support for customized naming and coding conventions, and a simple templating tool.
A number of studies have rated Laravel as the most popular PHP framework of 2015. It is also one of the most popular PHP project on GitHub. These figures indicate that Laravel is more popular than CodeIgniter. However, the developers still need to evaluate the pros and cons of these widely used PHP frameworks according to the specific requirements of their project.
below is a comparative analysis of CI and Laravel based on some of the basic features that a PHP framework should have.
