There are a variety of web frameworks out there. Some are called “Platforms”, and are usually more complex. Here are a few examples:
- CodeIgniter
- Zend Framework
- Joomla
- Plone
- Drupal
- CakePHP
- Yii Framework
- Symfony
- PHP Nuke
So which one is right for me?
First of all, anything that calls itself a “platform” needs to be dumped right now. These have proven to always be overcomplicated, with few desirable features and extremely high learning curves and maintenance levels.
We are all about SIMPLE frameworks here. We prefer code libraries over “frameworks.”
Otherwise, finding the right framework is sort of a complex question, so lets start by filtering out the list a little bit.
- CodeIgniter – okay choice
- Zend Framework – okay choice
- Joomla – nightmare
- Plone – absolutely not, psycho
- Drupal – no way
- CakePHP – maybe, but probably not
- Yii Framework – has some potential
- Symfony – perhaps perhaps perhaps
- PHP Nuke – nuked
What does that mean? It means we have cut the list down to 4 choice
- CodeIgniter
- Zend Framework
- Yii Framework
- Symfony
1) CodeIgniter
This is a basic PHP framework that can get you off the ground and running really quickly. It’s pretty minimal, and many projects use CodeIgniter these days.
We like CodeIgniter for it’s simplicity, however a few things about it are vague, or overcomplicated. Overall, this is our #1 choice. It is roughly based on the Mode-View-Controller method (MVC), however this is what we consider to be CodeIgniter’s weakness.
2) Zend Framework
The Zend Framework is gaining huge popularity among developers. It won’t work as a standalone framework for your application, but you can easily include it’s extensions to integrate specific pieces of functionality that are very valuable.
You probably won’t only be using Zend Framework, but you’ll probably be using it a little bit in addition to whatever else you use.
3) Yii Framework
This framework has been up-and-coming, and shows some promising features, but it’s yet to gain that level of acceptance that makes a framework an awesome framework. We do think it will get there in the near future, and you should investigate for yourself if the features match your needs.
4) Symfony
A fighting contender for a leading-edge framework, Symfony has never quite had “it”, but it’s always been close. We encourage you to keep an eye on this platform in the future.
CakePHP and Akelos are honorable mentions, but both didn’t make the cut due to various reasons that were 100% intentional.
Tags: application, develop, framework, php, platform, simple
