Top 10 PHP frameworks worth looking forward to in 2015
As one of the most celebrated web development platforms, PHP has been used by web developers all over the world. The skill and knowledge of PHP developers is worth an immense amount of appreciation. Every facet of project development has been executed effectively using high-end PHP frameworks. Keep on reading this post as I’ll be talking about 10 outstanding PHP frameworks which have provided every PHP developer a foundation for building high-performing web applications.
So, let’s get on with discussing everything about these PHP frameworks which will definitely create a wave in the PHP web development world in the year 2015.
1. CakePHP 3.0
Considered as a contemporary framework for PHP development, CakePHP 3.0 comes loaded with remarkable features including enhanced components and helpers, improved session management, improved consistency of conventions, ORM improvements and many more. CakePHP 3.0 comes with increased modularity, allowing you to create more standalone libraries in addition to reducing coupling. Plus, there are tools like PSR-0, PSR-1 and composer which have helped in improving the interoperability.
- Practical CakePHP Projects (Expert’s Voice in Web Development)
- CakePHP 2 Application Cookbook
- Beginning CakePHP: From Novice to Professional (Expert’s Voice in Web Development)
- CakePHP 1.3 Application Development Cookbook
2. Laravel
Laravel is yet another brilliant PHP Framework that’s equipped with tons of interesting features including RESTful routing, native PHP or light weight tempting engine and many more. Built using several Symfony components, Laravel offers you web application an amazing foundation of reliable and well-tested code. Some other interesting features of Laravel include: a powerful queue library, an amazing ORM, painless routing and a simple authentication.
Books
- Getting Started with Laravel 4
- Laravel Application Development Cookbook
- Laravel Design Patterns and Best Practices
3. Phalcon
Considered as one of the fastest PHP Frameworks, Phalcon has been implemented as a C extension coupled with lower resource consumption. Some of the excellent features included within this PHP Framework are: translations, security, assets management, universal auto-loader and many more. You can use Phalcon for developing full MVC applications viz: single-module, multi-module and micro applications.
4. Symfony 2
Available in its version 2, Symfony is an excellent PHP Framework for creating websites and web applications. It has been built on top of Symfony components such as Drupal, Ez Publish and phpBB. With over 300,000 developers on-board, Symfony has witnessed over 1,000,000 downloads till date. There have been more than 1000 code contributors for Symfony till date. Backed by a huge community of Symfony fans, it is believed that the framework will go to a whole new level in the forthcoming years.
5. Codeigniter
If you’re a web developer who’s in need of a simple and an elegant toolkit for creating feature-loaded and visualling impressive web applications, then Codeigniter is the framework for you. Currently available in its version 2.2.1, Codeigniter comes with clear documentation. Some other interesting features of this PHP framework include: nearly zero configuration, no large-scale monolithic libraries, compatibility with standard hosting, no restrictive coding rules, no need for template language and many more.
Books
6. Yii Framework
Considered as a fast, stable, secure and high-performing PHP framework, Yii has worked wonders for developing Web 2.0 applications. It provides the basis and advanced application installations based on the project requirement. Equipped with Model-View-Controller(MVC) design pattern, rich feature layered caching scheme, Role based access and authentication, Database Access Objects(DAO), Ajax-enabled widgets and a detailed documents; Yii serves as an ideal framework for developing enterprise web applications, social media applications, SaaS, PaaS and a lot more.
Books
- Yii Application Development Cookbook
- Web Application Development with Yii and PHP
- Yii Project Blueprints
7. Aura
Aura is a PHP Framework that provides independent library packages for PHP 5.4+. You may opt for using these packages alone, in collaboration with one other or as combined into a separate full-stack framework. As the second major version of Solar(a PHP framework), Aura has been reimagined and rewritten into the form of a library collection with a dependency injection. Aura has been specially developed to leverage the features available in PHP 5.4+.
8. Zend
Considered as one of the most popular PHP Frameworks for building high performing web applications, Zend comes with cryptographic and secure coding tools which allow you to execute web app development projects in a flawless manner. Some interesting features of Zend framework include: modularity, extensibility, enterprise ready and a vibrant community.
Books
9. FlightPHP
Flight is an extensible micro-framework for PHP. It enables you to build RESTFul web applications in a quick and simple way. Compatible with PHP version 5.3 and above, Flight can be installed quite conveniently.
10. FuelPHP
FuelPHP is a simple and highly flexible MVC(Model View Control) framework specially created for PHP web developers. Irrespective of whether you’re an experienced PHP developer or an amateur; using FuelPHP framework can turn to be your best decision. PHPFuel supports a router-based approach. That means, you are directly navigated to a closure which deals with input uri, offering the closure a complete control over any further execution.
Books
- Learning FuelPHP for Effective PHP Development
- FuelPHP Introduction (2012)
- FuelPHP Application Development Blueprints
Summing Up
With these 10 handy PHP frameworks at your disposal, I’m sure it’d become comfortable for you to come up with web applications that are truly amazing and able to impress the targeted audience. So, just try these frameworks and you’ll soon be able to pick your favorite.
Tutorial Categories:
I think you omitted some wonderful frameworks, I recommend SimpleMvc Framework, please check it out. Here is a link…http://simplemvcframework.com/php-framework
As the author of Simple MVC Framework I agree 🙂 very biased I know.
I think you omitted some wonderful frameworks, I recommend SimpleMvc Framework, please check it out. Here is a link…http://simplemvcframework.com/php-framework
Definitely found useful info on this post. Thank you. I just love this site. So much help for a newcomer to php frameworks as me!
So, Silex and Laravel are up there, which piggy back off of Symfony components, but.. Symfony is left off the list? Lol
Also, I’d say if this is a list of frameworks to “watch” for 2015, Codeigniter is gearing up for 3.0 release which will be significant, and also CakePHPs newest major version was released in the last quarter of 2014 and could use some more publicity. As well Symfony itself has some pretty insane game changers being added to it since the DX initiative (Developers Experience)
Article edited please check the list of frameworks again.
This is an excellent list now! No objections at all, but I do have two nit picks
1. Codeigniters entry doesn’t mention 3.0 at all, nor does it mention that it changed hands from EllisLabs to BCIT
2. Symfony entry is written rather strangly, but it also says that that it itself is built on top of Drupal and such. I think you meant to write: “Symfony’s Components are in active use in some of the worlds most popular platforms, such as Drupal and phpBB, and frameworks such as Laravel.” Or something along those lines, as those things use Symfony components, not Symfony uses Drupal 😉
I’m also definitely glad you mentioned in Codeigniters entry it’s friendliness to Shared Hosting environments. That’s a huge deciding factor for people and a prime reason why CodeIgniter is still so popular of a choice
Great Article
Awful article. No mention of Symfony2. Instead mentions several tinpot, frameworks that no one uses?
Article edited please have a look.
Much better! I take back my initial comments. Great article.
A very popular framework in China , ThinkPHP
I am surprised that there is no mention of Joomla! which is secure, well proven and its own CMS is one of the most popular globally.
Joomla! is not a framework is a CMS, off course you can use Joomla! for develop an app but is outside of this article scope 🙂
i used joomla for many sites but its framework is not well documented, just search a simple question, you can find many answers for joomla cms not joomla framework and tutorials or documents are most about joomla cms, so i came back to codeigniter and fuelphp for custom application.
Nette Framework (http://nette.org/en/) is both Popular and in active development than some mentioned here like CodeIgniter or Flight.
Thanks DanBangWTFRajib, you beat me to it 🙂
Ok, i didn’t know about that, sorry if a jump the shark. But i really believe almost everyone associates the Joomla! name to the CMS, so it would be nice to be more expressive in the first place.
Anyway, I will check this framework, so thanks for the tip 🙂
Thanks for posting good article.
But I am really surprised that you didn’t mentioned Cygnite PHP Framework- The new cool kid.
It’s helps for painless development, beautiful documentation, and powerful RESTful router, ActiveRecord, Cygnite CLI, Amusing IoC Container many more.
Doc: http://goo.gl/1t7Hxx
Worth adding!
And what about Sija Framework?
Thanks for useful post.
Cygnite another Best framework to be added in the list. Well documentation, gives better performance compare to most of the well known frameworks (reference: https://github.com/kenjis/php-framework-benchmark), work with ease, many more.
http://www.cygniteframework.com/
It seems like PHP frameworks are becoming like a-holes: everybody’s got one. It’s impossible to write an article listing PHP frameworks without a whole bunch of people jumping in with “what about abc?”.
Anyway, I’m a Yii2 lover, and you should mention Yii2 instead of Yii. They’re very different beasts.
Its laravel 5 now
its codeigniter 3 now and fuelphp 1.7.3
Hi sir,can you please suggest me the yii framework tutorials on youtube???
Thanks for share framework list..
This article has enhanced my comprehension in this area. Check this out, it is something similar that might be helpful http://bit.ly/2admOLT.
I think Laravel and TYPO3 is the best. TYPO3 is a free and open source web content management system written in PHP The best thing about TYPO3 CMS is that you can utilize the source code that is free of cost. You don’t have to run the authorizing and buy it. Alongside this, it has extraordinary help of its clients all inclusive.