Laravel vs. CodeIgniter: a Battle of PHP Frameworks

Many businesses use Php as a server-side programming language for various reasons. Many businesses use PHP as a server-side programming language for various reasons. PHP is utilized by about 78.9% of all websites running a known server-side scripting language, and PHP is a popular server-side programming language for creating bespoke applications. Similarly, utilizing a PHP framework is critical to speeding up the web development process while producing high-quality results quickly.

Several PHP web application framework options are accessible today, among which are Laravel and CodeIgniter, two well-known PHP frameworks.

We'll look at many similarities and differences between CodeIgniter and Laravel in this blog to help you determine which one is best. Let's go through the idea and the key distinction between Laravel and CodeIgniter frameworks. However, we'll go over some of each framework's characteristics.

What is Laravel Framework?

Laravel is an open-source, feature-rich, and modern PHP web application framework with expressive, elegant syntax. Taylor Otwell created it in 2011. Laravel aims to ease the burden of web development by simplifying common tasks used in many web projects.

It is a model-view-controller (MVC) framework based on Symfony, another popular PHP-based framework. Since it is licensed under MIT, it is an excellent choice for PHP development.

Laravel helps you save time and resources by rationalising common tasks involved in web application creation, such as routing, authentication, caching, and sessions. Laravel provides a wealth of relational database management tools, including an integrated packaging system with a specialised dependency manager and several helpful application maintenances and deployment features.

Laravel is a versatile framework that may be used for various purposes. Across the world, different companies have utilised Laravel in several ways.

What is CodeIgniter Framework?

The PHP-based Open Source CodeIgniter application development framework allows you to build dynamic websites using the PHP programming language. Rick Ellis created it in 2006, and CodeIgniter is a very lightweight framework compared to Laravel.

Therefore, it does not require nearly as many resources and can be run on servers with very little processing power. In addition to having extensive online documentation, CodeIgniter is one of the oldest PHP frameworks.

CodeIgniter is simple for beginners and provides advanced features for experienced developers. CodeIgniter does not have built-in support for model-view-controller (MVC) architecture, but it can be implemented.

Laravel vs CodeIgniter: What is The Difference?

CodeIgniter and Laravel are two distinct open-source software programs that may be used for a variety of purposes. While CodeIgniter does not use ORM, Laravel allows web developers to utilize eloquent object-relational mapping ORM.

On the other hand, CodeIgniter demands that its developers create and maintain the modules by utilizing modular extensions. Laravel, on the other hand, was designed with modularity features built-in from the ground up.

The key distinction between CodeIgniter and Laravel is that CodeIgniter is a microframework, but Laravel is a full-stack framework that is better designed for large application creation. If you are going to hire PHP programmers to work on a small project, CodeIgniter is an ideal choice. Laravel and CodeIgniter differ in several key ways:

Market Usage

Among all existing web frameworks, Laravel has a 0.32% market share. Along with 22.5k live projects on Github, Laravel has 69k Github stars. With over 1.78% (one million) websites based in the US, the number of active websites utilizing Laravel has increased to 648,115. With over 691,005 organizations currently utilizing it, Codeigniter has a 0.23% market share. On Github, Codeigniter has 4k stars and 1.6k forks.

Divergence

Laravel has had 48 releases, while CodeIgniter has had 31. The most recent version of Laravel is v.0.48, while CodeIgniter's is v0.31.

The release cycle of Laravel is more frequent and active than that of CodeIgniter, which is not surprising given that Laravel is a newer framework. Learning Curve

Laravel has a steeper learning curve than CodeIgniter. This is because Laravel offers several absent features in CodeIgniter, such as ORM, modularity, and Restful controllers. As a result, it takes longer to learn Laravel than CodeIgniter.

Authentication

Laravel comes with out-of-the-box authentication features while CodeIgniter does not. This means that you will have to build authentication features from scratch if you want to use CodeIgniter for your project.

Laravel Vs. CodeIgniter: When to use which framework?

Both of these web frameworks are very popular. We can see that CodeIgniter and Laravel are great for different applications when deciding between them. Your company's needs and the type of project you are doing will determine which one you choose.

When deciding whether to use CodeIgniter or another PHP framework, we recommend going with CodeIgniter if -

• You'll need a minimal framework with no built-in testing or database management tools.
• Thanks to the framework's flexibility, developing eCommerce web platforms with CodeIgniter is a cinch.
• It's ideal for small, adaptable sites.
• When it comes to performance, CodeIgniter is a better option. It has a considerably faster execution and development speed than Laravel.

You should choose Laravel if you need to

• Laravel is a popular PHP framework for building large and complex websites that require extensive functionality.
• It's perfect for database-driven internet applications that need to manage vast quantities of data.
• If you're looking for a full-stack framework covering the entire web development life cycle, choose Laravel.

Conclusion

Both Laravel and CodeIgniter are remarkable PHP frameworks with a lot. Which one to choose depends on your project's specific requirements.

Hire PHP programmers familiar with both CodeIgniter and Laravel to help you determine which framework is best for your project. Laravel is better for large projects, while CodeIgniter is better suited for small projects.

I am Kiran Patel, A technology enthusiast. Blogger & Author by passion. Whether you talk about passion or profession, by both I am a writer! I am a Guest Author on many reputed sites and have been sharing my knowledge for many years now.