Laravel Framework: The Top Choice for PHP Web Development

With over 69.2k stars on GitHub, Laravel’s popularity has thrived through the years. Read on to learn what makes Laravel so popular and how to leverage it to create a powerful web experience.

PHP frameworks are used to develop PHP web applications. Over 77.6% of all websites with known server-side programming continue to leverage PHP.

With that said, choosing the proper PHP development framework can be a challenging task and an impactful decision.

The general criteria for a development team are the development cost, experience, and popularity of the framework. Another factor to consider is third-party integrations, deployment, testing, and many others.

However, amongst several PHP frameworks in the market, including Symfony, Yii, Codeigniter, CakePHP, and Phalcon, Laravel has retained the first position in the best MVC-based PHP frameworks.

Let’s get to the why of choosing Laravel…

What is Laravel? An Overview

Laravel is a web app development framework that makes the entire development process faster, easier, and more enjoyable for developers. The first stable version of the Laravel framework was released in 2011. Taylor Otwell created the framework with the sole intention of helping website developers make complex coding simple, faster, and better.

Its architectural patterns are mostly Symfony-based. After introducing version 3, which added features such as the Artisan Command Line Interface, Laravel grew in popularity.

Developers who specialize in Laravel are among the most in demand. In February 2018, 5.6 was released, and 5.7, 5.8, and 5.9 are due in 2019 and 2022.

Also Read: How Hiring Dedicated PHP Programmers Beneficial for the Long Run

Why Laravel?

Here are some of why the Laravel framework is becoming increasingly popular.

– MVC & Object-Oriented Support

The first & most important reason to use Laravel is that it adheres to the Model, View, and Controller architectural pattern and has an object-oriented, expressive, and elegant syntax.

– Built-in Authentication & Authorization

The Authentication & authorization system in Laravel comes with an out-of-the-box configuration. Just a few artisan instructions will secure your application’s Authentication and authorization.

– Task Scheduling

Scheduler, added to the Artisan command-line utility in Laravel 5.0, provides programmable scheduling of frequently run tasks. The scheduler internally uses the cron daemon to perform a single Artisan job, then runs the configured tasks.

– Broadcasting & Events

Broadcasting is a technique in Laravel used in current online applications to implement real-time data, show live feeds, and so on. Broadcasting allows you to use the same event name on both the server and client sides, getting real-time data from the app.

– App Testing

When it comes to testing the application, Laravel provides the unit test for the application by default, which contains tests that detect and prevent regressions in the framework. In Laravel projects, integrating PHP units, such as a testing framework, is a breeze. Additionally, the included artisan command-line utility can execute unit tests.

Top 5 Laravel Framework Features that Make it Popular

Because multiple competitors are vying for the spotlight and attention, the PHP frameworks industry is cluttered. The extensive Laravel feature set, on the other hand, distinguishes it.

– Blade Template Engine

Laravel uses the Blade template engine, which is very powerful compared to other templating engines. It adds zero overhead to your app and does not interfere with the use of plain PHP code in views. It provides convenient shortcuts for general PHP functions and features like template inheritance and displaying data that enhance the flexibility of web development.

– Eloquent ORM

Laravel’s Eloquent object-relational mapper (ORM) provides a basic ActiveRecord implementation for web developers, making database interaction straightforward and time-saving. PHP syntax is used for writing database queries, and SQL is not needed to update or edit databases.

– Laravel MVC Architecture

Laravel is a PHP framework that ensures a tight separation between presentation layers and business logic. MVC stands for Model, View, and Controller. It’s a design pattern in which the model (logic, data handling), view (UI), and controller operations are separated (interface). The Laravel framework, built on MVC, offers many benefits, including enhanced performance, scalability, & security.

– Free and open source

Unlike many PHP frameworks, Laravel is an open-source framework for dedicated web developers. In addition, a robust community supports the framework to make it more advanced and flexible.

– Object-Oriented Libraries

Laravel PHP structure is loaded with many inherent object-oriented libraries brimming with novel elements. Knowledge of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) will be beneficial in understanding the framework code & writing your objects. Different reasons make organizations ready to proceed with Laravel development service providers.

Also Read:

Dedicated PHP Developer: Tips, Trends, and Success Stories

What are the advantages and disadvantages of Laravel?

Advantages

• It’s simple to start because of excellent documentation, community assistance, and an easy-to-use interface.
• The syntax is simple to learn and apply, making it suitable for inexperienced users.
• Pre-installed libraries 
• It is simple to deploy to major cloud service providers like AWS.
• Exceptional Blade Templating Engine
• Security and authorization are included out of the box.
• Dependable and scalable

Disadvantages

• It is slower than specific frameworks.
• There is less built-in support.
• It has minimal security protections but is still constrained by PHP’s inherent vulnerabilities.

What are some real-life use cases of Laravel?

What can I create with Laravel? This is where illustrations come in handy.

1. Walt Disney

This international entertainment and media company is well-known for its film studios, television, streaming media, amusement parks, and consumer goods.

2. The New York Times

This is an American daily newspaper with both paper and online distribution. 

3. Warner Bros

Warner Bros. Entertainment, abbreviated as WB, is a worldwide media and entertainment corporation best known for its film and television productions.

4. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is number four

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, founded in 1962, is a pediatric treatment and research hospital specializing in treating children’s ailments, primarily cancer, and leukemia.

To Conclude,

Is it true that Laravel is the best PHP framework? We’d leave it to your requirement-oriented judgment.

Is it the most stable and feature-rich, though?

Absolutely!

The ideal PHP framework for you is the one that meets your criteria and is in line with your business goals.

Popularity, database access, modularity, third-party integrations, development cost, testing, security, and built-in functionality are all considered.

The Codeigniter framework was the most popular PHP framework before Laravel. However, it lacked critical functionality such as user authentication and permission. Laravel was born as a result and is now widely regarded as the best PHP framework for creating stunning web experiences.