Summary: Trying to decide between CodeIgniter and Laravel? We compare these leading PHP frameworks across different metrics like performance, features, documentation, and ease of use. Now, let’s discover which framework is right for you.
Since its first release in 1995, PHP has come a long way in supporting websites. In fact, it supports over 78% of the sites on the internet at some point.
Hypertext Preprocessor or PHP Framework is a platform that helps in building PHP web applications. It offers a set of code components and provides a foundation and structure for web development. This simplifies and accelerates the process of building dynamic websites.
By using PHP frameworks, developers can easily reduce the amount of original code they need to write from scratch. When we talk about PHP testing software, Laravel and CodeIgniter are the two popular tools that take the center stage.
So, as a website owner, which tool do you prefer? In this article, we will extensively compare CodeIgniter vs Laravel based on performance, features, and more. For example, Laravel is a better option for large and complex projects and CodeIgniter is a go-to tool for small and rapid prototyping. By evaluating such metrics, you can make a wise decision for your next PHP testing task.
Just like Laravel, CodeIgniter is also a PHP framework that has a small footprint, and it is built for developing rapid development web frameworks for building dynamic websites. It offers a simple and elegant toolkit to create fully featured web applications.
Laravel is an open-source and free PHP framework that was launched in 2011 by Taylor Otwell, and since then it has been following MVC (model-view-structure) patterns to design modern-day PHP applications. It provides a set of tools and features that make it easier for developers to build robust and scalable web apps.
Both CodeIgniter and Laravel differ from each other in terms of philosophy, features, performance, learning curve, use cases etc. Let’s make a head to head comparison between these two PHP testing tools:
Laravel is a feature rich tool which works on MVC pattern, and it emphasizes flexibility and expressiveness. On the other hand, CodeIgniter is a lightweight, modular, and an object-oriented tool.
CodeIgniter offers a shallow learning curve which makes it easy for both beginners and advanced developers to practice and learn its PHP framework. Laravel has a steeper learning curve compared to CodeIgniter and it may take some time for developers to fully understand the app. However, Laravel does offer a vast amount of documentation that can assist users from installation to proper testing.
CodeIgniter is an ideal option for small and medium projects, rapid prototyping, and developers familiar with procedural programming. This platform is generally used for SaaS-based applications.
eCommerce applications, on-demand streaming apps, etc. Laravel is suitable for large and complex projects, enterprise applications, and for developers who are familiar with object-oriented programming. It can be used for the following applications:
Laravel and CodeIgniter handle API building differently. Laravel offers a handy template engine tool called Blade that helps programmers optimize web application performance through enhanced view manipulation.
On the other hand, CodeIgniter doesn’t have its own tool for this, so developers need to use another optimization tool to make their websites look good and run smoothly.
When you use Laravel, you can build your own custom HTTP routes and even a separate URL for each route. It automatically adds https:// protocol before the URL and keeps the data transmission safe.
On the other hand, CodeIgniter uses both response and request mechanisms to build HTTP routes. With this platform, developers are required to use a URL helper tool for secure data transmission.
Performance or speed is one of the key metrics to consider when comparing Laravel and CodeIgniter.
Laravel is often used for big and complex projects, and it can be a bit slow at times. You have to do a proper optimization for each project to make it faster. You can also limit the library usage, implement route caching and smart configuration to run it smoothly.
On the contrary, CodeIgniter is lightweight software, and it requires only a few small libraries to run. Moreover, it has a higher execution rate as its performance also depends on project factors like the total number of users. To be precise, it is almost 20% faster than Laravel.
Laravel offers a built-in authentication class option which makes it handy to implement authorization and authentication in web applications. But, CodeIgniter doesn’t have any built-in authentication features, so developers must write custom extensions for user authentication and authorization.
When it comes to support and community, both Laravel and CodeIgniter offer multiple ways to help developers and programmers.
Laravel has a strong support ecosystem through their Official forum, Stack Overflow and Reddit channels. Its community is quite active and collaborative which really helps in knowledge sharing.
CodeIgniter also provides an official forum where programmers can ask and answer questions, seek advice and discuss ideas. Moreover, CodeIgniter is always quick with their documentation, tutorials and blogs to help you get started.
Here’s a quick comparison between CodeIgniter and Laravel in terms of features and other comparison metrics:
| Features | Laravel | CodeIgniter |
| DBMS and other support | Microsoft SQL Server, IBM DB2, ORACLE, MYSQL, PostgreSQL etc. | MySQL, Microsoft BI, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB. |
| Updates and structure | Follows MVC structure and comes with command line tool Artisan. | Based on MVC model and works on object-oriented programming. |
| In-built modules | Comes with several built-in modulatory features | No built-in modulatory features |
| RESTful API support | Built in RESTful controllers for assortment manufacturing | Does not facilitate streamlined development of REST APIs |
| Programming models | Component Oriented | Object-Oriented & Event Driven |
| Template language | Template Engine named Blade | PHP proprietary |
| Availability | Free and open source | Free and open source |
Laravel PHP framework tool came out five years after CodeIgniter and they serve
different project needs. CodeIgniter is a lightweight and easy to use tool for small and rapid prototyping of
applications. Nevertheless, Laravel is a feature-rich framework and offers tools like Blade template engine,
inbuilt API development, Eloquent ORM, and more.
In the end, I must say that my preference leans towards
Laravel. Its wide range of features and the ability to handle both small and complex projects make it a better
choice over CodeIgniter. However, developers need to select their framework according to their requirements and
weigh features and benefits of each framework before making any decision.
Both Laravel and CodeIgniter are robust PHP framework software. However, Laravel has an upper hand due to its wide set and features and tools, built in modules and good community support.
CodeIgniter offers a shallower learning curve compared to Laravel. So, when it comes to which is easier to learn, CodeIgniter is a winner.
Laravel is a better option for large and complex projects with better features like template engine, inbuilt API building, higher security and more.
CodeIgniter is an easy to learn platform and offers tutorials, documentation, blogs and support to get started. This makes it easy to learn and a better option for beginners.
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