Laravel and its Reign as the Best PHP Framework

It has been quite some time since Laravel was crowned the most popular PHP framework by developers across the globe. The sheer ease of use and elegant syntax makes it different from other frameworks. For developers who are just starting out, we decided to do a full rundown of Laravel.

But first, what exactly is a framework?

A framework is a structure for any future work intended to happen on that structure. Technically, it is like the skeleton of your program. It allows you to connect to APIs as well as decide the structure of your program. For example, a Web Application Framework helps you create fully functional websites within no time. Laravel is a classic PHP framework which contains all the classes you need to create a web application (read: website) easier.

Now that we have a hang of what frameworks are, let’s look at the “why” part of the scenario.

Why Frameworks?

If you are writing a single piece of code or a 100 line program, you will breeze through the task, assuming that you did not skip those classes to party during college 😛

However, when you are a part of a project with thousands of lines of code, then things get a little complex. A framework can be your guide to get a clear picture of what the program is about. You also write cleaner, reusable code with fewer bugs. Even your debuggers are happy when they have a clear idea of the framework.

Assorted Candies, anyone?

Having the problem of plenty is not always good. Suppose you have a bag of assorted candies, of multiple flavors. Now, with a heavy heart, you have to choose only one candy. Which would you choose? The same is with PHP frameworks. There are a number of options like Laravel, CodeIgniter, CakePHP, Symfony, Phalcon, Yii, etc. One can only weigh the pros and cons of each and select one from the mix. But a large number of developers are fans of Laravel, making it the tastiest candy to choose 🙂

This is Google’s analysis of the popularity of Laravel over the past 5 years.

Laravel for You

Created by Taylor Otwell, Laravel was an attempt to provide a better alternative to the CodeIgniter framework, which was lacking in certain features such as built-in support for user authentication and authorization. Laravel eases development by accelerating common tasks used in the majority of web projects, such as authentication, routing, sessions, and caching.

The Key features that set Laravel apart are:

Application Logic: You can implement Laravel within any application either using controllers or directly into route declarations using their syntax. Laravel is designed to render privileges to a developer, allowing them the flexibility that they need to create everything from small websites to enterprise applications.

Blade Templating Engine: The Blade templating engine of Laravel is very easy to use and helps to work with the typical PHP code to a great extent. For instance, if you have to chop up an “if” statement with HTML inside of it, Blade will make it almost effortless. This is one of the best features of Laravel.

Authentication and Security: Implementing Authentication techniques are very simple with Laravel because it provides a simple way to organize authorization logic and control access to resources. To make your program secure, Laravel uses salted and hashed passwords. This means that passwords are never saved as plain text in the database. Laravel also uses prepared SQL statements which make injection attacks impossible.

MVC Support: Laravel supports the Model-View-Controller Architecture, ensuring clarity between logic and presentation. The MVC helps in improving performance, better documentation, and has multiple built-in functionalities. This is how the MVC works for Laravel:

Multiple file systems and Services: Laravel incorporates a lot of custom interfaces which can be used for applications running on the highly successful REST API. A very big advantage of supporting REST is that applications can now support third-party apps while giving utmost priority to security.

Modularity: Simply put, modularity is the degree to which a system’s components may be separated and recombined. Laravel is for multi-apps. It can be set and split into different modules with a similar or different function.

Got Laravel?

With a plethora of features, Laravel stands out as the reigning champion of PHP frameworks. Without any frills, it delivers every time. The makers of Laravel believe development must be an enjoyable, creative experience to be truly fulfilling. A good belief indeed!

You can read more about Laravel here.

How did you like our take on Laravel? Have we missed out any of its features? Do let us know in the comments below!