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Are you about to start a web development project? Considering PHP as a scripting language for server-side development? Well, that’s not surprising. PHP is one of the oldest and most widely used server-side programming languages, powering 78.1% of websites.
PHP, or Hypertext Preprocessor, is a general-purpose scripting language. It’s open-source, highly scalable, and one of the best choices for custom website development. It empowers a handful of frameworks such as Symfony, Laravel, Lamina, Yii, Cake, and Code Igniter. The frameworks include packages and products that create a certain ecosystem, allowing users to work with PHP easier. As a mature scripting language, it’s the to-go language of many professional software programming companies for their custom web development services.
Yet, there are also developers who abstain from PHP when building web software for a variety of reasons.
Why Do People Search for Alternatives to PHP?
Forgiving language
Hypertext Preprocessor is a less focused and more forgiving language with a slow-paced learning curve. What’s more important it gives too much freedom in terms of writing a code. So, junior developers often avoid defining variable types, and instead write inexperienced, insecure, codes. Of course, this results in multiple errors that disrupt the development process of PHP projects.
Slow execution
Why is PHP slow in comparison with other programming languages? Because it’s a dynamic and interpreted language reading at runtime. On every request, PHP interprets everything from the beginning. Consequently, the performance is not as good as for compiled languages.
Lack of philosophy
As mentioned above, PHP doesn’t define rules for programming. It lacks idiomatic syntax. This means there are no certain ways of doing basic things. It’s not a bug, but a feature that makes the scripting language an absolute favorite of senior developers. Yet, it’s an obstacle for junior teams.
Already thinking to find PHP alternatives for your web project?
Here Are Top 5 PHP Alternatives For the Web Development
JavaScript
Node.js is a server-side JavaScript runtime environment used to build fast and scalable web applications. Almost all modern HTML web pages use JavaScript. Why? Because it runs asynchronous code on the server, highly improving speed and performance. JavaScript also addds various dynamic functions to web pages to boost user experience.
Remember, there is a common misperception that junior developers can’t work with Node. That is nothing but a myth. Any programmer familiar with JavaScript can learn Node quickly.
Java
Java is a powerful, flexible, and object-oriented programming language in web development. As a strongly typed language, it provides the required discipline for a smoother development process. Java helps developers to build cleaner, more structured code and reduces the possibility of human errors. Something that is lacking in PHP. Also, it’s the most popular language for writing automation scripts
Java code can be run on any device, regardless of the operating system. The programming language supports various web template systems. It manages parallel task execution and offers powerful frameworks to develop and manage web apps. The range of frameworks includes Spring Boot, Cloud Foundry, Akka, etc.
Finally, Java code uses syntax that is similar to the classic programming language C++, so it is easy for most software and web developers to learn.
Python
Python is an extremely advanced server-side programming language, used for web design and development. This powerful dynamic language is massively used for server-side development. Its popularity is growing constantly to soon overpass PHP.
Python suits a variety of web projects, from simple to complex. This logical language is a good choice for automation scripts. Its packages and external libraries (SciPy, Pandas, IPython, Numeric Python) facilitate the development of scientific and numeric applications. Additionally, the scripting language has features useful for database programming. It supports databases like MySQL, Oracle, etc.
Today Python is among the top programming languages for machine learning and artificial intelligence projects.
Go
Go or Golang is a newcomer in the programming world. The compiled programming language was designed at Google in 2007. Want to work with upgraded technologies and open new opportunities? Then Go is a perfect choice.
The main goal of this programming language is to provide highly effective tools and features to develop scalable solutions in the simplest way possible. Go easily runs asynchronous code and possesses a streamlined syntax that supports task concurrency and parallelism.
The programming language is widely used for building distributed applications with optimal performance in cloud-based environments and corporate networks.
Ruby
Ruby is a dynamic fully object-oriented, general-purpose scripting language. It enables even beginners to develop architecturally clean and high-quality web applications using HTML, JavaScript, and CSS files. Similar to Java, it supports web template systems either natively, or through add-on libraries and modules.
Rails is a server-side Ruby framework used for web development. It contains fully upgraded language and has become the go-to framework for many developers. It focuses on rapid prototyping and provides default structures for a database, web service, or web pages. Additionally, Ruby has other popular web frameworks such as Sinatra, Cuba, etc.
Which PHP Alternative is the Most Suitable for Your Web Project?
Web development is a complex process. It needs a professional software development services team who has mastered the chosen programming language to achieve desired success.
PHP still remains the go-to option in terms of the compound and customized projects. Yet it doesn’t mean that going with an alternative programing language is wrong. That’s why it’s important to map your software requirements against the capabilities and functionality of the scripting language.
Do you need help with determining what programming language would best suit your web project goals and meet your budget?
Don’t hesitate to contact the experts.
