PHP is a widely used server-side scripting language. It has been a leading web development technology for many years. As per w3techs, 77.7% of websites on the internet use PHP, which shows its dominance in web development. Many entrepreneurs prefer PHP development services to develop their business websites.
You might be wondering what makes PHP a good choice for web development. There are several reasons behind its popularity, including flexibility, cross-platform compatibility, and cost-effectiveness, to name a few.
In addition, PHP offers an abundance of frameworks for website development. Among plenty of choices, CodeIgniter and Laravel are the most popular ones. Both are the major PHP frameworks, so CodeIgniter vs Laravel is somehow a major topic of concern.
This blog post will look at a detailed comparison of CodeIgniter vs Laravel to help you determine the superior one among them. It will help you make an informed decision on whether to invest in Laravel website development services or CodeIgniter web development services.
Before diving deeper into the blog post, let’s examine the concept of Laravel and CodeIgniter frameworks in depth.
Let’s get started with Laravel.
Laravel – Overview
In simpler terms, Laravel is an open-source PHP-based web development framework. It is developed to simplify web development tasks and reduce complexity. It follows the MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture.
Laravel has gained wide popularity in the past few years. This is because developers consider this framework to streamline web development. This modern web development framework is fast and secure.
Advantages of Laravel Framework
Now, let’s shed light on the reasons that will justify why Laravel is getting so much recognition.
Security
Security is always a major concern for a website owner. So, you cannot deny the importance of choosing a robust and secure framework. Though, achieving a hundred percent website security is not actually possible. But with Laravel website development, it is possible to implement some features to make the website foolproof.
Laravel offers a plethora of high-level security parameters that are easy to configure on various websites. It enhances security and protects sites from hackers and cybercriminals. In comparison with other PHP frameworks, Laravel has great user authentication that keeps your customer’s data safe and secure. Thus, by investing in Laravel website development services, you can get a secure web development solution for your business.
MVC Architecture
Laravel is compliant with MVC architecture, which leads to seamless operations between multiple functionalities. Being based on the MVC pattern, Laravel offers many benefits like enhanced performance, scalability, and others. It makes Laravel website development beneficial for creating complex web applications with ease.
Artisan CLI
Laravel offers an integrated command line interface known as Artisan. With this CLI tool, Laravel automates any kind of recurring task. It helps you generate modern codes for databases, migrations, and customized solutions.
Better Authentication and Authorization Options
Do you want any unauthorized access to your website? Obviously, no. Yeah, no one wants that. A Laravel development company assures you to incorporate secure authentication and authorization features.
Laravel has superior authentication and authorization features that help you prevent unauthorized access to your site. It ensures that only genuine users can access your web application.So, these were some major benefits of using the Laravel framework. If you decide to choose Laravel for website development, you can rely on a renowned Laravel development company for an exquisite solution. It will provide you with a superior website using the Laravel framework.
Now, let’s move to another topic in the battle, i.e., CodeIgniter.
CodeIgniter – Overview
CodeIgniter is a simple and robust PHP framework that you can use to create a full-featured web application. It includes huge libraries and plug-ins that facilitate various complex functions and processes. Apart from that, it offers awesome security and encryption procedures.
Now, let’s move toward the reasons that put the CodeIgniter framework on the list of popular PHP-based frameworks.
Advantages of CodeIgniter Framework
Customizability
CodeIgniter will be the best choice if you are looking for a customizable solution. CodeIgniter provides ease of customizability compared to the other frameworks available in the market. It lets you configure the files in the easiest form. In addition, CodeIgniter has the ability of instant error fixing, which is also a primary reason to rely on the CodeIgniter development services for website development.
Security
CodeIgniter will be a good option for you if you are more concerned about the security of your website. It offers various encryption and decryption features that make it a more reliable framework in the market.
Due to its adequate security standards, CodeIgniter is preferred to build a secure payment gateway for eCommerce websites. Though developing a payment gateway requires a lot of effort and time, with a CodeIgniter development company, you can make it with ease.
Better Search Engine Optimization
A business owner cannot ignore the importance of an SEO-optimized website for their business. They will surely try to do everything to get an SEO-friendly website. Isn’t it crucial to choose an SEO-friendly platform for the same? Of course, it is. So, CodeIgniter offers various features that make website optimization convenient without affecting layout or other vital elements.
Quick Development
If you expect rapid development with fewer efforts, CodeIgniter website development will be your best option. It requires less coding as compared to other frameworks in the market. So, for a compelling website with lightweight code, you can rely on CodeIgniter development services for the same.
Error Handling
If you want to develop an appealing website with exceptional functionalities, CodeIgniter development is a suitable option. CodeIgniter displays errors in the code with extreme accuracy without any hassle.
So, there is no doubt developers prefer CodeIgniter to build error-free websites that do not compromise quality. However, it is advised to hire a CodeIgniter development company if you want an excellent website devoid of errors and bugs.
So, these are some major reasons to rely on CodeIgniter website development to develop a well-performing website.
CodeIgniter vs Laravel – A Comprehensive Comparison
Though both CodeIgniter and Laravel are the best players in the web development game, still, they have various distinctions. What are those? These are in terms of scalability, security, cost, performance, and others.
Do you want to know which one is cost-effective, Laravel development or CodeIgniter development? Well, as a business owner, you obviously want to know the answer.
So, let’s compare both PHP-based frameworks on the basis of factors like cost, security, performance, etc. It will let you choose the suitable framework based on the factor that matters most to you.
Performance
From the performance perspective, the websites developed using Laravel are comparatively slower than the web applications developed with CodeIgniter.
Though, as per the Laravel web development community, it is possible to improve the performance if optimized appropriately. Moreover, using cache tags lets developers quickly load the pre-stored information, improving the web application’s performance.
In contrast, in terms of performance and speed, CodeIgniter-based web applications are comparatively faster than Laravel-based web apps.
Scalability
It is a must to choose a technology by keeping future expansions in mind. So, in CodeIgniter vs Laravel, which framework can provide you with the kind of website that can handle the rising needs of your business? Well, the answer is both Laravel and CodeIgniter will provide you with the expected results when it comes to scalability.
Laravel offers strong support to businesses. It is possible to scale Laravel-based websites or web applications by utilizing MySQL, AWS, and advanced caching methods. On the other hand, CodeIgniter is a lightweight framework that is best for building scalable web applications.
Cost
Cost is undoubtedly a major concern for a business owner. An individual who is seeking a website for their business will surely focus on utilizing cost-effective solutions. So, in CodeIgniter vs Laravel, which one is well-suited as per the cost constraints? Though both CodeIgniter and Laravel are open-source and let you develop a web application for your business within your budget.
But if you intend to make a high-level website without any overhead components or extra cost, you can utilize the Blade template engine of Laravel. For proper utilization of the same, you can leverage the Laravel development services from a reliable web development partner.
Architecture
Laravel is based on MVC architecture that helps to improve the development process. It lets you integrate different functionalities to build an interactive web application as per the user’s requirements.
Additionally, the MVC architecture makes implementing external APIs and reusing the application’s logic effortless.
CodeIgniter is also a Model-View-Controller (MVC) based system and provides easy boarding.
Ease of Testing
Laravel lets you develop bug-free web applications as it offers plenty of testing tools. It has robust testing documentation and provides you with tools to test your web application at several levels.
In Laravel, unit testing is available in every version to help you maintain the code as per the user’s requirements. It makes Laravel development services beneficial to get a testable web application for your business.
In contrast, CodeIgniter offers simplistic unit testing. It is quite simple and consists of an evaluation function and two result functions. It helps a CodeIgniter development company easily evaluate websites for accurate results without exhaustive testing for the same.
Security
Laravel is a secure PHP-based framework with built-in security features like an authentication system, CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery) tokens to ensure no security breach, SQL injection, and many more.
CodeIgniter offers customization options that help you strengthen the security of your website. To make the security protocols as per your specific organizational needs, you can invest in CodeIgniter web development services for the same.
Database Support
Laravel mainly supports four databases: PostgreSQL, SQLite, SQL, and MySQL. However, it will be convenient to configure establishing more database connections with Laravel.
On the other hand, the list of databases that CodeIgniter supports includes MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Oracle, DB2, and others. Therefore, from the database support perspective, CodeIgniter supports more databases than Laravel. Moreover, CodeIgniter has a clear and simple syntax that makes it more popular among the developer community.
Which One to Choose?
After a prolonged discussion, it is essential to summarize CodeIgniter vs Laravel by understanding which one is preferred. The pre-defined architecture of Laravel makes it easier to streamline web development, while CodeIgniter offers ease of testing. So, the decision of choosing one ultimately depends on your project requirements.
Let’s discuss some of the use cases of both technologies to help you invest your resources properly.
Use Cases of Laravel
You can rely on Laravel website development if –
- You want a framework with excellent documentation and large community support.
- You have to build a web application quickly.
- You aim to create an SEO-friendly website.
- You are planning to develop an interactive website that requires highly customizable layouts.
Use Cases of CodeIgniter
It will be better to pick the CodeIgniter framework if –
- You need to build a web application with enhanced security.
- You require a lightweight and customized web application.
- You have to develop a web application quickly, with less coding and effort.
- You want to develop a website with the best user interfaces.
Conclusion
Even though we have gone through the advantages, use cases, and detailed comparison of Laravel and CodeIgniter, it is still not easy to decide which PHP framework to choose for website development. The choice entirely depends on your project needs and type.
So, it is a must to be properly aware of your project requirements before investing either in Laravel development services or CodeIgniter development services.
Both CodeIgniter and Laravel have their own pros and cons. And for a business owner looking for a perfect solution for website development, it is vital to select a cost-effective framework. Therefore, visiting their website is advised to get a deeper knowledge of both solutions.
