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PHP vs Python: Which Language Is Dominating The Market?

Posted on 16/10/202113/11/2021 by Anteelo Master

Has it ever happened to you that you try to achieve something but the end result was totally unanticipated? Sometimes good things are an accident – Electricity, Discovery of America, Gravity, and PHP.

Wait, what?

Actually, PHP was never intentionally designed. Rasmus Lerdorf, a Danish software engineer attempted to design an easy common gateway interface by using the C language that would help him track views on his CV. Little did he know what he had created for such a menial task is going to change the face of web applications.

As for Python, the language has its own fan following spread worldwide.

What is there to see is how these two fare when put under juxtaposition. Yes! We are talking about the popular battle of PHP vs Python.

So, why don’t we begin the first round by discussing what they are, individually?

What is Python?

Python programming concepts that made my code efficient! | by Pratik Gandhi | Towards Data Science

Well, of course, it’s not a snake (pun intended).

For real, Python is one of the few best web programming languages for web development that is winning the hearts of many around the world. It is a non-complex object-oriented, high-level, interpreted language, possessing amazing built-in data structures connected with dynamic typing and binding. It is features such as these that make developers choose this language for efficient and effective app development.

What is more, it is a scripting language that is proficient in binding and combining numerous components together. To add another jewel to its crown, it favors cross-platform development, making it ideal for web and mobile app development.

In fact, Python had recently won second place as the most popular language on Github, beating Java to dust and is one of the most loved languages.

Features of Python programming language

Fast in nature

There is no compiling in Python, for the programs are added to the interpreter which runs them directly. This is something that happens for the rest of the programming languages. It is very easy and quick to get access to the feedback on your Python code like recognizing errors, etc. Due to reasons like this, Python has the ability to execute and finish the programs speedily in comparison to other languages.

Supports test-driven development

With Python app development, coding and testing go hand-in-hand, something that is a tried and tested way to the efficacious development process. Developers are able to develop prototypes of the applications as Python allows them to refactor the code.

Amazing standard library

Another probable feature of Python programming language that enabled it to beat Java on Github, is its collection of impeccable libraries. Python’s robust standard library supports the programmers in choosing modules as per the requirements demand. Here every module allows developers to add other multiple functionalities even when the process is about to complete and that too without any additional coding.

{Bonus- Java vs Python: Who is Winning the Coding Battle?}

Support for Big Data

If you have been looking forward to working on the Big Data technology but aren’t sure what should be in your tool set, then trust me, Python will be all you need to start with. This programming language is being used extensively in Big Data development; simply because it is faster and has a lot of libraries in store, that are in harmony with Big Data.

Highly compatible

Python is the first choice of developers who want to do away with the recompilation process. It is because along with supporting numerous OS like iOS, Android, Windows, etc., it allows developers to use Python interpreters to run the same code on all platforms and even modify it without performing recompilation. And on top of it, it allows programmers to check the code almost instantly when the changes are made.

Advantages of Python

Object-oriented and cross-platform programming language
Portable in nature due to WORA functionality
Highly readable, making it easy for beginners
It is open-source, a feature which makes it easily accessible
It is a constantly evolving language

Disadvantages of Python

Slightly in-effective in mobile computing and browsers
Design restrictions: Duck-typing may cause run-time errors
Delayed testing of web applications
A little too simple for certain tasks

Popular apps made with Python

Being a trusted programming language, there are many popular use cases of Python you must be knowing already.

What is PHP?

Speaking of the name itself, it has a little kick to it. The acronym does not fully describes its full form which is Hypertext Preprocessor. It is also an open-source scripting language (means a script-based program) that is server-side in nature facilitating development for every web app development company.

Additionally, it is possible to embed PHP in HTML to create dynamic web pages for web applications, database apps, and E-Commerce apps. In fact, developers consider it to be a pretty friendly language as it can connect with databases like Oracle, MySQL, etc.

Features of PHP

Highly flexible and scalable

To be successful, a language should be flexible and scalable enough to give a wiggle room to programmers to have fun, something which PHP clearly offers. It can be easily integrated with other programming languages, namely, Java and others. The components built with this language are reusable.

There are many extensions available to enable different functionalities, that help in defining many kinds of project requirements.

Fast loading speed

Speed plays a crucial role in making any programming language a favorite of developers. PHP is considered to be a high-speed rendering language as it easily establishes a connection with the database to fetch the requested data in less time as compared to many languages out there in the market.

Supports Cross-platform development

PHP is no way behind Python in catering multiple platforms, i.e, it is also a cross-platform language that helps developers in creating web applications for operating systems such as UNIX, LINUX, Windows, and more. What is more, it also supports Apache and MySQL database.

Loosely typed language

PHP is denoted as a loosely typed language as it supports variable usage without even declaring its data type. It will be taken at the time of the execution based on the kind of data it has on its value.

Error Reporting

One of the amazing features of PHP is that it has a function that generates a warning notice when something is wrong, allowing the developers to address the issues in real-time.

Advantages of PHP

Has an enormous ecosystem
Object-oriented and open-source language with an active community
Interoperability- has numerous pluggable frameworks
Supports first-class debugging

Disadvantages of PHP

Threaded and slower execution
No Internet of Things community support
Limited visibility and control
Externally dependent

Popular apps made with PHP

Python vs PHP: Battle begins

Now, let’s see how Python Compares to PHP and vice versa.

1. Performance and speed

Speed is often synonymous with great performance in web applications. And in the case of PHP vs Python performance for web applications, it is no different. It is crucial for web apps to perform error-free while processing millions of requests at a time. PHP is considered to be much more effective at speed. Though PHP 5.x was fast, PHP 7.x broke its own records, leaving average Python programs to dust. It completes the tasks almost 3 times faster.

2. Syntax and code readability

Syntax plays a prominent part as a point of difference between PHP and Python. To be brief, the syntax of PHP kind of resembles that of the C language. The programmers have to be careful and need to use curly brackets, operators, and additional characters. What is more, developers can also ignore the white spaces while the compilation is on-going, bringing the additional usability that will assist in structuring the code into logical components.

As of Python, the syntax is made on the separation of codes with spaces and tabs, expediting the process of coding to a great extent. Moreover, Python’s syntax is readable which makes it easy for beginners to learn it effectively.

3. Price

It is a good thing that both languages are open-source which means nothing but that they are free to use. In fact, developers have advocated that these even though free in nature, maybe better than some of the paid frameworks.

4. Library Support

What gives Python an edge in the battle of PHP vs Python 2020 is that it has exceptionally extensive and well-developed library support for all types of applications developed using Python. Some of the most preferred libraries that developers use in Machine learning development along with others are TensorFlow, Theano, Scikit, etc.

Though PHP is lagging behind, it also has packages repository “Packagist” that is pretty popular among the developers.

5. Web frameworks

Both PHP and Python have loads of responsive and incredible web frameworks to start with. For Python-based web frameworks, some that stand out the most are Django, Bottle, CherryPy, Pyramid, and more.

As for PHP-based web frameworks, we have Laravel, Codeigniter, Zend, Symphony, and so on. As both Python and PHP programming languages provide a pretty good variety of choices to the developers, beginners are still a little bit more inclined towards Python’s Django framework because it is mighty fast.

{Bonus Read: Django vs Ruby on Rails}

6. Debugging

To give you the verdict on this point of comparison of PHP and Python before even diving deep into it, we have to say that it is a draw.

You ask why? Well, if Python has “Python Debugger” (PDB), a well-documented and facile debugger, then PHP has its “XDebug” package; both offering the most basic debug features – stacks, path mapping, breakpoints, and more.

7. Front-end feasibility

Web programmers also look forward to developing the layout or the front-end of their websites and portals using numerous effective tools along with languages like Bootstrap, CS, Angular, etc. Python here provides numerous opportunities for the developers to adopt the same techniques and later combine it with Python code by employing frameworks.

This way, designers can easily design websites, whereas the backend developers find it easy to use via a much subtle and understandable language like Python. So, definitely, Python here wins over the PHP.

8. Usability

It is prominent to consider the architecture of the languages before we conjecture anything in favor of either language.

The fact that both Python and PHP are object-oriented translate into that they compress code modules containing some functions and data in objects. So, any developer who is even a little bit familiar with object-oriented programming can use either of the languages.

9. Maturity

On the grounds of maturity, Python is inevitably the winner since it was first introduced in 1989 by Guido van Rossum and released in 1991. Its latest update 3.8.0 was released recently on 14 October 2019. It is the most mature and secure among the technologies which make the fundamental building blocks of the intricate mosaic that is the IT industry.

As for PHP, it was created in 1994 by Rasmus Lerdorf. Though not as mature as Python, it still has created a still in the market with its features. The very first manifestation of PHP was a simplistic set of Common Gateway Interface (CGI) binaries that were written in the C language. The latest version of PHP is 7.2.7.

10. Package Management

Speaking of Python, its package managers are effective in organizing the code and keeping the backups along with the version numbers. It helps the developers track their progress while helping businesses perform regular updates on the activities.

As of PHP, though is package management, however, it doesn’t match up to the PIP, a tool to manage and install Python packages. It allows developers to install, upgrade, and even uninstall while using a wide range of sources for external as well as internal libraries.

11. Market Popularity

If you want to judge or compare two things, market popularity tops the list of points of comparison, because it indicates why developers and programmers love something.

Looking at this graph above we can surmise that Python is the most searched on the web in the US as compared to PHP.

It has been observed that 7,212,664 websites have been developed using PHP, and as for Python, the number amounts to be 146,702. What is more, PHP is leading in countries like the US, Japan, Germany, and other 150+ countries. In a survey by w3techs.com, as you can see in the graph, it is evident that as of May 29, 2019, PHP was the most popular language based on traffic.

12. Versatility

Python in comparison to PHP is evidently versatile in nature as it is an ideal choice for developing websites integrated with Machine Learning and AI. It comes with an abundance of libraries that support these technologies and facilitate their integration into the web apps.

13. Well-thought-out design

While comparing PHP vs Python for backend, we found that Python, as compared to PHP, is fairly easy to grasp. Python has a well-thought-out-design (refers to the method used to insert code) than PHP. This means that developers find it easy to program for backend with Python than they do with PHP. It is simply because Python is a flexible yet robust programming language, something that PHP lacks.

14. Documentation

Well, it is a draw. Both languages have an abundance of documentation spread across the internet. Any beginner can easily find resources and documents related to any aspect of these languages and can get answers to even the most complicated queries- All thanks to their communities.

15. Environment Management

Speaking of environment managers, Python is extremely lucky in this regard. There are some terrific breed applications to manage the environment. One such example is Virtualenv – a system that is used to install and use numerous versions of Python simultaneously and switch them as often as needed with ease.

Though PHP also has an analog for Virtualenv known as VirtPHP. However, it is advised to use containers.

16. Learning Curve

Starting with PHP, being a straightforward language, it has a fairly low learning curve. It is ideal to learn PHP for short-term projects, but if you want to learn something that gives long-term benefits then Python is your match.

Though on its own PHP is easy to learn, however in comparison to Python, PHP has a steep learning curve for Python is the most readable and easily comprehensible language. It is because the language uses a much simpler syntax.

17. Community Support

Both languages enjoy the support of active communities. It is a crucial aspect for a beginner to consider before committing oneself to a particular language, simply because the learning process is full of doubts and queries and having strong support resolves half the issues.

However, we have to admit that community support of PHP is outstanding, given how actively they have been deprecating the language’s outdated aspects.

18. Salary and Job opportunities

While considering the payscale of both languages, we found that Python developers, on average, make somewhere around $120,024 every year in the United States. Whereas, PHP developers make an average of $86,017 per year.

In fact, you can see in the image above that Python developers, globally make nearly $63k, whereas PHP did not even make it to the list accumulated by Stack Flow.

Final Thoughts

To end this discussion, we would state the most obvious – both languages are differently capable in all aspects. One may surpass the other in one aspect and may lose in others. They both have their own set of features and functions to perform.

They are a paradox in themselves; there are many similarities between PHP and Python, and at the same time are dissimilar as well in many aspects.

Nevertheless, Python has emerged to be the winner in most of the comparison points such as documentation, job opportunities, salary, etc. So, it is up to an individual which one they choose based on their requirements.

PHP vs Python: Features & Comparison in 2021

Posted on 21/05/202102/06/2021 by Anteelo Master

Has it ever happened to you that you try to achieve something but the end result was totally unanticipated?

Sometimes good things are an accident – Electricity, Discovery of America, Gravity, and PHP.

Wait, what?

As for Python, the language has its own fan following spread worldwide.

What is there to see is how these two fare when put under juxtaposition. Yes! We are talking about the popular battle of PHP vs Python.

So, why don’t we begin the first round by discussing what they are, individually?

What is Python?

Well, of course, it’s not a snake (pun intended).

In fact, Python had recently won second place as the most popular language on Github, beating Java to dust and is one of the most loved languages.

Features of Python programming language

Fast in nature

Supports test-driven development

Amazing standard library

Support for Big Data

Highly compatible

Advantages of Python

Object-oriented and cross-platform programming language
Portable in nature due to WORA functionality
Highly readable, making it easy for beginners
It is open-source, a feature which makes it easily accessible
It is a constantly evolving language

Disadvantages of Python

Slightly in-effective in mobile computing and browsers
Design restrictions: Duck-typing may cause run-time errors
Delayed testing of web applications
A little too simple for certain tasks

What is PHP?

Features of PHP

Highly flexible and scalable

There are many extensions available to enable different functionalities, that help in defining many kinds of project requirements.

Fast loading speed

Supports Cross-platform development

Loosely typed language

Error Reporting

One of the amazing features of PHP is that it has a function that generates a warning notice when something is wrong, allowing the developers to address the issues in real-time.

Advantages of PHP

Has an enormous ecosystem
Object-oriented and open-source language with an active community
Interoperability- has numerous pluggable frameworks
Supports first-class debugging

Disadvantages of PHP

Threaded and slower execution
No Internet of Things community support
Limited visibility and control
Externally dependent

PHP vs Python: Battle begins

Now, let’s see how Python Compares to PHP and vice versa.

1. Performance and speed

2. Syntax and code readability

3. Price

4. Library Support

Though PHP is lagging behind, it also has packages repository “Packagist” that is pretty popular among the developers.

5. Web frameworks

6. Debugging

To give you the verdict on this point of comparison of PHP and Python before even diving deep into it, we have to say that it is a draw.

7. Front-end feasibility

8. Usability

It is prominent to consider the architecture of the languages before we conjecture anything in favor of either language.

9. Maturity

10. Package Management

11. Market Popularity

If you want to judge or compare two things, market popularity tops the list of points of comparison, because it indicates why developers and programmers love something.

Looking at this graph above we can surmise that Python is the most searched on the web in the US as compared to PHP.

12. Versatility

13. Well-thought-out design

14. Documentation

15. Environment Management

Though PHP also has an analog for Virtualenv known as VirtPHP. However, it is advised to use containers.

16. Learning Curve

17. Community Support

However, we have to admit that community support of PHP is outstanding, given how actively they have been deprecating the language’s outdated aspects.

18. Salary and Job opportunities

In fact, you can see in the image above that Python developers, globally make nearly $63k, whereas PHP did not even make it to the list accumulated by Stack Flow.

Final Thoughts

They are a paradox in themselves; there are many similarities between PHP and Python, and at the same time are dissimilar as well in many aspects.

Road to your company’s success: Develop Website

Posted on 13/05/2021 by Anteelo Master

Anyone who has ever been involved in running a business knows that an effective product or service does not guarantee success. When your potential customers are unaware of your company’s existence, or they don’t understand how you can benefit their lives, they won’t buy your product.

That’s why strong website development is so important. When designed by talented website developers who approach each project individually, websites can be an extremely powerful method of lead generation. The following are just a few of the ways your web presence can help you achieve success:

GETTING CUSTOMER ATTENTION

In most cases, potential customers do not stumble across websites unprompted. It’s much more likely that they’ll find your website as a result of an internet search.

By incorporating keywords into your website’s content, you’ll boost your chances of appearing in a relevant Google search, helping you achieve that critical first step: getting potential customers to know you exist.

To increase your visibility on the web, you should not only feature the keywords prominently on the homepage, but also host a blog that shares relevant information with users. Doing so gives you even more opportunities to reach the kind of people most likely to be interested in your service or product.

DEMONSTRATING YOUR PRODUCT

An intuitive website could be designed to show off to customers what exactly your product or service can do for them. For example, if you’re selling a new tool or promoting an app, a quick video embedded on the homepage to demonstrate it is an excellent visual element to include.

That said, you don’t need to rely on video. Many great websites make effective use of clean and simple graphic design to explain how a service benefits customers in easy-to-digest visual language (e.g. infographics). Whatever route you choose, if your website is organized around explaining what your product does in a concise and engaging manner, you’ll have made your way through another major hurdle on the path to success.

MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES

Although a great website can often convince someone to buy your product right away, it’s true that even your target user will not necessarily click through and convert to a paying customer. Luckily, you can build your website to clearly direct viewers towards additional marketing campaigns, such as an email newsletter. As such, marketing experts often suggest that companies include numerous lead generation forms throughout their sites.

Do you offer free estimates for your service? Include a form for that. Are you currently offering a free promotion? Make sure potential customers can easily spot the form to sign up for it on the relevant portion of your site.

ESTABLISHING CREDIBILITY

While you may be fully aware of the fact that your past clients have been thrilled with your service, it is safe to assume new customers are unaware of this fact. Fortunately, a great website easily solves this problem for you: All you need is a page which features testimonials.

Your homepage should be the main feature that grabs the attention of a customer and explains to them how you can address a need in their own life. Testimonials from previous clients help to establish your credibility because consumers are more likely to trust their peers than just the brand speaking for itself. This can be a critical ingredient in your recipe to success, getting previously skeptical people to make a purchase.

CREATING A BRAND

There is a universally accepted fact in the business world: Proper branding is key to success. Your company should have a fully-realized identity that customers recognize in the form of visual imagery, language use, and overall attitude.

The right website may be the most powerful tool you have for establishing your brand early, because it allows you to include all of the elements of effective branding. The images you display on the screen, the tone of your content, and the user experience itself will all come together to reflect the values of your company.

Your website is a representation of your unique brand, and as such it is essential to hire experts who work hard to understand what makes your business stand out. They’ll translate what they learn into a website that will set you on the course to success.

Must Know Skills: Backend Developer

Posted on 11/05/202114/05/2021 by Anteelo Master

The backend is the part of a web application that is unrevealed to the user. Unlike front-end, back-end development operations are not very easy and usually turn out to be complicated and manifold; this part is in alignment with the server. Backend operations are a lot different that are controlled by different programming languages like C, C++, Perl, and Ruby. It is a broad field that’s further subcategorized into several levels.

A backend developer usually doesn’t work alone; backend developers usually work in teams of 2 or more people. A team of backend developers contains different specialists that are responsible for their specific discipline. Some are responsible for database management, some work with caching schemes and scripting while some focus on website architecture. Behind every successful website and application, the combined effort of the whole team plays its role. A backend developer’s code bridges the communication between database and browser.

To describe the working of a backend developer in a nutshell, we can say that such a developer mainly focuses on the following:

Web Development Languages
Database and Cache
Server
API (REST & SOAP)

The essential requirement for becoming a backend developer is to have a keen knowledge of at least one server-side programming language.

What is the role of a backend developer?

To understand the skills required to become a backend developer, one needs to analyze what are their responsibilities. Only then we can relate their skills to their roles and responsibilities. The key responsibilities of backend developers are:

They work with front-end developers and provide server-side algorithms of user-facing web application elements. Backend developers code in server-side language to create logic so that web applications function correctly.
Other than coding and creating functional web applications, backend developers also optimize them for increasing response time and efficiency.
They analyze the goals and requirements, handle bugs and errors, and come up with solutions.
They also interact with the database for storing data and ensure that every user has access to what they search.
They also manage APIs that are executed across the devices.
They are also involved in building the architecture of the system.

Backend Developer Skills

To have efficient backend developer skills, one needs to have complete command on the subject. A good developer is aware of every new trend and invention in his domain. He urges to learn and align with all advancements coming his way.

Technology progresses every day. Many innovations are being made, and adapting to modern techniques is imperative to sustaining the game. Luckily in the development domain, a new trend might be complicated in learning, but it is focused on reducing the coding effort. Every new language aims to have minimal syntax, and it is suitable for a developer to invest some time to learn it.

The necessary technical skills required to become a backend developer are:

In-depth knowledge of at least one backend programming language and framework.
Knowledge of front-end technologies, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, so that he can communicate with the front-end team.
He should be capable of managing a hosting environment along with the database administration.
He should be capable of scaling applications to handle the load changes.
He should have enough knowledge of accessibility and security compliance.
It’s good for him to have an experience of version control, such as GIT.
A backend developer is not expected to have command on every programming language. That is not possible for a human to have expertise in each of them. But they are expected to be experts in their opted language.

More Backend Developer Skills to add on the resume

1. Web Development Languages: Back-end developers work simultaneously with front-end developers, setting server rationale to outside components of the web application. So as to execute this rationale, the backend engineer utilizes server-side scripting language. The best programming languages that you must know while talking about backend developer skills are:

Ruby: Ruby is a programming language that is utilized accompanied by Rails. Ruby is to Rails as PHP is to Zend, or as Python is to Django. The sheer class and finesse of the language are what attract the back-end developers towards this language and make it a must-have in your tech stack. It prioritizes conventions rather than configuration, which helps the back-end developers as they don’t have to waste their precious development time in configuring the files to start the development process.
Python: Curated by Guido van Rossum and rolled-out in 1991, Python is an interpreted, cutting-edge, general-purpose programming language. It reduces the need of coding to a very significant level and has high utility because of the presence of third-party modules. The ease of use and extensive libraries offer back-end developers more productivity as compared to other programming languages. Not just for building basic applications like desktop apps, Oss, Business Apps, and web frameworks, but Python is also the best fit for AI and ML-based web development.
PHP: PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is an open-source back-end scripting language used by developers to build web apps and sites. PHP also has a huge assortment of utilitarian modules and a couple of the modules accessible in PHP incorporate Graphics and PDF, among others. One of the greatest advantages of PHP is that it is very easy to learn and use because of its simple syntax. Anyone who is familiar with C language can easily grasp PHP without any difficulty.
Java: Java is an object-oriented, platform-independent, general-purpose programming language that is designed to have negligible implementation reliance. As a result of Java’s power, convenience, cross-stage capacities, and security highlights, it has become the most preferred language among developers.

2. Comprehensive Knowledge of Databases: Become familiar at stacking and recovering data from databases. Though front end developers can associate with databases and interface with them too, server-side development is right now the standard method to control advantaged and extraordinary access to that information, including storage and recovery. Start with great social style databases, and move towards chart databases as your knowledge permits.

3. Connecting to Application Programme Interface (API): Internet browsers aren’t the only entity to interact with web applications. Regularly, an organization will offer a mobile app for iOS or Android alongside its principal site. There are additionally program based applications that principally utilize JavaScript, not server-side rendered HTML (through structures like React, Vue, or Angular). To recover information for the display, these applications require an Application Programmer Interface, or API to associate with.

HTML might be helpful for designing substance in internet browsers, however, there are greatly improved configurations for information that will be utilized by different projects. The two most mainstream positions for API information are JSON, which represents JavaScript Object Notation, and XML, which represents eXtensible Markup Language.

4. Server Handling: Your site needs a database to deal with all the client and product data. A database stores site content in a structure that makes it simple to recover, arrange, alter, and store information. It runs on a remote PC called a server. There is a wide range of databases that are generally utilized, for example, MySQL, Oracle, Postgres SQL, and SQL Server. For server management you can choose any one of these and acquire an expertise on it: Docker, Kubernetes, Nginx, Node.js, New Relic etc.

5. Knowledge of Popular Frameworks: You must have knowledge of the frameworks identified with your preferred language. For example, on the off chance that you go with Java, you would be required to know Spring, Hibernate, and so on. These are well known Java-based frameworks. Additionally, on the off chance that you go for Python, you would be required to know Flask, Django or some other Python-based framework.

Estimated income of a Backend Developer

According to research, and taking the previous year’s figures into consideration, backend developer trends to earn up to $120,798 per year. This figure could vary based on expertise, experience, skills, and is also dependent on the company, country, and other factors. Also, it is worthwhile to note that there’s a vast difference between the pay-scales of backend developers and front-end developers. Front-end developers aren’t paid as much as backend developers. The reason is that front-end work is mostly done with the help of automated tools, while backend development requires much technical expertise.

What is the future of Backend Development?

As of the current market trends, there are no worthy alternatives to backend developers and backend development. So naturally, the future is very bright for such developers. In this digital age, every business is required to have an online presence, and for that, they require high-quality backend development for their websites. Although many clients are not aware of the difference between backend and front-end still, the market cannot survive without backend developers. Despite technology replacing everything with automation, backend developers have a safe future as they are required for the process of developing automated tools.

Summary

The role of backend developers is critical to web development. They are responsible for all the key roles and ensure the deployment of quality products. That is why more and more aspiring web developers are today opting for this career. Such people should have a passion for coding and possess all the required knowledge and skills to become an efficient developer. It is also necessary to have other additional skills, mentioned above, to make your mark in the market.

Setting a PHP Project in Jenkins

Posted on 03/01/202121/05/2021 by Anteelo Master

Continuous Integration (CI) is the process by which a developer makes his/her contribution a part of the whole and ensures that it fits well in the whole, regularly. Using CI, its easy to cross-check all the updates/check-ins into the project automatically with pre-defined validations. Their are number of CI tools available that are either free or very cheap.Most popular CI tools available are Jenkins, Travis CI, Cruise Control, Teamcity etc.After some deliberations and discussion I short-listed Jenkins to use for CI in one of our PHP projects. Here are my experiences for the benefit of any one else trying to accomplish the same.

First time ever when I started evaluating Jenkins, following questions came to my mind:-

A) How to install Jenkins with basic configuration?

B) Plugins used to build a PHP project?

C) How to create a PHP project in Jenkins?

A. Commands used to install Jenkins in Linux:-

yum install -y wget
sudo wget -O /etc/yum.repos.d/jenkins.repo http://pkg.jenkins-ci.org/redhat/jenkins.repo
sudo rpm –import https://jenkins-ci.org/redhat/jenkins-ci.org.key
sudo yum install jenkins
sudo yum install java-1.7.0-openjdk
firewall-cmd –zone=public –add-port=8080/tcp –permanent
firewall-cmd –reload
sudo /etc/init.d/jenkins restart
systemctl restart jenkins.service
Open http://localhost:8080 URL in browser and the below screen will open. It shows Jenkins is installed and running successfully.

B. Their are number of php plugins, the following are the basic ones those can be used:-

PHPUnit : – allows running automated tests on code (required).
PHP_CodeSniffer : analyse our code and detect errors in the coding standards.
PHPLOC : is used to analyse the size and structure of the code.
PHP_Depend : does static code analysis and provide metrics to evaluate the quality of code.
PHPMD : detects problem in the code. For analysis it use s the PHP_Depend analysis data.
PHPCPD : detects the duplicacy or copy/paste instances throughout the code base.
Clover PHP Plugin : used to provide code coverage reports from PHPUnit.
xUnit Plugin : This tools is used to publish the build execution results into Jenkins tool.

C. Set up PHP job into Jenkins:-

Before doing that, we have to check whether Ant installed on our server or not. If not, please install it.

Commands used to install Ant in Linux:

sudo apt-get install ant

Now, what is ANT?

It helps in automating the software build process. It reads and processes a configuration file (contains tasks to be performed), also defines our project’s dependencies. Most used ANT configuration file name is build.xml. I also created the same and added to our project, so that Ant will work during Jenkins build creation process.

PHPUnit Configuration:

We can also configure the PHPUnit XML details into build.xml. So during the build process, the PHPUnit xml configuration also gets processed and the PHP unit test cases will be executed.

After all these set-ups, lets start creating/configuring our first PHP job in Jenkins.

Step 1: Click on “New Item” from the left menu. Enter the Item Name like “testPHPProject” and select “Freestyle project” option and hit the “OK” button.

Step 2: A new project with name “testPHPProject” created and its configuration page opens. Here we need to configure our PHP project.

In below screen, basic details are shown which has to be filled to configure the project. The details are as follows:-

1: In “Source Code Management” section, we have to provide how would Jenkins fetch the code base. For example, from GIT or the File System. Here, I have shown an example using a File System.

2: In “Build Triggers” section, we specify which method should be used for automatic build creation. If we have used GIT as “Source Code Management” tool, then we can choose an option to create build when anything changes in the repository. But in our example, we selected “Build periodically” and added vaue as “0 14 * * *”, which means everyday at 2 PM the build creation process will be started.

3: In “Build” section, a number of “build step” options are provided. Here since we are using Ant for build process, please choose “Invoke Ant” option and provide the absolute path of the Ant configuration file path in “Build File” textbox.

4: Jenkins also provides an option to add multiple “Post-build Actions”. Using this we can add multiple actions like Publish HTML, JAVADoc, Clover PHP coverage report and many others.

Here, I have chosen “Publish Clover PHP Coverage Report”. To publish it we have to provide the Clover XML Location.

Step 3: Click Save. The project will be configured.

Step 4: Click use Build Now option to create our first project build.

PHP Frameworks 2019-2020:Top 10 (Guide & Prediction)

Posted on 27/03/202015/06/2021 by Tushar

In the next 9 minutes you will be reading about the PHP Scripting Language, the Backend Development Trends, Why does Businesses like ours trust PHP, and the Best PHP frameworks that we believe would rule the Backend App Development industry in 2019-2020.

Ready for the ride?

Let’s begin.

A few days back we wrote a similar article on our choice of Frontend Development language – JavaScript and we got a series of emails from mobile app industry enthusiasts requesting us to do a similar article on our favorite Backend Development tool as well.

For those who wish to glance through our JavaScript Guide, head on to – JavaScript Framework Guide & Top 15 JS Frameworks of 2019 {Prediction}

While in there we talked about Frontend development to a great extent, this one is all about the Backend.

Irrespective of how innovative or impeccably designed an app’s Frontend is, for it to work as it is supposed to, the Backend Development process needs to be securely developed in a way that it is maintainable and supports scalability to a great extent.

Now, talking of Backend Development, there are a number of scripting languages that a company can choose from for their process.

PHP, although one of the most used scripting language among businesses for the Backend development of their Web Apps, it is not the only option that they have when it comes to the task.

There are a number of other languages that are constantly evolving to take the share of the PHP attention. While they will take time to surpass the adoption rate of PHP, they are not lacking that behind.

The fact that the market for supporting the development of Backend is expanding to a great extent, is a sign that the process is going to evolve, very soon.

On the note of evolving, here are the Backend Development trends that will soon be seen getting adopted by businesses for better scalability in 2019 and 2020.

Backend Development Trends 2019-2020

1. AMP

The present and the time to come belongs to speed. No matter how impeccable your mobile app is, the speed with which it loads should be within seconds (even microseconds) as well. The importance of having a fast load and result screening speed is so much so that it becomes one of the prime reasons for user abandonment rate.

This is where AMP comes in. AMP is a service used to accelerate the web page loading speed on mobile.

2. PWA

PWA continues to be a trend for not just frontend development but also Mobile App Backend Development. The new form of web app, while very new in the industry has a lot of features to offer to the mobile app development companies.

Having a solid Backend developed for meeting the exact need of Progressive Web App (a mobile app type which is even winning the PWA vs Native App discussion) Development is what 2019-2020 are going to be about.

3. RAIL

An acronym for Response, Animation, Idle, Load – is the new definition of the success of the Backend Development of your mobile app. A definition which will become a must-have feature in all the Backend Development processes in 2019-2020.

Response – Should be under 50ms

Animation – Should Produce a Frame in under 10 ms

Idle – Maximized to load the page again in under 50 ms

Load – Become Interactive in under 5 seconds

Now that we have seen the trends that are going to rule the backend development processes, let us now talk about what we called you in for – About the best PHP Frameworks for App Development.

There are a number of reasons that make PHP as our first choice of the backend development process that we follow here at Anteelo. Here are a few of them –

Database Flexibility

The most convenient part of PHP frameworks are that they can be connected to a number of different databases. While their connection with MySQL is most commonly adopted, they are not restricted to it.

Fast Load Time

PHP codes, unlike ASP, run in its own memory space, which increases the web page loading speed to a great extent – a features that is perfectly aligned with the 2019-2020 backend development trend of AMP.

Greater Platform Diversity

PHP is the one language that is not restricted to website development only. It has also expanded in the mobile domain. Also, the language is used to develop a range of different apps across categories.

Supports CMS, Heavily

Content Management System is the common factor among all the successful web and mobile apps across the globe. While there was a time when HTML used to be the ideal language for CMS development, the baton has now been handed over to PHP.

The fact that PHP is powered to support a number of different features across different platforms, our industry has been witnessing a number of frameworks been launched under the PHP umbrella to make the backend development journey a lot easier.

With more or less 100s of different PHP frameworks to choose from, it can get very difficult for businesses looking to design their tech stack.

Let us now give you an insight into the frameworks that we use for Backend development and the ones that will be adopted to a much greater extent in the world of PHP Framework 2019-2020.

There are a number of factors that leads us to choose these five as the top Best PHP frameworks used for our backend development process –

Flexibility
Cost Effectiveness
Ease of Development
Help with faster speed to market

Without further ado, let us look into each of them in detail –

4. Laravel

The highly expressive framework offers the benefit of web application that aids the development of maintainable codes. Laravel is fit for the development of highly robust web apps. The PHP Framework Laravel comes packed with features that help customize even the complex apps according to the users’ prerequisites.

However good it sounds, the framework does not come sans pros and cons, let us look into some of them –

Laravel Advantages

Easy availability of documentation
Speedy execution of Web Applications
In sync with the modern day expectations from a web apps – Speed, security etc.

Laravel Shortcomings

New framework, doesn’t come bug free
Raises Database query which impacts performance

5. Sympfony

Launched in 2005, Symfony has worked long to establish itself as one of the most reliable, mature PHP frameworks. Over time the framework has established itself as extensive PHP MVC framework for development of robust web applications – the one that abides by the PHP best practices to the tee.

Being an old PHP framework, Symfony also doesn’t come free of pros and cons. Here are some of them –

Symfony Advantages

Developers get the option of selecting own DRM
The components can be integrated to bigger projects such as Drupal
There is higher flexibility when it comes to setting projects.

Symfony Shortcomings

Documentation lacks references
Security mechanism is quite hard to use

6. CodeIgniter

It is an open-source PHP framework, which is known for its small footprint, is used for developing rapid web frameworks, which ultimately helps in the development of the dynamic websites in PHP.

Like all the other frameworks in the backend development industry, CodeIgniter also doesn’t come free of pros and cons. Here are some of them –

CodeIgniter Pros

Comes with simple set up options, which are ideal for the beginners to learn
The documentation is highly illustrated
There are minimal to zero lags

CodeIgniter Cons

Can be difficult to modify codes
There is a lack of default modular code separation.

7. Yii

Although. Like the PHP Framework Laravel, Yii is also a new backend development framework in the industry, the framework doesn’t disappoint developers looking to create a support for the development of complex web apps.

Even though the framework has been well accepted by a number of mobile app builders across the industry, there are some things that the world loved about the framework and some that they are not that big a fan of. Let us look into them –

Yii Advantages

Lightweight Codes
Low Learnability Scale
Greate Security Features

Yii Shortcomings

Presently, lacks the support for creating complex apps
Lack of availability of Yii development experts

8. Zend

It is a complete object oriented framework which makes use of a number of object-oriented features such as interfaces and inheritances, which makes the framework extendable at one point or the other.

Since the framework is highly customizable, it abides by PHP best practices and enables developers to add in functionalities that are specific to their projects.

Here are some of the pros and cons of the Zend framework –

Zend Pros

Extremely well documented
Large community base
Use at will structure which enables mobile app builders to pick and choose the components they need instead of the complete package library
Has PHP MVC Framework components that comes with the power of modularity

Zend Cons

The framework comes with a steep learning curve, which makes it less attractive for the mobile app builders.

Now that you have seen the 5 Best PHP frameworks that we swear upon, let us now look into the other 5 Frameworks that will make/continue to make a mark in the world of PHP Framework 2019-2020.

The Five Best PHP Frameworks That will Continue to make an Impact Backend Development in 2019-2020

1. CakePHP

CakePHP framework makes the process of web app development simple, fast, and less code requiring. The modern PHP7 framework offers access to a flexible database layer and one powerful scaffolding system, which makes it easy to offer PHP best practices and build both – small and complex apps.

Other than being flexible and convenient, there are a number of other factors that comes together to make CakePHP one of the most widely accepted Backend development framework, like – Easy Extension, PHP MVC Framework architecture, and compatibility with a number of different PHP versions, amongst others.

2. Aura

Aura is the UI PHP framework, which is used for the development of dynamic web apps that run on both – desktop and mobile devices, while offering a scalable long-circle lifecycle for supporting the development of apps that are designed for growth.

Aura framework supports the partitioned multi-tier component development process, which helps bridge the server with the client.

3. Phalcon

Unlike the majority of the PHP frameworks, Phalcon is integrated as the web server extension that is written in C and Zephir, with the aim to expedite the execution speed.

The framework also lowers the resource usage, and help handle a greater number of HTTP requests per second when compared with the other frameworks that are written specifically in the PHP language.

4. Slim

The framework that recently released the 3.10.0 version, is a PHP micro framework, which helps with quick development of simple and yet robust APIs web applications. The framework comes with a number of notable features such as – Concentric Middleware, Dependency Injection, HTTP Router, and PSR – 7 HTTP message implementation.

5. Fat-Free

The PHP Micro-Framework is designed to help develop robust and dynamic web applications. The framework is developed with the prime goal of supporting user experience and usability. It adorns features such as a cache engine, URL router, and a support for the development of multilingual applications.

So here were the Ten PHP Frameworks that we believe will continue to be counted as the go to tools for Backend Development. Now the decision of which one of the go with, would have become a lost easier by now, by the exact choice would depend on first your requirement and second the documentation and community support the framework comes attached with.