Over the years, PHP frameworks have gained immense popularity and become a preferred choice for numerous web development projects. And, these frameworks make web development convenient and faster. Amongst them, Laravel and CodeIgniter are the most widely used PHP frameworks. To check the suitability of these frameworks for your project, you need a proper comparison between Laravel vs. CodeIgniter.
This blog will compare Laravel vs. CodeIgniter to find out which one is more suitable for your web development project. Here is a quick brief about both the PHP frameworks.
What is Laravel?
The Laravel Framework is an MVC-based PHP framework that is mostly used to create web-based applications. Also, it is widely used to create websites with MVC (model-view-controller) patterns. The choice of Laravel website development can simplify most project tasks during the development process, saving time and effort.
As a modern web development framework, Laravel is highly expressive, as well as fast and secure. If you want to develop B2B or enterprise websites that will grow with changing web trends, Laravel is the way to go.
What is CodeIgniter?
It’s a lightweight framework known for its small footprint and ease of installation with minimal configuration requirements. Further, CodeIgniter allows you to build dynamic websites since it provides prebuilt modules that are reusable along with reusable components.
Moreover, it provides a simple interface for detecting errors simplifying the entire error-handling process thus providing bug-free web solutions.
Also read: Essential Tips For Selecting The Right PHP Framework
Use cases of Laravel and CodeIgniter PHP frameworks
Laravel and CodeIgniter are popular PHP frameworks and have many use cases. They are also used to develop a wide variety of web development solutions. For example, if you consider PHP website development services, Laravel and CodeIgniter are the go-to frameworks for creating robust solutions. Now, the following are some web development solutions that you can develop using these PHP frameworks.
1. Web Applications
Choosing Laravel or CodeIgniter for web application development can be beneficial because they support MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture that separates the user interface from business logic. As a result, it helps divide and organize web application logic into large-scale web applications. Besides this, it helps in a faster development process. Laravel and CodeIgniter are suitable for developing numerous web apps.
2. Websites
Laravel and CodeIgniter works inherently on PHP, which has been used for developing a wide range of websites for a long time. Also, these frameworks are used to create websites like booking platforms, forums, blogs, etc. Hence, CodeIgniter and Laravel fit various website development needs with suitable architecture and robust security options. Thus, you can rely on Laravel or CodeIgniter development for creating a myriad of websites.
3. Content Management Systems (CMS)
A CMS is a comprehensive system with features for managing, publishing, and modifying content on a website. CodeIgniter and Laravel are based on PHP, so they are the best fit for creating content management systems. And, these frameworks are laced with functionality like form and data validation, session management, MVC architecture support, libraries, modules, etc., that help in CMS development.
4. Web Portals
A web portal is a special kind of website that serves as a single point for accessing information. Further, CodeIgniter and Laravel have the features to develop customized web portals based on the specific needs of a business or organization. So, they are useful for web portal development for diverse business needs.
5. eCommerce Websites
Laravel and CodeIgniter PHP frameworks facilitate the creation of B2B and B2C eCommerce websites. These PHP frameworks are secure, reliable, and fast for creating robust eCommerce web development solutions. Both these frameworks help develop eCommerce websites from scratch.
Let’s check out the top 7 comparative points between Laravel vs. CodeIgniter.
Laravel vs. CodeIgniter: A Comprehensive Comparison
1. Speed and Performance
The performance of the website or web application developed using Laravel can be slow. According to its community, it is possible to improve it if appropriately optimized, as it may allow applications to function efficiently even under 20ms. Using a cache tag, websites or web applications can load pre-stored information quickly, enabling a faster response time and improved performance.
Web development solutions developed through the CodeIgniter PHP framework were run through a functional test to determine their performance. Based on the number of users, a few projects have demonstrated different response times. For instance- the average response time to load a web app or website with 100 users was 11.5 seconds; with 500 users, it was 45.6 seconds, and for 110 users, it was 26.0 seconds.
Therefore, it can be clearly said with CodeIgniter development; you can develop scalable and robust websites or web applications.
2. Architecture
MVC architectural support of filing is a reason Laravel is a sought-after PHP framework. Further. the MVC architectural pattern, in the first place, divides logic and presentation through the use of the Controller. As a result, it improves the development process by providing an efficient method. Also, it helps in adding a variety of functionalities and building appealing and interactive websites or web applications. It makes Laravel development services a preferred choice for web development.
CodeIgniter uses the Model View Controller model for development architecture. It enables web pages to integrate minimal scripting and test-built modules. Its test-driven development approach saves time, enhances productivity, and allows incorporation with JavaScript frameworks.
3. Scalability
Laravel-based web development solutions are easy to scale without any limitations. And, it has gained scalability with PHP and offers strong support for fast-growing businesses. With Laravel, you can accomplish massive horizontal scaling by selecting a good database and load balancer. Websites or web apps created using Laravel can be scaled as per project needs by utilizing AWS, MySQL, and advanced caching methods.
CodeIgniter framework is lightweight, making it suitable for developing highly scalable websites or web applications. It only loads the content that is necessary; therefore, it does not involve real overhead or conventions. Moreover, scalability is achievable by caching modifications without disturbing the performance.
4. Ease of Testing
Laravel is a PHP framework that offers various testing tools to develop bug-free applications. However, due to the availability of numerous tools and resources, it becomes challenging to select one. Laravel testing can be done on two different levels, i.e., Unit tests and Feature tests hence making the testing process more comfortable.
CodeIgniter offers a convenient unit-testing that allows seamless testing for websites. An evaluation function and two result functions help CodeIgniter development services in the easy evaluation of websites or web apps for accurate results without performing a full-blown test. They function by initializing classes, generating reports, and offering customized templates to show tests.
5. Database Support
Currently, Laravel supports four databases: MySQL, Postgres, SQLite, and SQL. The process of interacting with these databases becomes easier due to fluent query builder, Eloquent ORM, and raw SQL. With Laravel, even establishing database connection configuration is more comfortable.
CodeIgniter supports a full-featured, high-speed abstracted database class that helps traditional structures and Query Builder patterns. It is the preferred choice amongst developers globally due to its straightforward syntax. MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite3, MSSQL are drivers through which you can access the databases.
Read more: CodeIgniter Vs. CakePHP Vs. Laravel: Which One is Best for you?
6. Suitable for microservices
Laravel is compatible with microservices architecture. How does it do it? Web apps or websites built on Laravel have modularly split into small building blocks, each with its function and responsibility. Through language-agnostic APIs, these functions communicate with each other, enabling a web app or website to function as a microservice.
CodeIgniter allows you to leverage PHP’s full-stack tools to develop efficient and robust microservices. Microservice architecture works best with CodeIgniter 3 for a test-driven web app or website, filling gaps in your architecture. It also streamlines code and develops an infrastructure to manage and add data for optimal automated results. As a result, you receive maximum scalability, database support, and performance.
7. Community Support
Laravel has a vast community. Hence it offers robust support for the framework and encourages faster development. The community contributes to the framework to keep it up to date and integrate modern functionalities.
There is also a vibrant CodeIgniter community that shares ideas to solve various queries. The CodeIgniter community continuously works on it to make it a competitive PHP framework. It provides ease of use in 2.x. However, the community of CodeIgniter is comparatively smaller than Laravel because it’s not that much popular. So, the level of support you get with Laravel isn’t available with CodeIgniter.
When to Choose Which Framework?
The decision regarding the PHP framework depends upon the kind of website or web application you want to develop.
Select Laravel in the following cases:
- You want to develop an interactive website or web app layout with engaging content.
- Your project requirement is to create a web app or website faster with object-oriented libraries.
- You aim to build an SEO-friendly and reliable website or web application with high security.
- Using the Blade Template Engine of Laravel, you intend to create a high-end website or web application without adding overhead components or extra costs.
- To develop customized web apps or websites, you want to benefit from numerous widgets with JS and CSS compatibility.
Select CodeIgniter in the following case:
- A lightweight custom web application or website.
- You want to develop a web app or website with elegant interfaces.
- A robust framework with striking features.
- A PHP framework with a high level of security.
- You want to create a web application or website quickly with less code.
Concluding Thoughts!!
Laravel and CodeIgniter are robust PHP frameworks in some or other aspects. Further, Laravel offers benefits through its strong architecture that makes customization of backend logic easier. At the same time, CodeIgniter provides ease of testing and helps in creating highly scalable websites and web applications.
From the above comparison, we can say that both have their pros and cons, but the final decision depends on project needs and goals. Nevertheless, you can seek assistance from an experienced PHP web development company. It would build a competitive website or web application using Laravel or CodeIgniter that best matches your project requirements.
