PHP vs. Python: Which is better for web development in 2021?

Today’s industry is dominated by several interactive websites and mobile apps. Every third out of five firms has a custom-made website and mobile app. Thanks to web and mobile app development companies for creating high-quality, functional apps. Backend development is the most crucial aspect of developing mobile or web apps; it is the backbone or foundation of the development process. Interactive application development begins with a functional backend. Python and PHP are two languages that have acquired remarkable popularity in backend programming and have long been a hot topic of conversation among the developer community and businesses.

These are the most extensively used programming languages, and practically every developer prefers them. The capabilities, functionalities, and other characteristics they supplied in web development contributed to its great appeal. On the other hand, the web development market is brimming with diverse programming languages, but the fight between PHP and Python is always the talk of the town. Both languages have strong positions in terms of market size, history, features, functions, and usage. This robustness makes the decision between Python and PHP for web development a difficult one.

What is PHP

PHP is the programming language of choice for web designers and developers. PHP is an open-source server scripting language that may be used to create user-driven, interactive web pages. It has a lot of remarkable capabilities. PHP is a developer’s language of choice, with an enormous selection of libraries, plugins, and add-ons to enhance functionality and a large community behind it.

It was first known as Personal Home Page when Rasmus Lerdorf created it in 1995. It was dubbed PHP- HyperText PreProcessor after it was developed into a fully functional language. PHP is a complete server-side language with built-in library support, database support, and parsers.

PHP is useful for the backend development of web apps because practically all web browsers support it. Through web development frameworks, developers can also access ready-to-use modules and functions for typical activities, such as a contact form, a search queries tab, or a menu dashboard.

PHP powers almost every website on the internet. It’s a language for managing dynamic content on HTML sites, databases, and session tracking that’s quick, practical, and adaptable. PHP can be used to create whole websites for eCommerce, fintech, and other business behemoths.

Its top features

• Simple, Familiar, and Easy to Learn: It is well-known for its simplicity, familiarity, and ease of use, as its syntax is similar to that of the ‘C’ or Pascal languages. As a result, the language is a well-organized and logical general-purpose programming language.
• PHP is a loosely typed language: It encourages variables without explicitly specifying their data types. As a result, depending on the value assigned to the variable, this is taken care of during execution. The name of the variable can be modified dynamically as well.
• All PHP frameworks are open source: Users don’t have to pay anything and can use them for free. Users can download PHP and begin utilizing it in their projects or applications. Even in businesses, software development costs are lowered, resulting in increased reliability and flexibility.
• MySQL, SQLite, Oracle, Sybase, Informix, and PostgreSQL are among the databases it supports. PHP includes libraries for interacting with web servers and accessing databases. Developers are free to report bugs, check codes, and contribute to code development. PHP is used by many frameworks, including Codeignitor, Zend Framework, and CakePHP.
• Flexibility: PHP is noted for its embedded nature and ability to connect with HTML, XML, Javascript, and other languages. PHP is compatible with various operating systems, including Windows, Unix, Mac OS, Linux, and others. PHP scripts can operate on multiple devices, including laptops, mobile phones, tablets, and computers.
• Error reporting and exceptions: PHP has several errors reporting constants that can produce errors and warnings during runtime. E ERROR, E WARNING, E PARSE, and E STRICT are some examples. Exception handling is a feature of PHP5 that allows you to throw errors that can be caught at any moment.
• Fast and efficient performance: Users appreciate websites that load quickly. For any web construction, speed is a key consideration, which PHP addresses.
• Other scripting languages, such as ASP.NET, PERL, and JSP, are slower than PHP scripts. Compared to previous versions of PHP, the memory manager in PHP 7 is highly efficient and fast. Even connecting to a database and loading data from tables takes less time than with other programming languages. It comes with a built-in module for quick and easy database management. For server administration and mail capabilities, PHP’s rapid speed is useful to users.
• Active community support: PHP has a large number of online community developers who can assist beginners with web-based applications. These people from all across the world contribute a variety of features and new versions of PHP libraries. They even give translations in many languages to assist programmers. There is a collection of open-source libraries from third parties that provide basic functionality. Even the official site’s documentation aids in implementing new features, giving users access to a wide range of creative ideas.
• Support for third-party applications and data encryption: Many of PHP’s primary functions include data encryption options, making it more secure. Users can also use third-party applications to protect their data. PHP additionally offers a summary of the user’s recent logging access in real-time.
• When working on large projects, code maintenance is also an essential part of the web development process: There are a variety of PHP frameworks available, such as MVC (Model View Controller), that makes code development and maintenance easier. The files relating to each module are kept in their folders.
• Object-oriented programming features: PHP supports object-oriented programming features, improving performance and introducing new capabilities such as data encapsulation and inheritance.
• Regular expressions: PHP has parser and pattern matching utilities for regular expressions.

Why Choose PHP

• PHP can run on a variety of operating systems, including macOS, Windows, and Linux.
• PHP is simple to learn and use, and it performs well.
• PHP is compatible with almost all popular servers.
• PHP is open-source, which means you can get it for free from their website.

What is Python

Python is a free, open-source programming language that emphasizes object-oriented programming techniques. It is currently one of the most extensively used languages, with simple high-level grammar. Python’s guiding ideas are “simplify whatever we can” and “simple is better than complex.” According to the Stack Overflow poll 2020, it is one of the most popular and desired languages.

Guido Van Rossum created it in 1991, and it is a top choice for projects involving software development, whether it is product development or application development. Python is trusted by several companies all across the world.

Python, an object-oriented programming language, supplies you with building blocks in the form of objects and classes. Functional, procedural, and aspect-oriented programming paradigms are also used. Python is a scripting language for web browsers that may also be used to create online apps.

Its fast prototyping and update capabilities are aided by its easy learning curve and performance. Python is a very supportive and adaptable language for many new emerging technologies such as data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, thanks to its robust inbuilt library.

Its top features

• Python is a high-level computer language that is simple to code: Python is a straightforward language to learn compared to other programming languages such as C, C#, Javascript, and Java. Python is a relatively simple language to code with, and anyone can learn the basics in a few hours or days. It’s also a language that’s easy to understand for programmers.
• Object-Oriented Language: Object-Oriented programming is a core element of Python. Python supports object-oriented programming and concepts such as classes, encapsulation, and so on. Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) can be created in Python using a package such as PyQt5, PyQt4, wxPython, or Tk. PyQt5 is the most popular Python graphical application framework.
• Python is a programming language with a high level of abstraction: We don’t need to remember the system architecture or manage memory while writing Python apps.
• Python is an extensible programming language: We can convert Python code to C or C++ and compile it in that language.
• Python is a portable language: The Python programming language is also portable. For instance, if we have python code for Windows and want to run it on other platforms like Linux, Unix, or Mac, we don’t need to update it; we can execute it on any platform.
• Python is an integrated language: Python is an integrated language because it can easily be used with other programming languages such as c, c++, and others.
• Python is an Interpreted Language: Because its code is executed one line at a time. Python code does not require compilation, unlike other languages such as C, C++, Java, and others, making it easier to debug. Python’s source code is transformed into bytecode, which is an instantaneous representation of the code.
• Standard Library (Large): Python offers an extensive standard library that includes a significant number of modules and methods, allowing you to avoid writing your code for everything. Regular expressions, unit testing, web browsers, and other packages are all available in Python.
• Python is a dynamically typed language: It means it can be used in a variety of ways. The variable type (for example, int, double, long, etc.) is determined at run time rather than in advance. Thus we don’t have to define the type of variable.

Why Choose Python

• Python’s concise syntax makes it simple to learn and debug.
• Python is a lightweight programming language that can operate on a variety of systems.
• Python comes with built-in libraries that can be utilized right immediately while working on a project.
• Almost all significant public database management systems have a Python interface. This implies that if you know Python, you can easily administer your database.
• You may perform unit testing before deployment with Python’s interactive shell.
• Django and the Tkinter toolkit are two Python frameworks that allow graphical user interfaces.

PHP vs Python Performance Comparison

Is PHP more efficient than Python?

Yes. In terms of speed performance tests, the modifications in the latest version of PHP have propelled it to new heights. When compared to Python, PHP is usually the speedier programming language. The PHP core team has added several functions to help PHP run faster. However, Python does not have as much speed issue because most websites do not demand that much processing power. However, PHP is a solid choice for time-intensive applications.

Read More: Top 75 Programming languages in 2021: Comparison and by type

PHP vs. Python: Which one to choose: Conclusion

To recap, Python and PHP are nearly identical in most respects. Python is superior to PHP in the eyes of others. Python appears to have the upper hand over PHP. Here’s what we think you should do:

Web development with PHP and Python both have advantages. While PHP has traditionally been the go-to language for web development, Python is swiftly catching up.  Python is a secure, versatile, and flexible technology that provides enterprises with many chances for machine learning and data analysis.

So, between Python and PHP, which is the most significant programming language for application development? It’s entirely up to you and your company’s functional requirements.

Python is a fantastic choice if you wish to use machine learning codes or need Unicode support. On the other hand, PHP is the way to go if you’re looking to do web development and server-side scripting. Find out more about our software development services, including Python and PHP programming. Contact ISHIR experts.