Laravel: The Easiest Framework for Developing User Friendly Web Applications than any other PHP Framework

Posted by. Disrupt Tech. June 16, 2021

Among all the programming languages, does PHP feel tougher? In reality, new programmers sometimes feel confused, often very angry as they can’t work with the language without tons of bugs almost every time, regardless of which language they are using. So if you feel the same, then you are definitely not alone.

However, ter putting hours of effort into building something from scratch, how would you feel if the outcome wasn’t smooth? Have you ever lost interest in any website just because it took more time to load? Maybe because the website is not very user friendly & interactive?

Laravel can be your solution to this big problem. It is easy to use yet it helps you to build the most user friendly web applications.

Why You Must Choose The Right Framework Before Developing:

Why should you use a framework? Using a framework helps you to speed up the development process by utilizing the built-in tools to standardize web applications. This results in a smooth transition from development to the production phase.

It is important for you to choose the right framework so you can make your web application lighter. Unless your web application can lose the attraction of the visitors. Lengthy loading time can result in churn. Visitors may leave your app or site even before getting attached.

This is where Laravel comes in to help you out of the trouble!

What is Laravel?

Laravel is an open-source PHP framework used for developing modern PHP applications. By providing you necessary tools & resources, Laravel reduces the pain of using PHP language. It uses elegant & expressive syntaxes that helps you to start your project with confidence while it takes care of detailing your code.

You can use powerful tools like ORM (Object Relational Mapper) called Eloquent. Laravel also has a built-in database creation & migration system for seeders. To speed up the development process, it has a command-line tool ‘Artisan CLI’.

Alternative to Laravel:

PHP framework alternatives like Symphony, NodeJS, Codelgniter, G2 Storefront, Angular, and CakePHP are competing in the same industry as Laravel. There are some significant differences, why Laravel increases the interest of developers over time. A study by Google Trend shows why Laravel has become more popular within the last 5 years than any other PHP framework platform over time among the developers.

Symphony vs Laravel:

Alternative frameworks like Symphony, Django, and NodeJS take more coding, financial resources & time during the development phase.

Laravel helps to;

1. Save you time & effort as it does not require you to do repetitive work.
2. Automate functions like authentication, queuing, sessions, caching, & routing.

Top competitors like Symphony are good for developing very large web applications. But an application developed using symphony takes more time to load than Laravel.

NodeJS vs Laravel:

NodeJS is another strong Laravel competitor. Hundreds of thousands of developers have been using it. It is good for the entertainment, art & telecom industries. NodeJS has a superior package manager.

But it requires asynchronous programming effort, not often easily grasped by new developers. If your computer has a lower Central Processing Unit(CPU), you will face trouble launching NodeJS, let alone developing apps using it.

Laravel integrates better with the front-end view library. NodeJS does not have such features. New developers can easily utilize the tools of Laravel as it offers basic layouts with specific sections. The good thing about both of them is that both are open sourced, thus free to use.

Codelgniter vs Laravel:

Codelgniter is also considered an open source Laravel competitor with similar tools. It has a large community of developers who helps to support & provide answers when problems arise. Just like Laravel, Codelgniter allows you to cache websites resulting in reduced loading time. The documentation process is considered to be as efficient as Laravel.

The best features of Laravel:

Laravel is considered the artisan for web developers. Because of its ease of use & large pool of features to utilize.

1. MVC Architecture for extraordinary performance

Laravel is developed with Model View Controller (MVC) architecture, extremely effective for small, medium & moderately large businesses. For large projects, you can use 5 or more files simultaneously at once for improved performance.

2. Numerous Front-end Template engines

Laravel comes with a Blade Templating Engine. The template engine connects the data model to the source templates, processes the code, and routes the output to a designated text file or stream.

Blade Templates never restricts your choice of using plain PHP codes into the framework. Which means, Blade adds absolutely no overhead to your application.

3. Outstanding CLI to make your life easy

Laravel framework has a built-in Command Line Interface (CLI) tool. This will help you to import, distribute, and work in a synchronous environment. Multiple programmers can work together. Which will result in faster delivery of work.

4. Real-time App testing ability

Laravel automates the process of app testing using PHPunit. It automatically converts your file into phpunit.xml allowing you to test your unit in real-time.

5. Laravel for Branding

Laravel framework is your best option compared to others when it comes to branding. You can control the process outcome. So in the real world, your application will be more user friendly.

A few lackings of Laravel you should consider:

Let’s admit, none of us are perfect. Great writer Leo Tolstoy once said, “If you look for perfection you will never be content”. Regardless of the wonderful features, Laravel has some flaws that you should consider.

Slower Development

Some of the competitors have higher development rates. Laravel is an effective framework for Small to Mid-level projects. But for very large projects, some of the competitive platforms like Symphony & NodeJS are more effective.

Composer Is Not Strong Enough

In comparison with Ruby Gems, Symphony, & Pip for Python, Laravel has a slower rate of composing as it is a new platform in contrast to them.

Upgrading From One Version to Another Can be Problematic

Laravel version 4 to 5 didn’t have a smooth transition. After upgrading from generation 4 to 5, some developers faced application break down. However, the current version 8 has solved those problems. As the platform has got more traction, current versions do not have such problems.

Which Framework Should Be the Final Choice for You?

If you want to develop a small to medium sized web-application, Laravel can be a great choice for its ease of use. Yet very effective in generating user friendly applications. According to a study by Google, 57% of the visitors leave sites that take more than 3 seconds to load. By configuring your code on Laravel, you can optimize your site up to 5 times faster.

You can optimize using;

• Config Caching
• Routes Caching
• Removing Unused Service
• Classmap Optimization
• Composer Optimize Autoload
• JIT Optimization

Such facilities will help you to attract your visitors with faster website loading time & user friendly user interface(UI).

Now it is your turn to choose what would be right for you. Make sure your user does not get away just because you took more than 3 seconds to welcome them!