In the realm of web development, PHP stands as one of the most prevalent programming languages, and within this landscape, Laravel shines as a superior PHP web framework. The success of Laravel is attributed to its robust capabilities and development tools, empowering developers to create web applications swiftly. According to W3Tech, a staggering 78.9% of websites with known tech stacks rely on PHP as their server language, signifying that PHP plays a pivotal role in powering 8 out of every 10 websites you visit daily.
Laravel: A Top Choice in PHP Frameworks
Laravel, in particular, has gained prominence among PHP frameworks. Its elegant syntax and reliability have endeared it to enterprises, making it a favored choice. Notably, many renowned companies have embraced Laravel due to its adaptability and streamlining capabilities. Consequently, top PHP web development companies are increasingly adopting the Laravel framework. However, the decision to choose Laravel isn’t always immediate for everyone. In this article, we’ll elucidate why Laravel web development stands out as the optimal choice for your website.
What is the Laravel Framework?
Laravel, a PHP framework crafted by Taylor Otwell, draws its foundations from Symfony and adheres to the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture. As an open-source web application framework, Laravel leverages components from various frameworks, resulting in pragmatic and structured applications.
Laravel’s versatility and efficiency are evident in its widespread adoption, powering over 20 million websites globally. Its prowess is attributed to user-friendly features such as data collection and data movement, accommodating developers across various programming languages and project sizes.
History of Laravel Framework
Originating as a replacement for CodeIgniter, an older PHP framework, Laravel was conceived to address CodeIgniter’s limitations, such as the absence of built-in customer authentication and proper user authorization. Laravel 1 saw its debut in June 2011, with subsequent versions culminating in Laravel 10, the most recent iteration as of 2023.
The journey of Laravel since its inception has been one of continuous advancement. Regular updates and the introduction of new features have solidified its reputation as a preferred choice for PHP web application development, marking it as an actively developed and supported framework.
Features of Laravel Framework
Template Engine
Laravel empowers developers to craft visually appealing layouts with dynamic content seeding through lightweight templates. Moreover, it provides robust widget support, incorporating CSS and JS Node for creating both simple and complex layouts with distinct sections.
MVC Architecture Support
Laravel embraces the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture pattern, segregating business logic and presentation layers. This MVC pattern enhances application performance, security, and scalability by integrating numerous built-in functions.
Eloquent Object Relational Mapping
Eloquent Object Relational Mapping (ORM), an integral part of Laravel, offers a straightforward PHP Active Record implementation. It enables developers to write database queries using PHP syntax, bypassing the need for SQL code, resulting in significantly faster operations compared to other PHP frameworks.
Security
Laravel places a strong emphasis on web application security. It employs techniques like hashed and salted password storage to safeguard user credentials, using the “Bcrypt Hashing Algorithm” for password encryption. Additionally, prepared SQL statements are utilized to fend off SQL injection threats.
Artisan
The Laravel framework provides an in-built command-line tool, Artisan, which automates repetitive programming tasks. Artisan simplifies database management, structure creation, and migration, making it a powerful tool for asset management and MVC file generation via the command line.
Libraries and Modularity
Distinguishing itself from competing PHP frameworks, Laravel comes with pre-installed Object-Oriented and Modular libraries. Developers can easily create authentication libraries with features like user activity tracking, Bcrypt hashing, password resets, CSRF protection, and encryption. This modular organization simplifies the development of responsive and modular web applications, adhering to contemporary PHP concepts.
Data Migration
Laravel’s built-in migration system empowers developers to modify the database structure using PHP code. Migration and remigration can be carried out seamlessly, eliminating the need for manual data migration and minimizing the risk of data loss.
Composer
Composer, an open-source PHP dependency management solution, facilitates the distribution and maintenance of PHP packages as separate application components, streamlining development.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Laravel
Advantages of Laravel
- Preinstalled library components.
- Seamless deployment on major cloud service providers like AWS.
- High levels of reliability and scalability.
- In-built authentication and security features.
- Powerful Blade templating engine.
- Code reusability through package editing.
- User-friendly and well-documented with robust community support.
Disadvantages of Laravel
- Performance may lag compared to specialized frameworks.
- Limited security protections, though PHP vulnerabilities are inherent.
- Challenges when upgrading versions.
- Lack of native payment support, relying on framework libraries.
Businesses That Benefit From Laravel Framework
Laravel proves advantageous for various businesses:
Startups: Rapid development capabilities make Laravel a preferred choice for startups. Built-in features such as authentication and routing enable core functionality development without extensive custom coding.
Enterprise Applications: Industries like banking systems, entertainment, healthcare, and eCommerce, which require complex data processing and structures, benefit from Laravel. Tasks like queue systems and event broadcasting are handled efficiently, with service containers simplifying resource management.
10 Reasons Why Laravel is the Best PHP Framework
- Efficient Database Migration: Laravel streamlines database migration with automation, ensuring data preservation and minimal development data loss.
- Security: Laravel prioritizes application security with features like password hashing, automated token generation, and prepared SQL queries, fortifying against unauthorized access and injection attacks.
- Artisan Command: The built-in Artisan command-line interface automates programming tasks, covering database management, code generation, and asset handling.
- Blade Template Engine: Laravel’s Blade templating engine simplifies layout creation, offering dynamic content seeding and flexibility.
- Object-Oriented Libraries: Pre-installed libraries empower developers to create modular, responsive web applications with ease.
- MVC Architecture: Laravel’s MVC implementation enhances scalability, documentation, and performance in web app development.
- Automated and Unit Testing: Laravel supports unit and automation testing, ensuring error-free web applications with optimized code.
- Large Community Support: The Laravel community provides extensive support, tutorials, and expert advice, fostering a collaborative environment.
- Eloquent ORM: Laravel’s ORM tool simplifies database access with a PHP-based syntax, reducing the need for complex SQL code.
- Enhanced Authorization: Laravel facilitates authorization logic and resource access control, streamlining code validation during development.
Conclusion
Laravel stands out as an adaptable and powerful PHP framework, equipped with a plethora of features and extensive GitHub repositories. Its scalability and ability to handle increased traffic make it an ideal choice for high-performing web applications. With a vibrant community and robust documentation, Laravel caters to enterprises of all sizes, offering a multitude of advantages in the world of web development.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Laravel and why is it used?: Laravel is an open-source PHP framework known for its user-friendly design, enabling the rapid development of extensible PHP-based websites and web applications.
- Is Laravel suitable for enterprise applications?: Yes, Laravel’s flexibility and robustness make it suitable for customizing enterprise applications to meet specific requirements.
- Is Laravel the best PHP framework?: Laravel is a well-suited framework for building PHP-based web applications with effective solutions, offering a wide array of resources and tools.
- Is Laravel frontend or backend?: Laravel is primarily a backend framework, but developers can build frontend components using PHP or JavaScript frameworks like Vue or React.
- Which is the latest version of Laravel in 2023?: As of 2023, Laravel 10 is the latest version of the Laravel Framework, released on February 7, 2023.
- Is Laravel safer than PHP?: Laravel offers enhanced security compared to core PHP, featuring libraries with secure code, an authentication system, and protection against cross-site scripting and SQL injections.
- How to secure Laravel website authentication?: Laravel offers solutions for secure authentication, including password hashing, token generation, and prepared SQL queries, to ensure robust security.
- Is Laravel good for big projects?: Yes, Laravel’s scalability and flexibility make it an excellent choice for handling large-scale projects.