CodeIgniter vs Laravel: Which is the Better & Faster PHP Framework

Since its first release in 1995, PHP has come a long way in supporting websites. In fact, it supports over 78% of the sites on the internet at some point.

Hypertext Preprocessor or PHP Framework is a platform that helps in building PHP web applications. It offers a set of code components and provides a foundation and structure for web development. This simplifies and accelerates the process of building dynamic websites.

By using PHP frameworks, developers can easily reduce the amount of original code they need to write from scratch. When we talk about PHP testing software, Laravel and CodeIgniter are the two popular tools that take the center stage.

So, as a website owner, which tool do you prefer? In this article, we will extensively compare CodeIgniter vs Laravel based on performance, features, and more. For example, Laravel is a better option for large and complex projects and CodeIgniter is a go-to tool for small and rapid prototyping. By evaluating such metrics, you can make a wise decision for your next PHP testing task.

What is CodeIgniter?

Just like Laravel, CodeIgniter is also a PHP framework that has a small footprint, and it is built for developing rapid development web frameworks for building dynamic websites. It offers a simple and elegant toolkit to create fully featured web applications.

Features of CodeIgniter:

• Light weight software
• Model-view-structure system
• Data and form validation
• Session management
• Query builder and database support
• Supports both class and hook extensions
• Full page checking and benchmarking

What is Laravel?

Laravel is an open-source and free PHP framework that was launched in 2011 by Taylor Otwell, and since then it has been following MVC (model-view-structure) patterns to design modern-day PHP applications. It provides a set of tools and features that make it easier for developers to build robust and scalable web apps.

Features of Laravel:

• Built-in templates and widgets based on CSS and JS code
• Uses authorization techniques for a better and clean coding
• Eloquent Object Relational Mapper to create queries using PHP syntax instead of SQL code
• Offers a command-line tool called Artisan for automating tasks
• Database migration system using PHP code
• In-built unit testing features
• Pre-installed modular and object-oriented libraries

CodeIgniter vs Laravel: What’s the Difference?

Both CodeIgniter and Laravel differ from each other in terms of philosophy, features, performance, learning curve, use cases etc. Let’s make a head to head comparison between these two PHP testing tools:

CodeIgniter vs Laravel: Philosophy and Approach

Laravel is a feature rich tool which works on MVC pattern, and it emphasizes flexibility and expressiveness. On the other hand, CodeIgniter is a lightweight, modular, and an object-oriented tool.

Laravel vs CodeIgniter: Learning Curve

CodeIgniter offers a shallow learning curve which makes it easy for both beginners and advanced developers to practice and learn its PHP framework. Laravel has a steeper learning curve compared to CodeIgniter and it may take some time for developers to fully understand the app. However, Laravel does offer a vast amount of documentation that can assist users from installation to proper testing.

CodeIgniter vs Laravel: Use Cases

CodeIgniter is an ideal option for small and medium projects, rapid prototyping, and developers familiar with procedural programming. This platform is generally used for SaaS-based applications.

eCommerce applications, on-demand streaming apps, etc. Laravel is suitable for large and complex projects, enterprise applications, and for developers who are familiar with object-oriented programming. It can be used for the following applications:

• Enterprise Apps
• Industry-Specific
• Microservices Architecture Apps
• Banking & Fintech
• Content Management
• High-end Gaming Apps and much more.

Laravel vs CodeIgniter: API Building

Laravel and CodeIgniter handle API building differently. Laravel offers a handy template engine tool called Blade that helps programmers optimize web application performance through enhanced view manipulation.

On the other hand, CodeIgniter doesn’t have its own tool for this, so developers need to use another optimization tool to make their websites look good and run smoothly.

Laravel vs CodeIgniter: HTTPS Routes

When you use Laravel, you can build your own custom HTTP routes and even a separate URL for each route. It automatically adds https:// protocol before the URL and keeps the data transmission safe.

On the other hand, CodeIgniter uses both response and request mechanisms to build HTTP routes. With this platform, developers are required to use a URL helper tool for secure data transmission.

CodeIgniter vs Laravel: Performance

Performance or speed is one of the key metrics to consider when comparing Laravel and CodeIgniter.

Laravel is often used for big and complex projects, and it can be a bit slow at times. You have to do a proper optimization for each project to make it faster. You can also limit the library usage, implement route caching and smart configuration to run it smoothly.

On the contrary, CodeIgniter is lightweight software, and it requires only a few small libraries to run. Moreover, it has a higher execution rate as its performance also depends on project factors like the total number of users. To be precise, it is almost 20% faster than Laravel.

Laravel vs CodeIgniter: Authentication

Laravel offers a built-in authentication class option which makes it handy to implement authorization and authentication in web applications. But, CodeIgniter doesn’t have any built-in authentication features, so developers must write custom extensions for user authentication and authorization.

Laravel vs CodeIgniter: Customer Support

When it comes to support and community, both Laravel and CodeIgniter offer multiple ways to help developers and programmers.

Laravel has a strong support ecosystem through their Official forum, Stack Overflow and Reddit channels. Its community is quite active and collaborative which really helps in knowledge sharing.

CodeIgniter also provides an official forum where programmers can ask and answer questions, seek advice and discuss ideas. Moreover, CodeIgniter is always quick with their documentation, tutorials and blogs to help you get started.

Comparison Table: CodeIgniter vs Laravel

Here’s a quick comparison between CodeIgniter and Laravel in terms of features and other comparison metrics:

Features	Laravel	CodeIgniter
DBMS and other support	Microsoft SQL Server, IBM DB2, ORACLE, MYSQL, PostgreSQL etc.	MySQL, Microsoft BI, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB.
Updates and structure	Follows MVC structure and comes with command line tool Artisan.	Based on MVC model and works on object-oriented programming.
In-built modules	Comes with several built-in modulatory features	No built-in modulatory features
RESTful API support	Built in RESTful controllers for assortment manufacturing	Does not facilitate streamlined development of REST APIs
Programming models	Component Oriented	Object-Oriented & Event Driven
Template language	Template Engine named Blade	PHP proprietary
Availability	Free and open source	Free and open source

Why Choose CodeIgniter?

• Active community support for immediate answers
• Clear and structured documentation
• Enhanced stability and reliability
• Simple routing method for URL configuration
• Caching for improved performance

Why Choose Laravel?

• Eloquent ORM for expressive database interaction
• Support for various DBMS platforms
• Blade Templating Engine for UI development
• Artisan Command Line Interface for task automation
• Advanced query builder for DB object constraints
• Auto-loading feature for streamlined development

Conclusion: Which is the Better PHP Framework?

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