Laravel vs Codeigniter: Which Framework Is Better for Business

Over the years, it has become even more critical to choose a PHP framework that helps developers create custom solutions for businesses. There are so many out there today. But we’ll focus on only the top two that stand out.

As application development becomes a priority for businesses, teams are developing software faster than ever to meet consumer needs. Front-end development frameworks make that possible. This is where logic, layout, and applications are developed.

While it seems like a difficult task, experienced developers will understand what fits best since they have worked on a variety of frameworks.

However, in recent times, the PHP framework has become the preferred choice for developers working on web applications for enterprises. Today, there are plenty of frameworks available for you to choose from. But Laravel and CodeIgniter particularly stand out.

Before you make a decision about which one suits your business best, let’s help you understand both frameworks as we compare Laravel and CodeIgniter.

Taking You through the Basics of Laravel and CodeIgniter

What is Laravel?

It is an open-source PHP framework that easily helps you develop web applications. The model-view-controller is used here is based on Symfony. Github is where the source code is hosted and licensed under MIT license. It is a reliable framework that is accurate and follows expressive language guidelines.

Various development tasks like authenticating, routing, caching, and sessions leverage Laravel to save on time and resources. Let’s have a look at some of the dynamic features of Laravel:

Features of Laravel Framework

• Easy assimilation with third-party libraries
• Supreme quality session control
• Modular packaging
• Inbuilt caching mechanism
• Improved OI
• Dependency manager entirely composer-based
• Query builder performs as prospective ORM substitute
• Built-in authentication tool
• Easy to use blade templating engine

Why Choose Laravel?

This is a critical question that developers ask themselves. That’s why we’ve listed the top reasons to help you make a wise decision.

1. It contains an autoloading feature and does not require any human intervention
2. It contains modular packaging with a composer-based dependency manager
3. It supports database management system (DBSM) platforms like MySQL, SQL Server, and PostgreSQL
4. It has a version control system that streamlines migrations
5. It offers a lot of space for documentation
6. It helps with artisan command language and sample codes line interface
7. It produces many novel tools with the help of the LOC container
8. Many enterprises leverage Laravel for its array of features
9. It fast tracks the Eloquent ORM
10. It lets you set the controls between different DBM matters in a progressive query builder authentication mechanism

Companies that Use Laravel

For Laravel development, you have several benefits. Since it’s so popular today, large enterprises leverage Laravel as part of their technology stack. Many well-known websites like Pfizer, BBC, 9GAG, TourRadar, Crowdcube and have trusted Laravel.

What is CodeIgniter Framework?

It is one of the top PHP frameworks that has been popular among developers. They turn to this tool for its simplicity and elegance to create full-featured web apps. It’s one of the best on the market that helps you generate dynamic websites.

It gives consumers complete freedom so that they don’t depend on the MVC development pattern. One thing that stands out about CodeIgniter is its third-party plugins that help with complex functionalities. Additionally, it has excellent data encryption procedures and security.

Features of CodeIgniter Framework

CodeIgniter has made a mark in the world of software development. The CodeIgniter usage statistics stand testimony to this claim. Here’s a look at the features of this framework:

1. Hooks and class extensions
2. File uploading class
3. Error logging
4. Authentication of data and forms
5. Presents session management
6. Library with image manipulation curriculums
7. Easy and simple MVC framework utilization for developers
8. Search engine-friendly URL
9. Inbuilt class support for email communication
10. Encrypted data
11. XSS filtering and higher security levels
12. Delivers calendar class, unit testing and template engines

Why Choose CodeIgniter?

Just like Laravel, it’s important to understand why it’s best for your business. Here are some key reasons to help you decide if it suits your needs:

1. It has a clear and well-structured framework. Also, the documentation is a seamless process
2. CodeIgniter provides the best stability and support
3. With site caching, you can benefit from better performance and faster loading times
4. The routing method is also easy
5. It has huge community support where all questions related to the framework will be answered

Companies that Use CodeIgniter

CodeIgniter is very popular among PHP web engineers today. It’s one of the best open-source frameworks that help you with robust web app development. Any business that developers their web app with CodeIgniter will be surprised by its swiftness and effectiveness.

Pros and Cons of Laravel and CodeIgniter

Pros of Laravel

• Pre-Packaged Tools: Helps accelerate common tasks by providing ready packages for APIs, user authentication and testing.
• Templating System: Blade is the templating system that helps you create complex web app layouts and helps you easily format data.
• Automation with Artisan CLI: Automates repetitive tasks for applications. It generates modern boilerplate codes to manage migration, databases and apply custom commands easily.

Cons of Laravel

• Lightweight: While being lightweight is usually an advantage, it isn’t in the case of this framework. This is because it creates extreme backend congestion of database queries. Eventually, the performance takes a major hit.
• Library Quality: While it’s open-source, it also increases less trustworthy third-party libraries.
• Community: Since Laravel has a huge community, the third-party libraries built and published are large. As a result, it becomes a challenge to understand which library is quality certified and reliable.

Pros of CodeIgniter

• Security: With customization options, you can bolster your app from any threats. The framework allows you to build security protocols that suit your business needs.
• Modularity: In collaboration with Expression Engine, it helps developers with built-in user authentication and easy transition to modular apps. With Express Engine, you can access ready-to-use platforms.
• User-Friendly Interface: Whether it’s a fully dynamic or responsive app that you are building, CodeIgniter powers your web app with enhanced UI.

Cons of CodeIgniter

• Unstable Code Maintainability: Developers need to spend a considerable amount of time to modify, update and maintain the code.
• Exhaustive Libraries: As opposed to newer PHP frameworks, this one has exhaustive libraries.
• Negligent Growth: Growth and development are stagnant. Since there are no updates, the versions go out of sync.

Summing Up

Laravel and CodeIgniter are both great PHP frameworks and both work well in helping you build your desired web app. However, Laravel development might require more technical skills when compared with CodeIgniter. However, if you do decide to put your team through training, you can benefit from additional features that help develop a great website. On the other hand, CodeIgniter is great for small-sized projects that don’t require too many features. Also, it’s much easier to use. So, choose wisely.