Laravel vs CodeIgniter: Choosing the Best PHP Framework

Over the years, PHP has been a popular framework. It comes with a lot more flexibility in terms of a structured coding pattern, with scope for applications that we deliver to perform better.  There are a lot more successful PHP frameworks available in the market, like CakePHP, Zend, Yii, and Symfony. Each of these is well established in the industry.

The developers love to use it for its features that help to create functional and rich custom solutions for the industry. But two prominent PHP frameworks have become very popular i.e Laravel and Codeigniter. Both have emerged through the years to become the best framework. Then might the question arise that why consider Laravel over the others, or over CodeIgniter?

Let’s make a close examination between Laravel vs CodeIgniter without wasting any more time.

First will walk through Google Trends to see what they say about  Laravel vs CodeIgniter:

Laravel

Laravel was developed by Taylor Otwell in June 2011, and it is an open-source PHP web framework. You can develop custom web applications by using the model-view-controller (MVC) architectural patterns. It comes with chic and expressive syntax. Some tasks that come across ordinarily in web projects are sessions, routing, caching, and authentication. It materializes with high security that helps Laravel development to take quick actions in case of any security breach. It is used for the backend side of web development.

Traits of Laravel

• Template Engine.
• MVC Architecture Support.
• Eloquent ORM (Object Relational Mapping).
• Security.
• Artisan.
• Libraries & Modular.
• Database Migration System.
• Unit-Testing.

CodeIgniter

CodeIgniter was developed by the British Columbia Institute of Technology on 28 February 2006. and the original author is EllisLab, a software development company. It is also a PHP-based framework and uses a model-view-controller (MVC) that doesn’t completely depend on the MVC pattern but allows integration with third-party plugins. It offers enormous security and encryption features. It is built for developers who love to work with smooth and chic toolkits.

Traits of CodeIgniter

• Model-View-Controller Based System.
• Extremely Light Weight.
• Query Builder Database Support.
• Form and Data Validation.
• Security and XSS Filtering.
• Session Management.
• Email Sending Class.
• Error Logging

Laravel Vs CodeIgniter: A difficult choice!

Architecture & Structure

• Both use MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture.
• Laravel includes Artisan, a powerful command-line tool.
• Built using Object-Oriented Programming (OOP).

Database Model

• Laravel: Uses Eloquent ORM for database operations (Object-Relational Mapping).
• CodeIgniter: Uses a simpler, more manual approach to database interaction.

Template Engine

• Laravel: Uses Blade, a built-in and powerful templating engine.
• CodeIgniter: Uses plain PHP or third-party template engines.

API Development

• Laravel: Provides easy support for RESTful API development using controllers.
• CodeIgniter: No built-in support; APIs must be manually configured.

HTTP & HTTPS Support

• Laravel: Full support for custom HTTP/HTTPS routes and secure data transmission.
• CodeIgniter: Limited HTTPS support; requires custom configurations.

Authentication

• Laravel: Comes with built-in authentication and authorization features.
• CodeIgniter: No built-in authentication; developers need to create it manually.

Community Support

Laravel:

Stack Overflow: ~96.7k questions

GitHub Stars: ~45.5k

CodeIgniter:

Stack Overflow: ~606k questions

GitHub Stars: ~16.5k

Learning Curve

• Laravel: Rich features, but steeper learning curve for beginners.
• CodeIgniter: Easier for beginners to learn and get started.

Wrapping it up

Laravel and CodeIgniter are two of the prominent PHP frameworks that you can use for your web application development. The main difference between CodeIgniter and Laravel is that CodeIgniter allows creating and maintaining modules using Modular Extension, while Laravel provides built-in modularity features. However, it entirely depends on your project which one you should prefer. Whether you need expert Laravel development services or need assistance deploying an eCommerce website using Laravel, Zend, CodeIgniter, CodeClouds, and many more,e we have the expertise you need all at an affordable rate. Just drop a line, and we will be back within 24 hours.