1. Laravel
Released in 2011, it’s the most popular framework for PHP at present. Since its inception, it has become a mature framework that has hundreds of contributors as well as millions of installations. Based on the MVC architecture, it uses its own templating language, namely, Blade which makes creating HTML layouts easy. Not every PHP developer can develop web apps in the Laravel framework. Some special skills are required to create web apps in Laravel. What makes it stand out is the massive applications, features, and packages, which make for easier and faster development.
2. Symfony
A mature framework that has revolutionized PHP development. Besides being a framework, it also offers a set of reusable components, which could be directly used in any PHP project. The components are used in countless open-source tools, which include Laravel. The framework is maintained and supported by SensioLabs and has one hundred contributors with a vibrant developer community.
3. Phalcon
This framework is actually not written in PHP but is delivered as an extension of it written in C. Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean that you have to write C yourself. It is, however, extremely fast because it’s written and directly compiled from C. It could handle more requests every second than any other framework by a huge margin.
Phalcon, along with its blazing-fast performance, offers numerous features, including caching, ORM, templating, and security. It’s highly recommended when high performance is a top priority, thus, it’s used by a lot of big organizations.
4. CodeIgniter
An MVC framework that’s PHP-based. It helps developers create new projects fast. One wonderful thing about CodeIgniter is that it’s not restrictive and could be used just a loke a toolkit, which hastens development. The majority of PHP frameworks require following the MVC approach, and while CodeIgniter encourages the use of the MVC pattern as well, it does not enforce it.
It offers support for multiple databases, routing, caching, and other features prevalent in modern web apps. Moreover, it’s used by big and small organizations alike for creating lightweight web apps and APIs.
5. Yii
Yii is an open-source framework used to build applications on top of PHP. Based on the MVC and OOP patterns, it adds less overhead by mostly focusing on core functionality. Furthermore, because it’s significantly faster than other PHP frameworks, it’s highly recommended for building performant web applications.
It could be used to build anything as well, from SaaS applications to blogs, all the way to social media sites.
6. CakePHP
Enables building PHP apps fast, with less configuration. It offers in-built features, which help code a business logic app. It also comes with a flexible database across layer and powerful features, enabling the creation of both simple and complex software solutions. It’s one of the first MVC frameworks to come into the PHP ecosystem in the early part of 2000.
It has grown into a mature framework with countless features.
7. Slim
A PHP micro-framework with lesser features than a typical framework but helps in creating simple yet powerful web applications and APIs. Its features include middleware, routing, and advanced request handling to help build apps faster. Slim does not have the features commonly found in most frameworks, like database access tools.
However, it could be installed easily as outside dependencies using the dependency manager, Composer. Slim is perfect for building restful APIs for single-page apps, microservices, and scalable systems.
8. Lumen
A PHP micro-framework developed by the maker of Laravel and maintained by its community. It’s very much the same as Laravel, thus, for those with previous experience with Laravel, it would feel right at home. Lumen could be used in building APIs to support micro-services, single-page apps, and other backend services wherein high performance and low latency are vital.
