PHP Frameworks Are Revolutionizing Web Development in 2024

PHP development has been the cornerstone of web development for many years, and one cannot stress enough about how the development community is taking advantage of its frameworks and developing applications quickly and efficiently. As we enter the new year, many PHP frameworks will still make waves in web development. Here are some good reasons why these frameworks keep ticking, regardless of the year. 

5 Ways PHP Frameworks are Revolutionizing Web Development

• Foolproof: In light of rising security breaches, PHP frameworks are armed with built-in protection mechanisms that offer a double layer of security to web apps and pages. Some of the best security mechanisms these frameworks integrate include cross-site request forgery (CSRF), SQL injection prevention, cross-site scripting (XSS) protection, and more. This means the developers don’t have to look for any other security systems outside the framework, and more importantly, they can make them work automatically with a click of a button. 

• Quick: Besides pre-built protection mechanisms, these frameworks are loaded with pre-built modules and libraries that make coding easier for developers. In other words, frameworks help PHP developers code faster without many errors. This helps improve the efficiency of the developers. 

• Code Reuse: Another amazing plus point of PHP frameworks is that they allow developers to reuse the code. How? PHP frameworks use MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture, which helps separate the logic from the presentation. Keeping the business logic in a separate layer makes the code available for reuse for different parts of the application and perhaps for different projects.   

• Community Support: PHP frameworks have active community support that churns out updates in large numbers, coupled with security patches and other significant features. The relentless support ensures that developers stay up to date with current industry trends.  

• Scalable: As businesses are future-focused and new techs keep evolving, scalable web applications are the need of the hour. And PHP frameworks combined with dynamic, innovative features help them with just that. 

PHP frameworks are loaded with benefits that any PHP developer shouldn’t think twice before experimenting to speed up their web development workflow. Next up, read the best 10 PHP frameworks of this year that developers liked using.   

Top 10 PHP Frameworks for Web Development in 2024  

Here’s a list of the top 10 PHP frameworks that caught developers’ attention in 2024 and are sure to make their presence felt in 2025 as well without a doubt. 

01 Laravel

Laravel is touted as “The PHP Framework for Web Artists.” It’s a free and open-source framework that uses Model-View-Controller and is built on Symfony.  

02 Symfony 

Symfony is a free and open-source PHP web application framework comprising PHP components for building websites.   

03 CodeIgniter

CodeIgniter framework helps you build web apps quickly, thanks to an uncomplicated setup. 

04 Zend Framework 

The Zend Framework is one of the oldest and most useful PHP frameworks. It has been renamed Laminas. Since Zend is no longer being updated, migration to Laminas is highly recommended.  

05 Yii

Yii stands for ‘Yes It Is’. In Chinese, yi means simple and evolutionary. It’s an open-source, object-oriented, component-based MVC framework that’s flexible enough and can be tailored to meet your needs. 

06 Cake PHP

CakePHP is yet another open-source PHP framework that uses an MVC-like architecture. Models, Views, and Controllers ensure that business logic stays separate from data and presentation layers.

07 Slim 

Slim offers a minimalist framework for writing and implementing simple yet powerful web applications and APIs. The framework is easy to learn and understand. 

08 Phalcon

Phalcon is an open-source, full-stack PHP framework written as a C extension. It boasts low server consumption and better performance. 

09 Fuel PHP 

Fuel PHP is a community-driven PHP framework with nearly 300 developers supporting it. The framework is based on MVC and HMVC (Hierarchical Model View Controller).

10 Fat-free Framework 

Just like Slim, Fat-Free Framework (F3) is also a micro-framework. Though speed maybe this framework’s forte, it also offers developer-friendly features that are easy to use.  

PHP Frameworks for Beginners 

It is a given that beginners should choose simpler things before trying harder things. So, according to PHP developers listed on GoodFirms, beginners should try Yii, Slim, and Fat-free frameworks first before proceeding with feature-packed frameworks. These three frameworks are backed by easy-to-read and understandable documentation, making it easy for amateur developers to learn and implement them.   

Final Thoughts

PHP frameworks are ideal if speedy, foolproof web application development and web pages are desired. However, before you start using them, ensure you have good enough knowledge about PHP and the concepts that run these frameworks, including MVC architecture, ORMs, databases, and more. The framework you choose depends on the kind of app you are building because frameworks come in all shapes and sizes. Some offer minimal support, while others offer everything under the sun. So, study them meticulously before making use of them.