Laravel Vs CodeIgniter – A Battle Of The Best PHP Framework

PHP is the most popular language for developing the backend of web applications that are useful and efficient for businesses and organizations. Whenever developers think of the best PHP frameworks for creating modern websites, the two names that come to the front are Laravel and CodeIgniter. 

Both these frameworks are loved and used by a large number of web developers. 

So, there is always a debate about Laravel vs CodeIgniter. Students and novice developers generally think about which is the best framework for them among CodeIgniter and Laravel. 

We will discuss Therefore, in this blog, we will compare CodeIgniter with Laravel and see which is the best choice for you.

What Is Laravel?

Laravel is an open-source PHP web framework. Taylor Otwell created Laravel as an attempt to give a modern alternative to the CodeIgniter framework. Its architectural patterns are mostly Symfony-based.

This framework gained popularity after the release of version 3. Version 3 of Laravel offers powerful features such as the Artisan Command Line Interface, migrations and database support, etc. It has also launched a new packaging system, Bundles. Laravel is now one of the most popular backend development technology. 

The first stable version of Laravel was released in June 2011. The current stable version, 5.6, was released in February 2018, with versions 5.7 and 5.8 in September 2018, February 2019, March 2020, and February 2022. 

What Is CodeIgniter?

CodeIgniter is an open-source web framework. Developers use CodeIgniter to develop dynamic web pages and websites using the PHP programming language. Many developers and entrepreneurs regard it as one of the top open-source technologies. This framework uses MVC (Model View Controller Framework) approach and depends on loosely coupled systems.

The CodeIgniter allows developers to modify the Hierarchical View Controller (HMVC). Developers can organize views, controllers and models into modular groups. They can also be organized into subdirectories. This framework is faster than some other PHP frameworks and has fast responsiveness. 

The first version of CodeIgniter was released in 2006. CodeIgniter 4 is the latest version of CodeIgniter, initially released in 2020.

Laravel Vs CodeIgniter Know the Differences

Now let’s look at Laravel vs CodeIgniter frameworks:

Inbuilt Modules

Laravel was created with modularity in mind. Developers can break down projects into smaller, more manageable modules with the bundle.

This feature is missing in CodeIgniter, along with any built-in modularity. So, developers require a modular extension to create and save modules.

Unit Testing

By using the PHP unit, Laravel makes it possible for developers to dive into the code of an application without being interrupted by the PHP Unit. On the other hand, CodeIgniter does not include a built-in tool for unit testing. CodeIgniter developers will need to rely on additional unit testing assistance in order to assess the code and evaluate the app’s value.

Database Model

Laravel uses relational and object-oriented database models. On the other hand, CodeIgniter uses the object-oriented database model.

Programming Paradigm

A programming paradigm is important to Laravel uses the component-oriented programming paradigm. At the same time, CodeIgniter uses an Object-oriented, event-driven, and functional programming paradigm.

Authentication

The authentication class trait makes it simple for developers to apply authentication and permission rules in Laravel.

On the other hand, Codeigniter doesn’t have any built-in authentication features. As a result, developers must create custom CodeIgniter extensions to authenticate and authorize users.

Construction

Laravel’s filing system is based on the MVC (Model View Controller) pattern. It contains the ‘Artisan’ command-line utility.

CodeIgniter’s architecture is based on the MVC architectural pattern. It allows for a simple and smooth onboarding process. However, object-oriented programming is used initially to create the pattern. Developers customized it to meet their needs.

Template Engine

Popularity is important to consider in Laravel vs CodeIgniter. Laravel offers Blade, a simple and powerful template engine. The Blade engine optimizes the web application performance by modifying and elevating views.

On the other hand, Codeigniter does not have a built-in template engine. The developers must integrate Smarty, a third-party templating engine tool. It allows them to do all the common tasks and improve the performance of websites.

DBMS Support

Laravel supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, ORACLE, IBM DB2, Microsoft SQL Server, orientDB, and JDBC.

At the same time, CodeIgniter supports MongoDB, Microsoft BI, PostgreSQL, and MySQL. It also supports DB2, Oracle, and Microsoft SQL Server.

HTTP Support

Laravel can be used by programmers to explain custom HTTP routes. Laravel developers can create unique URLs for each HTTP route.

On the other hand, Codeigniter does not fully support HTTP. Therefore, CodeIgniter developers can use URLs to protect data delivery by constructing pathways.

Laravel Vs CodeIgniter Popularity

We can decide on Laravel Vs CodeIgniter’s popularity on the basis of the number of Google searches for both terms over the past few years. Below is the Google search trend graph for Laravel and CodeIgniter, depicting the past 5 years of worldwide searches. We can clearly see that Laravel is more popular than CodeIgniter. 

Laravel vs CodeIgniter: Head To Head Comparison

Laravel Vs CodeIgniter: Observations From Google Trends 

We can also look at the google trends graph to have an idea about the Laravel Vs CodeIgniter popularity. The above graph shows the past 12 months’ search popularity comparison of Laravel Vs CodeIgniter. We can clearly see that Laravel is more popular than CodeIgniter.  

Laravel Vs CodeIgniter: Some Useful Information According To StackShare

“A Fully Baked PHP Framework” is how developers describe CodeIgniter. CodeIgniter is a PHP framework for web applications that is open, agile, and has a small footprint. It gives the next people of web apps their power. 

On the other hand, “A PHP Structure for Web Artists” is how Laravel is described. Laravel is a framework for building web applications with elegant syntax. We think that development should be fun and creative to be truly satisfying. Laravel tries to make development easier by making tasks like verification, tracking, sessions, and caching easier. These are tasks that are used in most web projects.

Pros and Cons of Laravel Vs CodeIgniter

Laravel 

Pros : 

• Clean architecture.
• Growing community.
• Composer-friendly.
• Open-source.
• The only framework to consider for PHP.

Cons: 

• Too many dependencies.
• Slower than the other two.
• A lot of static method calls for convenience

CodeIgniter

Pros : 

• MVC
• Easy setup
• Open source
• Well documented
• Community support

Cons: 

• No ORM
• No CLI

Company that use  Laravel Vs CodeIgniter

Which technology (tool) integrates with Laravel Vs CodeIgniter?

Job Opportunities For Laravel Vs CodeIgniter Skilled Workers

Average Salary  For Laravel Framework : 

In the United States, according to talent.com, individuals with knowledge of the laravel framework have an average salary for a PHP laravel developer is $110,000 per year or $52.88 per hour. Entry-level jobs start at $97,500 per year, and most workers with experience can make up to $147,225 per year.

This image shows the salary according to different cities in the United States of America.

Average Salary For CodeIgniter Framework  : 

In the United States, according to talent.com, individuals with knowledge of the CodeIgniter framework have an average salary for a PHP Codeigniter is $137,500 per year or $66.11 per hour. Entry-level workers start at $107500 per year, while most experienced employees can earn up to $140,000 annually.

This image shows the salary according to different cities in the United States of America.

Learning Platforms to Learn  Laravel Vs CodeIgniter

There are numerous learning platforms to learn these frameworks. You can pursue courses from these platforms and get certifications also 

List Of Alternatives of Laravel Vs CodeIgniter

It is a framework for building web applications with elegant syntax. It tries to make development easier by making tasks like authentication, tracking, sessions, and caching easier. These are tasks that are used in most web projects.

In a tech stack, Laravel is a platform in the Structures (Full Stack) group.

 1. WordPress

The core software is made by hundreds of volunteers from the community. When you’re ready for more, you can choose from 1000s of themes and plugins to make your site. Over 60 million users have chosen Blog to control this same location on the internet they call “home.” We’d love for you to join us.

2. Symfony

It is written to be quick and easy to change. It allows PHP developers to make better websites that are easy to keep up with.

It allows PHP developers to make better websites that are easy to keep up with.

3. Kohana

Kohana is a beautiful, open-source, object-oriented HMVC framework built by volunteers using PHP5. It is designed to be fast, safe, and small.

4. CakePHP

It developing java applications web apps easier, faster, and less code-intensive. An advanced PHP 7 structure with a strong took up and a flexible layer for accessing databases.

Conclusion

We have gone through Laravel vs CodeIgniter in detail. Laravel and CodeIgniter are two of the most popular PHP frameworks for developing the backend of web applications. Laraval is more popular than CodeIgniter. However, Laraval is difficult for beginners as compared to CodeIgniter. Hopefully, after reading this blog, you now understand all the crucial differences between Laravel and CodeIgniter, Integrated tools, companies that use these frameworks, various learning platforms, and other topics that are also covered.

In case, you need any help with Laravel or CodeIgniter, you can ask for PHP assignment help from our experts at a reasonable price.

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