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Introduction
Hello Techies!
Have you been working on PHP frameworks like Laravel and Symfony lately? Do you see a lot of similarities between them but want to explore Laravel vs Symfony? Don’t worry. We got you covered!
This blog will discuss Laravel vs Symphony in detail. We will start off with a brief discussion about Laravel and Symphony and proceed with Laravel vs Symphony based on different points. So let’s get started!
Laravel Framework is a web framework based on PHP. It is used for building web applications using graceful and significant syntaxes. It comprises various technologies' characteristics like CodeIgniter, Ruby on Rails, ASP.NETMVC, etc. It has a robust collection of tools, and it also provides application architecture. This framework is an open-source framework. It eases developers by saving considerable time and helps them reduce planning and thinking to develop the whole website.
Along with that, Laravel Framework also takes care of an application's security. So all one is familiar with beginner's PHP basics and scripting, Laravel Framework can prepare your work more efficiently.
About Symfony
Symfony is a PHP framework for web projects and a collection of reusable PHP components. In 2005, Symfony was released as open-source software. Fabien Potencier is considered Symfony's original author. The Spring Framework served as a significant inspiration for Symfony.
Symfony uses numerous PHP open-source projects, including the Twig template engine, Doctrine object-relational mapping library, PDO database abstraction layer, PHPUnit test framework, and Swift Mailer email library.
Symfony Framework has developed its components, such as the Symfony YAML parser and Symfony Dependency Injector, development projects. The first to gain traction was CodeIgniter. Simple, attractive, and user-friendly web apps can be created with the aid of CodeIgniter.
Similarities between Laravel and Symfony
They both utilize PHP as their programming language. Therefore the first one should be the most clear.
They are cross-platform, which implies that they may be used on various computing platforms..
Both are multi-user and multi-language content, which merits mentioning. The two offer the application's framework, interface design patterns, and text search support.
Now that we know a bit about both frameworks, it’s time to see Laravel vs Symfony.
Laravel vs Symfony: Key Differences
In this section, we will take into consideration some points to find out how Laravel and Symfony frameworks differ from each other.
Coding Method
The concept of Dependency Injection, which produces loosely connected classes and facilitates testing and long-term maintenance, is central to Symfony coding.
Laravel can be used similarly, although, by default, it recommends using helper functions and facades, which, while more straightforward to develop, might pose difficulties over time.
ORM
ORM stands for Object-Relational Mapping.
While practically any ORM can be used with Symfony, Doctrine, which follows the DataMapper pattern, is the default. Entities in Doctrine are POPOs, which means they may be utilized in several scenarios even outside the confines of the ORM, which is the primary distinction between these two models. The ability to further minimize database operations by queuing them rather than immediately conducting them is one benefit of employing the DataMapper design.
Eloquent, a Laravel component built on ActiveRecord is the ORM by default. Eloquent suggests a hierarchical structure in which the Models are extensions of a base class that contains all the database access codes.
Configuration
Symfony offers a variety of configuration options, some of which may be challenging to grasp at first.
Environment-specific configuration (.env files) keeps the fundamental data needed for a program to function, such as database access.
The configuration of the bundles (YAML, XML, or PHP files found in config/packages) is what controls how the application will behave in a specific context. For instance, the way email is handled in production should differ from how it is handled in testing or development.
Finally, two additional methods for handling configuration are class attributes for PHP >= 8 and PHP annotations for PHP 8. The most typical situation involving routes and ORM mapping data is this. Typically, a project will use a combination of all of them.
The situation with Laravel is a little easier because there are straightforward PHP-based files in the config and.env files at the project root.
Template Engine
While Laravel uses Blade as the default template engine, you can use a different one if you choose, Symfony utilizes Twig as the default template engine. You could simply choose not to use one at all!
Apart from syntax, there aren't many distinctions between them, however, Blade is typically thought of as easier than Twig.
Extensions for Framework
With Symfony, you can accomplish this by making bundles. These are referred to as packages in the Laravel language.
They can both be released as independent code libraries that can be incorporated into new projects.
Installing a bundle in Symfony entails downloading the source code, editing the relevant YAML file, and editing the config/bundles.php file to specify that the bundle should be loaded during runtime.
Testing
Symfony's testing framework suggests separating tests into three categories: unit, integration, and application. Since they both rely on PHPUnit for QA for individual classes, the unit tests are not exclusive to either.
Symfony provides a base class called KernelTestCase for integration tests that extends the default TestCase to support the use of the dependency injection container for simultaneously testing several components of the application.
Last but not least, the Application tests' code isn't all that different from the others, but its purpose is to simulate user interactions. Therefore they depend on an HTTP client and a Dom Crawler.
Laravel suggests using Feature tests (on top of Unit tests off course).
Similar to Symonfy's application tests, feature tests seek to cover significant portions of the application. Since Laravel's TestCase class has a more straightforward API than its Symfony equivalent, developing Feature tests for it is generally simpler.
Laravel vs Symfony in terms of Performance
Let's now compare the performance advantages of Symfony with Laravel.
Performance measurement is always challenging because it depends on many factors. Still, the majority of benchmarks show that Laravel is faster when it comes to applications.
However, Symfony is renowned for its extensive optimization options, so there are levers to be pulled if performance really is a problem for you.
Speed
The speed of the Laravel application is comparable to other PHP applications. It establishes a reliable version control system, aiding in future application migration. When Symfony is used properly, the application runs more quickly. It modifies each core feature's speed individually so that the entire application can quickly determine which features are needed at any given time.
Security
The security solution provided by Symfony is strong but requires some setup complexity. It supports a variety of authentication methods and a fairly granular permission scheme.
Although Laravel takes a more straightforward approach to security, the fundamental features will usually be sufficient.
Internationalization
Laravel exclusively utilizes PHP and JSON, but Symfony allows a variety of translation formats (PHP,.po.mo, XLIFF, etc.).
Popularity
When deciding between Laravel and Symfony for new projects, Laravel is unquestionably winning in terms of popularity when it comes to Laravel vs Symfony these days.
Documentation
Although comprehensive documentation is available for both frameworks, Laravel's docs are typically simpler to read, comprehend, and use. Symfony works better as a quick reference once you know the fundamentals.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Symfony differ from Laravel?
The main distinction between Symfony and Laravel is that the former is only a framework, while the latter is both an application framework and a collection of reusable components. In actuality, Laravel makes extensive use of Symfony's parts. This information also clarifies the query of whether Laravel is based on Symfony.
What is MVC?
MVC stands for Model-View-Controller. It is the way to lay out any web project. The model is for the database, the View is for static files, and the controller is used as an interface between the model and the View.
What is Laravel?
Laravel is an open-source PHP framework. It uses an MVC structure to develop the application using PHP and provides many functionalities for easier development of web applications.
Is Laravel faster in performance than Symfony?
Yes. A collection of unified APIs for caching views, Symfony cache views, and source code are included with Laravel by default. The website for Symfony takes slower to load as a result. Symfony typically takes 250 milliseconds to load, compared to 60 milliseconds for Laravel.
Does Symfony use MVC?
Symfony is a PHP-based MVC framework. Its structure is created to maximize the MVC pattern's benefits while retaining a high level of usability. Symfony is appropriate for all web application projects because of its adaptability and configuration capabilities.
Conclusion
In this article, we saw Laravel vs Symfony frameworks. Both frameworks are robust, established technologies with outstanding professional and agile PHP development capabilities, as you have learned here. Choose the one you feel most comfortable with right now and start creating apps because no matter which one you choose, if you stick to basic best practices, you can always swap without too much problem.
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