PHP vs Python: The Best Choose for Web Apps

PHP vs Python: The Best Choose for Web Apps

Are you a software developer who is confused between choosing from PHP vs Python? Do you want to know which one is a better choice for web apps? If you said yes to both these questions then keep scrolling down because we have just the solution you have been looking for.

In today’s rapidly growing tech world, it is all about interactive web applications. Yes, you read that correctly. More than 50% of the businesses which are operating in the market have customised websites and mobile applications. It is all thanks to the various mobile application development companies that help in developing these interactive websites. With regards to building a mobile application, backend development has an important role to play. It is known to be the backbone of the entire development procedure.

If there is a functional backend, it will further lead to interactive app development in the future. The two programming languages that have become quite popular in backend development are PHP and Python. These two languages have been in the limelight and are a topic of discussion amongst the developer community.

PHP and Python are the two programming languages that are preferred by most software developers. They are popular because of the various features, functions and other such factors that make the two programming languages stand out. There might be other programming languages that software developers are inclined towards using but, these two languages are always the talk of the town and in comparison.

PHP or Python: Which one should you choose and why?

Here is a list of factors that might help you in deciding which one to choose from between PHP or Python:

1.  Performance

Some years ago, Python was known to be the fastest programming language. Then PHP version 7 made it to the market and the scene completely changed. If we look at things today, PHP is three times faster than Python and others on the list. PHP helps in processing more data in one go than any other programming language. The speed of processing data enhances the overall performance of PHP that makes it shine and stand out.

2.  Library Support

It is one feature where PHP secures a second place when compared to Python. Python is a programming language with many libraries. In today’s web market, many are investing a lot of money in Machine Learning (ML) web applications. It is something that Python incorporates.

Here is a list of the learning libraries that Python has to offer:

  1. TensorFlow
  2. Scikit
  3. Learn

So, if you are someone who is looking to build an ML backed web application, you can rely on Python any day.

3.  Community Support

Community support is one feature where both these languages are almost on the same level. PHP is, however, one of the oldest server-side programming languages that has a vast community support system. It means that almost 80% of the websites are on PHP. This should tell you how big of a community it has. Python, on the other hand, is not too far. Google uses the language for its most used app YouTube.

4. Complexity

In terms of complexity, both these programming languages are object-oriented. It means that they are compatible with operating systems. Python wins the race when it comes to its easy usage. The thing about PHP is that it has a complex syntax that makes the programming language more complex and difficult for developers to understand. Python has high code readability that makes it simple.

5.  Documentation

The PHP programming language has a documentation website that helps the web developers to put down their comments on the various pages. These documents are written in plain language for the web developers to understand easily. It is the additional ideas that make these documents more relevant. These comments turn into drawbacks because you can easily view the old comments on a website. It is something that can confuse a web developer who is going through old comments and trying to make sense of it all.

If you are using Python, on the other hand, no such issue will arise because it does not allow any comments. The documents that are available in Python are less conversational, which makes it difficult to read for many people. In this regard, PHP takes the points and wins when compared to Python.

6.  Debugging

Debugging is one aspect where there is a tie between PHP and Python. The Python Debugger (PDB) and PHP XDebug, both have strong debugging features.

These powerful debugging features include:

  1. Stacks
  2. Breakpoints
  3. Path mapping

The debuggers are quite easy to use. You just need to get a hang of their setup. The setup of both the programming languages is different from each other. In PHP, there is a requirement for an additional setup. Once you know how to do it, you can easily get started. Debuggers available in both programming languages keep the apps secure and functional.

7.  Syntax

Web developers find it difficult to choose a programming language that is syntax error-free. So, in the context of syntax, Python wins the race against PHP. Python is one programming language that comes off as easy to understand to web developers. Unlike PHP, Python gives a sense of ease to the web developer, enabling them to code without any restrictions.

8. Rendering

If we talk about rendering then PHP has a considerate community that helps it benefit from the easy documentation and support. It is a server-side language that follows a more conclusive approach to rendering. It is one feature where PHP outshines Python. Python is one programming language where rendering becomes a hassle. This happens because it is not as clear as PHP.

PHP Vs Python: Features

Here is a list of the different features of PHP and Python:

Features of PHP

  1. PHP is easy to use and it is quite straightforward when compared to Python.
  2. PHP has a flexible and embedded nature that makes it easily interpreted with XML, HTML, JavaScript, etc.
  3. PHP is compatible with most of the operating systems, including Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Unix, etc.
  4. PHP is known to be an open-source server-side programming language that makes it quite affordable.
  5. You can easily download and use this programming language for free.
  6. PHP supports a lot of databases, including MySQL, Oracle, Informix, SQLite, Sybase, etc.
  7. It supports syntax error reporting that helps in generating the necessary alerts on time.

Features of Python

  1. If we compare Python with other programming languages such as C, C#, Javascript and Java, it is quite easy to code and learn.
  2. Its modules such as PyQt5, PyQt4, wxPython or Tk, support the development of a Graphical User Interface (GUI).
  3. Python is a portable language that will help you run code on different operating systems such as Windows, Unix, Linux and Mac.
  4. Python can easily be integrated with other programming languages such as C and C++.
  5. It has a substantial library support system that is full of different modules and functions.
  6. Python is used for making advanced level applications that are based on ML and other such technologies.
  7. Python is a high-level programming language that does not require any management of the memory or system architecture.

PHP Vs Python: Pros and Cons

Here is a list of the different pros and cons of using the two programming languages:

Pros of Using Python

  1. Python helps in improving the web developers productivity levels with the help of its extensive library support that comes with an object-oriented design to help the programmers write clean codes.
  2. It helps in enhancing the overall performance of the web app by incorporating robust integration features, unit testing and an improved control capability that ultimately boosts the speed of the web application.
  3. Python is an open-sourced language that is easily accessible to its programmers.
  4. Python is an extensible programming language that helps web developers to write code in other languages such as C and C++.
  5. Python is a portable programming language due to its WORA functionality.

Cons of Python

  1. It is weak in terms of working on mobile interfaces and browsers.
  2. It is not seen on the client-side.
  3. There are enough time errors that occur due to design restrictions.
  4. Python has underdeveloped database access layers when compared to the Java Database Connectivity.
  5. Python uses a lot of memory during the app building process that requires optimization.

Pros of PHP

  1. PHP is both an open-sourced server-side and free programming language that can be downloaded by anyone.
  2. PHP has an independent platform where the applications that are developed using this programming language run efficiently on different operating systems such as Linux, Windows and Unix.
  3. PHP makes managing codes quite easy.
  4. The web developers are not required to write the additional codes.
  5. Common web development tasks are automated.
  6. It has a robust security feature.
  7. It helps in preventing websites from getting attacked.

Cons of PHP

  1. One of the biggest disadvantages of learning the PHP programming language is that the programmers need to understand different frameworks such as CakePHP, Yii, CodeIgniter, etc.
  2. The qualities of all the PHP frameworks are different that makes it difficult to understand.
  3. The web developers cannot find enough options that would make changing the behaviour of these frameworks easy.
  4. The PHP frameworks are run in a flawed handling manner.
  5. PHP cannot handle large apps.
  6. Its advanced features affect the speed and performance of small websites.
  7. Some errors may occur quite often.

PHP vs Python: The Final Verdict

After so much explanation, we hope you can now easily choose which one you would pick based on the different features and after going through the pros and cons of both the programming languages. Both PHP and Python have their pros and cons. Some points might be a deal-breaker for you while some would be an instant decision-maker to help you choose one.