Laravel – what makes this framework different?
What is Laravel? It is a framework for web applications. It was written in PHP and is based on the Model-View-Controller architectural pattern. Laravel’s source code is released under the MIT license.
By its popularity, Laravel quickly caught up with the other frameworks already present for some time. It also turns out that two years after the uprising, it was the most-searched framework on Google. Why is it owed its success and does it mean that it can be used in any programming project? Check what it really looks like!
What do developers appreciate at Laravel?
Although the name of the framework arouses interest, it did not contribute to its success. It has many significant advantages, thanks to which creating new internet applications is definitely faster and easier. See why Laravel is so readily used.
Discover the advantages of Laravel!
The first advantage of Laravel is authentication. It has a built-in authentication system, thanks to which all you need to do to run it is only entering the “make: auth” command. He himself creates for programmers all the most commonly used functions – e.g. registration, login and password reset pages.
The second feature proving the high quality of this framework is the blade template system. These are special, dedicated templates that are simple, intuitive and have all the modern functions necessary for simple operation.
Experience shows that a large proportion of PHP programmers do not like to write templates in dedicated systems. However, thanks to blade, things are different. In this case, all PHP functions are available because the templates are compiled into pure PHP code. So this is not a hindrance, but a significant facilitation of work.
The third unquestionable advantage of Laravel is the presence of the Eloquent model. This solution helps in database design. This is done using classes in PHP. Each table in the database is therefore assigned to a model class in PHP. Thanks to this, database maintenance with Eloquent is much easier.
The fourth benefit of our framework is its thorough documentation and video tutorials (laracasts). Thanks to reliable documentation, each new feature is thoroughly described. In turn, the mentioned tutorials led by a specialist perfectly familiar with Laravel are extremely helpful in case of problems or doubts among programmers.
The fifth advantage is Astisan. This is a special command line that speeds up work. The programmer can generate all the most frequently used application components with one command. It helps to save a lot of time.
Laravel’s sixth indisputable advantage is, of course, its simplicity. It is appreciated by everyone who had the pleasure to work with this framework. It has a clear and structured code, and after writing the entire application you feel that the whole is coherent and well functioning. So it meets the expectations of programmers and users.
Is it worth choosing Laravel?
Like any tool, Laravel has a lot of advantages. However, the fact that they speak for its great popularity does not mean that it is suitable for any project. It all depends on the effect we want to achieve and what project we intend to work on.
Before you decide to choose a framework, define the exact framework of your idea. Only thanks to such a layout will you be able to adapt the solution strictly to your needs. Remember that the opinions available on the web are very subjective and will not necessarily affect your situation.
As a programmer, you have access to a really wide range of ready-made systems that you can use when creating your application. However, if you specialize in PHP framework will certainly facilitate your work and solve emerging problems.
Differences between Laravel and Symfony
Looking at both frameworks, one can come to many conclusions. One of them is that Symfony is definitely less automated than Laravel. If you want to create the same functions when programming using Symfony, you need to write many more lines of code. This can be seen, among others in implementing the authentication process. What’s more, if you want to use this solution you will need more knowledge of the framework itself, because it is more difficult to use than Laravel.
As we have already mentioned, Laravel is a very simple and intuitive framework. It offers many auxiliary functions that you can use in your code. For example, the “back ()” command redirects you to the previous page – a big simplification. If you would like to do the same in Symfony, you would have to refer to the session, which is definitely more difficult. Even if this does not seem to you a big difference, in the case of an extensive and complicated application this small function can be of great importance.
However, what prevails Symfony over Lerevel? It is possible to build applications based on individual components. With this solution you can write an application according to your own standards. Without having to worry about what the framework imposes on you or requires. This is extremely important especially when making changes to previously saved code, if the client requests changes in specific functions.
What’s more, thanks to the application based on components, not a framework, you gain full control over your application. So you don’t have to worry about restrictions and wonder how to bypass them.
So the question comes back, which one should you ask? What solution will be the best? The answer is never simple and almost always relies on the fact that … it depends. From what? Of course from your design. Write down your assumptions carefully before proceeding. Pay attention to the objectives of the application, what functions will be the most difficult to create, what errors may appear and what difficulties you will have to face. Thanks to such a thorough analysis, you will be able to determine which tool is best suited to your project to help you achieve your goal.
