Choosing the correct programming language is essential for any developmental project. These days, Python and PHP are the two most popular programming languages that many businesses like to use for their web development projects.
When comparing Python with PHP, choosing one becomes a little tricky. Although many websites are developed in PHP, Python has recently become very popular.
So, let’s get started! But which programming language is suitable for your web application – Python or PHP? In this blog, we shall discuss the basics of the two languages and then compare them.
What is Python?
Python is an open-source programming language that directs object-oriented programming concepts. It is one of the most comprehensively used languages, providing high-level, easy-to-understand syntax. Guido Van Rossum designed this language in 1991.
According to a survey by Stack Overflow 2021, Python is one of the most essential and popular languages. It performs as a scripting language for web browsers, and you can then use it for web application development. Many businesses around the world use Python in their applications.
What is PHP?
PHP or Hypertext Pre-processor is the most acceptable choice of programming language for web developers. It’s an open-source server scripting language used to create attractive, user-driven website pages. PHP is the most preferred choice of language with some fantastic characteristics, plugins, libraries, and add-ons to augment colossal community support and functionalities.
Rasmus Lerdorf developed PHP or Personal Home Page in the year 1995. After that, it was awarded a new name, i.e., PHP-Hypertext Pre-processor. PHP empowers nearly all the websites on the internet. Almost all web browsers support PHP, which is fantastic for web apps’ backend development.
Characteristics of Python
- Python can operate on various hardware platforms using identical user interfaces.
- It is easy to study, grasp, and maintain.
- It offers a perfect structure and assistance for large programs.
- Low-level modules are easy to incorporate into the Python interpreter.
- You can combine Python with C, C++, and Java programming code.
- Python offers high-level dynamic types of data and support for active type checking.
- It helps in an interactive way of testing and debugging.
Characteristics of PHP
- PHP is more manageable to enroll and code than other scripting languages.
- It supports databases like MySQL and Oracle and delivers database integration.
- PHP allows access to log in by making a synopsis of the latest user accesses.
- PHP is more efficient than other scripting languages like JSP and ASP.
- It features predefined error reporting constants that develop a warning or error notice.
- As PHP is an open-source language, one can download and use it for free.
Pros and Cons of Python
Here are some pros and cons of using Python programming language for your web development:
Pros of Python
- A general-purpose, object-oriented, and adaptable language to engage across different fields
- Highlights cross-platform code reusability
- Creates GUI apps
- Can merge easily with object-oriented programming code of other languages like Java or C++
- Has libraries like Tensorflow for math-intensive tasks
- An open-source, uniformly unfolding language
Cons of Python
- Not much valuable for mobile computing, browsers, and mobile app development
- It uses an extensive amount of memory to offer efficiency to developers
- It works much slower than the other website development languages
- Delays the procedure of testing web apps
- Detecting error becomes tedious due to dynamic typing
Pros and Cons of PHP
Below given are the top benefits and disadvantages of using PHP for web application development:
Pros of PHP
- Bolsters excellent debugging
- Features ample pluggable frameworks Open-source and object-oriented
- Supports a large ecosystem
- It gives assistance to other database interfaces like No SQL, PostgreSQL, and much more
- Get help from several operating systems and works cross-platform
- Provides support for database collection modules
Cons of PHP
- Hindered and wired performance
- You cannot make changes to its core behavior
- Uses weak typing that can lead to false knowledge and data for users
- Not suitable for content-based apps
- No IOT alliance
- An inadequacy of security protocols and features
A DETAILED COMPARISON
A detailed comparison will help you determine the most appropriate language to use, how easy and efficient it is, and which will give top-class results for your web development efforts.
- Community Support
PHP and Python have outstanding community support. Since PHP has competed for a long time for web application development, it has a vast pool of developers who can immediately offer support.
Here, Python matches with PHP closely. Since many Python developers continuously build Python apps, community support is exceptional. So, none of them is a clear winner in this aspect.
- Flexibility
Machine Learning powered web apps are in heavy demand these days. And ML is a notable point of Python also. Hence, Python provides excellent machine-learning libraries, for example, Pandas, Tensorflow, Theano, and Scikit-learn. These libraries are quick, robust, and distinctive, and most importantly, they can flawlessly function with a web framework.
Remember that Python is advantageous in several fields, not just web development. But, on the other hand, PHP is significant only in web development. So, here, Python scores a point.
- Ease of Use
Python is an open-source, convenient, and versatile programming language that is easy to use. Moreover, python syntax programming is also easy. When compared with PHP, coding is easier to comprehend with Python.
PHP is not an ordinary and specific programming language, as it’s used only for developing dynamic website pages with HTML. It makes PHP less valuable than Python. Thus, in terms of ease of use, Python wins over PHP.
- Speed to Market
Python features a substantial set of third-party libraries, packages, and modules to complete a project quickly. For instance, Django is one of the most famous web frameworks written in Python language. It tugs the MVC pattern to empower developers to design apps quickly using a great division of concerns and reusability.
PHP also brags about its set of tools, integrating frameworks and libraries. For instance, Laravel is the most popular PHP framework that approves the MVC pattern and arrives pre-packaged with several helpful features for web development, including templating, routing, authentication, and so forth.
- Web Frameworks
Both PHP and Python provide powerful and well-designed web development frameworks. Many big companies use web frameworks that PHP offers. For instance, Symfony and Laravel are mature frameworks, and a large community supports them. Thereby, PHP makes web development easy.
Python also provides many extraordinary frameworks. The two most famous Python-based web frameworks are Flask and Django. These are highly scalable, fast, easy to use, and secure. Developers usually prefer Django over PHP-based frameworks to enjoy an easy setup and shorter development periods.
Conclusion
Although both PHP and Python perform great in web development, Python triumphs over PHP in many points; however, this does not imply that you have to select Python and neglect PHP. Both PHP and Python are excellent programming languages for developing web apps.
At last, it largely depends on your project needs and your PHP or Python abilities, knowledge, and expertise when building your web apps.
