PHP frameworks provide scaffolding and structure for building applications faster and more efficiently. They typically include features like MVC architecture, database support, and documentation. Popular PHP frameworks include CakePHP, Symphony, Codeigniter, Zend Framework, Yii, Kohana, and FuelPHP. These frameworks reduce repetitive coding and facilitate connecting to APIs, helping developers build stable apps more quickly.

1. Introduction to PHP
frameworks
By Dumindu Pahalawatta

2. Introduction
A framework is a structure that developers choose to build their application. It
determines the structure of the application and facilitates it to connect with
many different API’s.
A proficient PHP framework enables developers to develop PHP application
faster, efficiently and assist in building stable applications thereby reducing
the amount of repetitive coding for PHP programmers.
Frameworks provide scaffolding features that facilitates the development
team to build faster and cleaner application. They often provide toolsets for
both the UI components and the database access.

3. Popular
frameworks

4. Features of PHP frameworks
MVC Architecture
Database Support
Community & Documentation etc...

5. MVC
Architecture
The framework should make
use of Model View
Controller (MVC)
architecture.
Some of the best
frameworks also provide
libraries, plug-ins, helpers,
and extensions to assist
developers.
It would be smart and
efficient to employ a
framework that has at
least two of these options.

6. Database
Support
It is one of the most crucial
aspects of every PHP
development framework.
You need decide your
framework depending on
the database you are
going to use for your web
application.
For Example: ‘CodeIgniter’
supports MySQL, Oracle,
and SQLite, whereas the
‘Kohana’ framework
doesn’t.

7. Community &
Documentation:
The framework should be
supported by a strong
community, not just in terms of
size but also in terms of
activity and usefulness.
Even if it’s a small community,
you should be able to get
ample support from the
community.
A PHP framework should also
have good documentation. It
should be comprehensive and
up-to-date.

8. Commonly used PHP frameworks
CakePHP Sympony Codeignitor Zend
Framework

9. Commonly used PHP frameworks
YII Kohana FuelPHP

10. CakePHP is a rapid
development framework for
PHP. It’s a foundational
structure for programmers
to create web applications.
CakePHP has an active
developer team and
community, bringing great
value to the project. It is also
the most preferred
development framework.
CakePHP

11. Speed up the creation and
maintenance of your PHP
web applications. Replace
the repetitive coding tasks
by power, control and
pleasure.
Symfony

12. CodeIgniter is a powerful PHP
framework with a very small
footprint, built for PHP
coders who need a simple
and elegant toolkit to create
full-featured web
applications.
CodeIgniter

13. It is an open source framework
for developing web
applications and services
using PHP 5.3+. Zend
Framework 2 uses 100%
object-oriented code and
utilizes most of the new
features of PHP 5.3, namely
namespaces, late static
binding, lambda functions
and closures.
Zend Framework 2 evolved
from Zend Framework 1, a
successful PHP framework
with over 15 million.
Zend
Framework

14. Yii comes with rich features:
MVC, DAO/ActiveRecord,
I18N/L10N, caching,
authentication and role-
based access control,
scaffolding, testing, etc. It
can reduce your
development time
significantly.
Yii Framework

15. An elegant HMVC
(Hierarchical model–view–
controller) PHP5 framework
that provides a rich set of
components for building
web applications.
Kohana

16. It is a simple, flexible,
community driven PHP 5.3+
framework, based on the
best ideas of other
frameworks.
FuelPHP

17. There are a number of PHP development
frameworks in the market which enables
the development team to do more with the
programming language. Development
frameworks makes coding for PHP more
manageable and programmers can take its
advantage by making use of a convenient
development framework.

18. Source
An introduction to PHP Frameworks