PHP vs Python – Which language is chosen?

Tram Ho

This is a comparison of two languages ​​that are talked about quite a lot, which is PHP vs Python, and which language is really gaining position in the developer market today? Which language needs more? and more. This article will help you understand and clarify these issues.

In this article we will go over the concepts of these two languages ​​and the features that are supposed to make its name on the market today. Let's get started.

What is Python?

Well, of course, it's not a snake (it's just a pun).

In fact, Python is one of the few best web programming languages ​​for web development and is gaining the hearts of many people around the world. It is an uncomplicated, object-oriented, high-level language, possessing excellent integrated data structures that are connected to binding and dynamic types. It is features like these that make developers choose this language to develop applications.

Moreover, it is a scripting language that is proficient in binding and combining many components together. It supports cross-platform development, thus making it ideal for developing web and mobile applications.

In fact, Python recently won second place as the most popular language on Github, beating out Java and being one of the most popular languages.

Python language features

Fast

There is no compiling in Python, because the programs are added to the interpreter and run directly. It's easy and fast to get access to Python code responses for errors, etc. For these reasons, Python is capable of executing and completing programs quickly. with other languages.

Support test-driven development

With Python application development, coding and testing go hand in hand, testing and testing to make the development process more efficient. Developers can develop prototypes for applications because Python allows them to refactor code.

Standard library

Another feature of the Python programming language that allows it to beat Java on Github is that it has a fairly complete collection of libraries. Python's standard library, Python assists programmers in selecting required modules. Here, every module allows developers to add many other functions even when the process is about to complete and without the need for any additional lines of code.

Big Data support

If you've been hoping to work with Big Data technology but aren't sure what your toolkits are, then believe us, Python will be all you need to start working with Big Data. This programming language is being widely used in Big Data development, simply because it is faster and has a lot of libraries in stores, suitable for Big Data .

Highly compatible

Python is the first choice of developers who want to eliminate the recompilation process. That's because along with supporting multiple operating systems like iOS, Android, Windows, etc., it allows developers to use the Python interpreter to run the same code on all platforms and even modify it. without recompiling. And above all, it allows programmers to check the code almost immediately when changes are made.

Advantages of Python

  • Object-oriented and multi-platform programming language
  • Very easy to read, making it easy for beginners
  • It is open source, a feature that makes it easily accessible
  • It is a constantly evolving language

Disadvantages of Python

  • Slightly ineffective in mobile computing and browsing
  • Limited design: Duck-typing can cause runtime errors
  • Testing of delayed web applications

Common applications created in Python

What is PHP?

Let's talk about its name. The acronym does not fully describe its form. Its full is Hypertext Preprocessor. It is also an open source scripting language (that is, a script-based program) on the server side. Its nature is used to develop web applications.

In addition, it is possible to embed PHP into HTML to create dynamic web pages for web applications, database applications and eCommerce applications. In fact, developers consider it a fairly user-friendly language because it can connect to databases such as Oracle, MySQL, etc.

Features of PHP

Very flexible and scalable

To be successful, a language must be flexible and scalable enough to provide a place for programmers to code, which PHP clearly provides. It can be easily integrated with other programming languages, namely Java. Components built with this language are reusable.

There are many extensions to enable different functions, which help define many project requirements.

Fast loading speed

Speed ​​plays an important role for any programming language to become the preferred language of developers. PHP is considered a high-speed rendering language because it easily establishes a connection with the database to retrieve the required data in less time than many languages ​​in the market.

Support multi-platform development

PHP is not inferior to Python in serving multiple platforms, that is, it is also a multi-platform language that helps developers create web applications for operating systems such as UNIX, LINUX, Windows, etc. Moreover, it is also Supports Apache and MySQL databases.

The language is loose

PHP is denoted as a loose language because it supports the use of a variable without declaring its data type. It will be executed at runtime based on the data type available on its value.

Error report

One of the great features of PHP is that it has the function to create warning messages when problems occur, allowing developers to solve problems in real time.

Advantages of PHP

  • There is a huge ecosystem
  • Object-oriented and open source languages ​​with a positive community
  • Interoperability – there are many frameworks
  • Best debug support

Disadvantages of PHP

  • Follow the stream and slower
  • Does not support the Internet of Things community
  • Vision and control restrictions
  • External dependencies

Common applications created with PHP

Comparison from the perspective of Python vs PHP

1. Performance and speed

Speed ​​often synonymous with excellent performance in web applications. And in the case of PHP vs Python performance, it's no different. It is important for web applications to be error-free while processing millions of requests at the same time. PHP is considered to be much more efficient in terms of speed. Although PHP 5.x is very fast, PHP 7.x breaks previous versions of itself, making the average Python programs slower. It completes the task almost 3 times faster.

2. Syntax and code readability

The syntax that plays a prominent role is the difference between PHP and Python. In short, the syntax of the PHP type is similar to the C language. Programmers must be careful and need to use curly braces, operators, and additional characters. Moreover, developers can also ignore whitespace while the compilation process is in progress, providing reusability, supporting code structure into logical components.

For Python, the syntax is based on separating code with spaces and tabs, speeding up the coding process to a great extent. Moreover, Python syntax is easy to read, making it easy for beginners to learn it effectively.

3. Price

The good thing is that both languages ​​are open source, which means there's nothing but them that are free to use. In fact, developers advocate that these are free, but may be better than some paid frameworks.

4. Library support

This gives Python an advantage in the battle between PHP and Python as it has good development library support and is especially for all types of Python applications. Some of the most preferred libraries that developers use in machine learning development and with others are TensorFlow, Theano, Scikit, etc.

Although PHP is lagging behind, it also has a "Packagist" package repository which is quite popular among developers.

5. Web frameworks

Both PHP and Python have countless web frameworks to meet and have an incredible amount to start using. For Python frameworks, some of the most prominent are Django, Bottle, CherryPy, Pyramid, etc.

For PHP frameworks, we have Laravel, Codeigniter, Zend, Symphony, etc. Since both Python and PHP provide quite a good selection for developers, beginners are still leaning towards the Python Django framework a bit more. because it is very fast.

6. Debugging

This comparison between PHP and Python before going into it, is an attraction.

What is wrong? Well, if Python has "Python Debugger" (PDB), a well-documented and easy-to-use debugger, then PHP has its XDebug package, both of which provide the most basic debugging features – features – stacks, path mapping, breakpoints and more.

7. Feasibility

Web developers also want to develop the layout or front of their websites and portals with many effective tools along with languages ​​like Bootstrap, CS, Angular, etc. Python here provides a lot of opportunities. It is recommended for developers to apply the same techniques and later be able to combine it with Python code using frameworks.

In this way, designers can easily design the website, while developers find it easy to use through a sophisticated and understandable language like Python. So sure, Python here wins over PHP.

8. Usability

It is striking to consider the architecture of languages ​​before we can guess anything that is beneficial for either language.

The fact that both Python and PHP are object-oriented is translated so that they compress code modules that contain some functions and data in objects. So any developer even familiar with object-oriented programming can use either language.

9. Maturity

With maturity reasons, Python is undoubtedly the winner since it was first introduced by Guido van Rossum in 1989 and was released in 1991. The latest update 3.8.0 was recently released. October 14, 2019. It is the most mature and secure version of the complex IT technologies.

For PHP, it was created in 1994 by Rasmus Lerdorf. Although not as mature as Python, it still creates a market with its features. The first expression of PHP is a simple set of Common Gateway Interface (CGI) binaries written in C language. The latest version of PHP is 7.2.7.

10. Package Management

Speaking of Python, its package managers are effective in organizing code and keeping backups along with version numbers. It helps developers track their progress while helping businesses make regular updates on activities.

However, for PHP with package management, however, it is not suitable for PIP, a tool for managing and installing Python packages. It allows developers to install, upgrade and even uninstall while using various sources for external as well as internal libraries.

11. Popularity in the market

If you want to rate or compare, the popularity of the market tops the list of comparison points, because it shows why developers and programmers love something.

Looking at this chart above, we can surmise that Python is the most searched site on the web in the US compared to PHP.

See that 7,212,664 websites have been developed in PHP and for Python, the number is 146,702. Moreover, PHP is leading in countries like the US, Japan, Germany and more than 150 other countries. In a survey of w3techs.com, PHP is the most popular language based on traffic.

12. Flexibility

Python compared to PHP is obviously flexible because it is an ideal choice for developing websites that integrate with Machine Learning and AI. It comes with lots of libraries supporting these technologies and enabling them to integrate into web applications.

13. Thoughtful design

While comparing PHP with Python for the backend, we found that Python, compared to PHP, is quite easy to grasp. Python has a thoughtful design (refers to the method used to insert code) compared to PHP. This means that developers find backend programming with Python easier than PHP. This is simply because Python is a flexible but powerful programming language, which PHP lacks.

14. Documents

Yes, it was a draw. Both languages ​​have a lot of material spread across the internet. Any beginner can easily find resources and documents related to any aspect of these languages ​​and can get answers to the most complex queries – All Thanks to their community.

15. Environmental management

Speaking of environmental managers, Python is extremely lucky in this regard. There are some great applications for environmental management. One such example is Virtualenv – a system used to install and use multiple Python versions simultaneously and convert them as often as needed easily.

Although PHP also has a similar for Virtualenv called VirtPHP . However, it is recommended to use containers.

16. Ability to learn and approach

Starting with PHP, being a simple language, it is capable of learning quite fast. It's ideal to learn PHP for short-term projects, but if you want to learn something that has long-term benefits, Python is your opponent.

Although it is very easy to learn on PHP, but compared to Python, PHP takes longer because Python is the most readable and easy to understand language. That's because the language uses a much simpler syntax.

17. Community contributions

Both languages ​​enjoy the support of active communities. It is an important aspect for beginners to consider before committing to a specific language, simply because of the suspicious learning process and queries and there is strong support to solve some problem.

However, we must admit that PHP's community support is outstanding, since they actively oppose outdated aspects of the language.

18. Salary and job opportunities

While looking at the salaries of both languages, we found that the average Python developer earns about $ 120,024 per year in the United States. Meanwhile, PHP developers earn an average of $ 86,017 per year.

In fact, as you can see in the screenshot above, Python developers around the globe earn nearly $ 63,000, while PHP is not even on the list accumulated by Stack Flow .

Finally, cafedev made it most explicit – both languages ​​are capable of being different in every way. One person may overtake another in one aspect and may lose in another. Both have their own set of features and functions.

However, Python has emerged as the winner of most comparisons such as documents, job opportunities, salaries, etc.So, depending on your individual language, which language should be studied for long term. future and fit into your project.

frequently asked Questions

Q. Can Python be used for web development?

Yes, Python is one of the most preferred programming languages ​​for web development.

Q. Why prefer python over PHP?

Python has become popular during the day and has become one of the most in demand languages. There are many features of Python that impress and help developers and programmers around the globe, which may be why they prefer it over PHP.

Q. Which Python or PHP is best?

Both programming languages ​​are used by developers and programmers for web development. Both have their pain points and advantages. So the answer to this question is subjective – depending on your project needs.

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Source : CafeDev