Quick Summary:  The latest survey by W3Techs reveals that PHP powers 79% of all websites, despite claims within the tech community that PHP is declining. This sparks debate around the tools and frameworks commonly used in PHP projects. Most programming languages have a flagship framework, like Django for Python and Express for Node.js. For PHP, the leading framework is Laravel.

Laravel stands out among PHP frameworks. Our company builds PHP projects for clients using Laravel for custom PHP web development. Choosing the right tech stack can be challenging, so we want to provide an overview of why Laravel is a good option. Rather than focus on Laravel’s downsides, here are 10 reasons to choose the Laravel framework. What makes Laravel better than alternatives? Let’s find out!

What is the Laravel framework?

Why use a PHP framework such as Laravel? But before getting into that, let’s first define what exactly a framework is in programming and how it can be useful. 

In software development, a framework is a piece of reusable code that is designed to assist developers in creating applications. It provides specific functions that programmers can utilize to expand capabilities and improve performance. So the purpose of a framework like Laravel is to save developers from having to reinvent the wheel by giving them ready-made solutions. These solutions range from helping with common tasks like routing, authentication, sessions, and caching, to providing powerful tools required for building large and robust applications. In other words, frameworks aim to alleviate the need for developers to code basic features from scratch each time, allowing them to focus on their app’s unique requirements.

Laravel emerged in 2011 as an open-source web application development framework that implements the model-view-controller pattern. Since its inception, Laravel has brought numerous benefits to the table and gained tremendous traction. As of 2020, Laravel is by far the most popular PHP framework on GitHub with over 60,000 stars. Comparatively, Symfony, the second most starred PHP framework on GitHub, has only around one-third as many stars despite debuting 4 years earlier. Likewise, CodeIgniter has a mere 18,000 stars, and other PHP frameworks have even lower adoption. Laravel’s current dominance indicates it has become the framework of choice for web developers worldwide.

Why Laravel: Top 10 advantages of the framework

The Model-View-Controller architectural pattern support:  One of the foremost reasons for Laravel’s immense popularity compared to other PHP frameworks is its adherence to ideal development practices. A prime example is its implementation of the model-view-controller (MVC) software architectural pattern. The separation of concerns between model (logic) and view (presentation) facilitated by the controller leads to enhanced performance, improved documentation legibility, and more. In short, Laravel’s use of the MVC pattern, which promotes a clear distinction between business logic and presentation, is a major factor behind its widespread adoption compared to other PHP frameworks.

Object-oriented libraries: The Laravel framework does not just allow for structuring code in line with the principles of MVC. This framework also has a straightforward, visually appealing syntax that makes Laravel object-oriented. Working with this PHP framework, developers also get more than 20 pre-installed modular and object-oriented libraries and secondary tools for developing robust web applications. Empowered by them, software developers can adopt the latest principles of the PHP language to facilitate responsive and modular web app development.

Some of Laravel’s individual modules are so exclusive that they cannot be found in most other PHP frameworks. For example, Laravel’s authentication library allows for ensuring the security of databases with the help of features like encryption and CSRF protection.

The command-line interface Command-line interface (CLI) programs are interactive tools that give developers access to functions and services to more easily carry out programming and maintenance tasks. These programs work with plain text commands, providing capabilities to install, update, and generally make the development process more robust. Artisan is the CLI tool included with Laravel. 

By incorporating a CLI, the creators of Laravel built on existing solutions rather than creating something entirely new. In software frameworks, it’s common to adopt best practices from other frameworks. Artisan is an example, as it is powered by Symfony Console under the hood. So Artisan CLI represents a successful integration of proven concepts from other frameworks into Laravel.

Laravel’s templating engine: Laravel’s Blade templating engine is another reason why many consider it one of the top PHP frameworks. Simply put, Blade enables the creation of reusable, class-based components called templates to build website layouts. The main goal is to produce great layouts by taking advantage of dynamic content. 

Template engines are frequently used in programming to process code in source templates and output the results into a text file or stream. Blade allows Laravel developers to make templated components that can be reused anywhere in a Laravel application. This facilitates building excellent layouts through the power of dynamic content insertion.

Effective ORM and database management: The Laravel framework utilizes an Object Relational Mapping (ORM) system called Eloquent. This is a major plus when choosing a PHP framework. Eloquent is integrated into Laravel and is considered the best ORM among PHP frameworks. 

Firstly, the Eloquent ORM simplifies interacting with application databases. It acts as a fluent, easy-to-use abstract interface for running database queries. Additionally, database migration is a highly sought-after capability in Laravel. Many will be pleased with how well it streamlines query execution and models relationships between different database entities.

Adequate support for effective unit testing: Laravel comes with built-in support for running unit tests against PHP code. The framework includes testing capabilities out of the box. It has tests to prevent regressions in the framework itself. Notably, developers can execute unit tests through the Artisan command line tool. 

In essence, Laravel integrates with PHPUnit, a popular PHP unit testing library. The phpunit.xml file is set up automatically to enable unit testing. Laravel runs tests on the Feature and Unit directories. Feature tests are for larger codebases with multiple objects. Unit tests are for small pieces of code. By using PHPUnit, Laravel developers can explicitly test specific application features. With Laravel, developers don’t need third-party tools for Feature and Unit testing. Both types of tests are natively supported. This allows constant monitoring, which is important for software quality control.

Routing in the Laravel framework: In essence, whenever a server gets a request, a particular process is started to respond to that request. This procedure is referred to as routing. And to be honest, the routing functionality in Laravel is outstanding. 

To begin with, the code for routing in Laravel is very straightforward. It’s neat and simple, particularly when juxtaposed with the code utilized in other frameworks for routing. The route can be initialized in the application with ample adaptability and control to correlate to the URL. This contributes to the lucidity and effortlessness of how routes are characterized.

Security is Laravel’s primary concern: Web application security is one of the major concerns for businesses today. In response, the creators of popular web development frameworks are prioritizing security features. Laravel, for example, has several built-in tools to help developers build more secure apps. User authentication, password hashing, encryption, and route protection are central to Laravel’s security approach. 

Specifically, Laravel generates a cross-site request forgery token with each login attempt to prevent unauthorized access. It also leverages the bcrypt algorithm via the Hash facade to securely create and store encrypted passwords. Overall, Laravel aims to safeguard code integrity and restrict improper access through its array of security measures. With web threats growing, frameworks like Laravel are critical for developers to easily implement robust security protections in their web applications.

Laravel is 100% open source: Upon initially researching Laravel online, one of the first facts you will uncover is that this framework is proud of its open-source nature. And for good reason. 

The open-source status of Laravel provides many benefits to its users:

Complete transparency and teamwork in how the framework is built.

Backing of a passionate community of Laravel developers.

Regular additions of new modules and plugins.

Removal of any uncertainties when required.

Numerous tutorials were created by a huge and expanding community.

Far more flexibility, customization, and expansion potential than other frameworks.

Access to solutions for any issues you face, provided by Laravel experts around the world.

Perfect for enterprise solutions: Laravel is designed to provide PHP developers with the versatility to build anything from small sites to massive business applications. This summarizes why developers would enjoy creating enterprise apps with Laravel:

Laravel has a dynamic community of robust features that strengthen enterprise software projects.

It leverages routing to connect with conventional relational databases like MySQL and has built-in tools to support such connectivity. 

The Laravel framework aims for expressive, elegant syntax.

It has a vast library of diverse plugins and modules that empower developers always to be quick and high-performing.

Laravel provides capabilities that assist in deploying and managing your PHP web application.

Conclusion  

Laravel is one of the best PHP frameworks for websites and applications because it has many advanced features. Laravel supports the Model-View-Controller architecture, object-oriented code libraries, command line interface tools, a robust template system, an included object-relational mapper, simplified unit testing abilities, protected routing, and a focus on safety in its software architecture. Laravel has many sophisticated characteristics that make it an exceptional framework. If our explanation of Laravel’s strengths resonates with you, we suggest seriously thinking about bringing experienced Laravel programmers onto your project. With their expertise, you’ll be poised to leverage the framework’s capabilities that we outlined. The team at Brain Inventory would love to help find top Laravel talent to join or build out your group for constructing an excellent PHP web app. We’re excited to support you in assembling a dream team to create something great with Laravel.