Top PHP Alternatives you need to know

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By Vijay Singh Khatri

Php is one of the old programming languages that were developed to help people create web applications and web pages. Since its inception, the programming language has gone through a tremendous number of changes and upgrades. However, PHP has its own limitations and challenges, which a developer has to face when working with it on a project. One of the main issues people face when using PHP is that it is more of a forgiving language than a focused language.

Just like JavaScript, PHP allows developers to define the variable types, which also results in errors in the code if the developers are not vigilant enough to find it out during the writing of the code. Moreover, PHP is interpreted and not compiled, and as a result, it is pretty slow in execution. So, keeping these in mind, today we will show you some of the best PHP alternatives you can use to make your programming a bit more efficient and easier to write. In addition to this, we will also talk about how PHP is different from other programming languages and about its benefits and disadvantages. So let’s get it started, shall we?

What Is Php?

Php is a programming language that works on the principle of an open-source server-side scripting language. The use of PHP can be found in a number of web development projects all over the globe. In addition to this, it is a general-purpose language that can be used to do projects, including Graphical User Interface (GUI). The abbreviation Php stands for Personal Home Page. But in recent years, it has changed to Hypertext Preprocessor. As a result, the full meaning doesn’t follow the meaning that is present in the abbreviation.

PHP uses the Zend engine, which is considered the most popular implementation of the Zend engine. You can find some other deployments as well, such as Parrot, HPVM, and Hip Hop, which Facebook creates. PHP is widely loved and used for making web servers. You can run PHP on the command line and in a web browser as well. So if you don’t want to show your output on a command line, you can easily display it in a browser. Php only started out as a small project which included more and more people as people started finding out how useful it was. Rasmus Lerdorf created the first-ever version of PHP that was released to the public in 1994.

History of Php

Many people don’t know this, but Php is the successor of a product named Php/Fl. The first-ever PHP modules were a simple Common Gateway Interface (CGI) set. This was written in the C programming language. The primary use of Php/Fl during that time was to track down the visits of users to Rasmus Lerdorf’s online resume. He named the suite scripts “Personal Home Page Tools.” which is now called “PHP Tools.” With time, there were more functionalities that needed to be added to the Php toolkit, which resulted in the much larger and richer implementation of Php over time. With the integration of new tools, Php was able to use database interaction.

Giving users the ability to develop simple, dynamic web applications like a guestbook or more Rasmus released the Php source code to the public in June 1995, giving developers the ability to shape the Php to their needs and use it as they saw fit. Moreover, this resulted in developers making fixes to the bugs and errors that were common in Php code, and it will generally improve the source code of the programming language.

Php 3.0 was the version that is pretty similar to the PHP that we use today. Andi Gutmans and Zeev Suraski of Tel Aviv, Israel, were working on a project, and they found a lot of features missing from PHP 2.0. So they began to rewrite the complete code of Php in 1997. Following that, the duo decides to work with Rasmus on the development of an independent programming language that will be released under the new name and without the implication of the personal user name of Php/Fi 2.0.All three of the developers agreed to name their new programming language simply “Php,” and that’s how we got the Php.

Benefits of Php

A developer has a wide range of understanding of various scripting languages, but most of them tend to favour PHP, and there are several reasons for doing so. Some of them are written down below for you to know why PHP is still considered to be at the forefront of website development.

Simple To Learn

It is considered to be the most accessible scripting language that will get you up and running with web development. Php doesn’t require users to have intensive knowledge of programming. The syntax of Php is quite logical and well-organized. In addition to this, you will have no problem understanding the command functions, as each of the functions will let the developer know what type of functioning they will be performing. As a result, many developers use it for the creation and optimization of applications.

Flexible

Php is pretty flexible when it comes to developing a project and optimising it after completion. When it comes to a scripting language, flexibility is one of the essential features that make the language stand out. The functionality can be changed at any time during the course of a project, but with PHP, developers don’t need to worry about making massive changes to the project’s source code. A developer won’t need to write new code or command functions as changes to the existing code and functions can be made with ease.

Easy integration

Php works with the vast majority of the operating systems that are present on the market right now. You can use it with Mac OS, Linux, Microsoft servers, and Windows as well. You can also integrate it with other technologies without any extra effort and use it to make applications more manageable.

Cost-Efficient

As we said before, PHP is an open-source programming language, meaning it is entirely free to use in any way a user wants. Moreover, you don’t need to buy expensive software or a licence to make it work. You can use PHP to work with MySQL, Apache, and PostgreSQL databases. With the use of PHP, the cost of developing a website becomes a bare minimum.

Limitations of Php

Though it does have a number of advantages, you can still find it hard to use due to some libraries being written in procedural programming languages, and when a user wants to integrate it with their OOP-based project, they will run into tonnes of errors and other issues. Apart from this, the limitations listed below are the ones that make developers look for Php alternatives to use in their projects.

Security

Since Php is an open-source programming language, everyone can see its source code. As a result, anyone can look at the bugs and exploit them to their advantage. So when you are working with PHP, you need to make changes to the source code or mould it according to your needs so the bugs in the public source code won’t be present in your project. This is a tedious task, and only an advanced Php programmer is able to make these changes with proficiency.

Not Recommended for Complex Applications

Php is not the ideal programming language when you are thinking about making a complex and higher-level application. The main reason behind this limitation is that PHP isn’t highly modular. Thus, when you are working with complex applications, it becomes tough to maintain the PHP modules, and you will waste a lot of time assembling them in the right way.

Poor error handling

The framework of Php comes with a poor error handling method, and it is not a proper solution for developers. So, when using PHP, you must overcome this limitation on your own and find a solution that fits your project’s requirements.

Top 7 Php Alternatives In Programming Language

We believe that was enough introduction to the Php programming language; now, let’s move on to this article’s main event, which is the list of the top 7 Php alternatives that will help you find a solution to common Php limitations and disadvantages.

1. Node.Js

Well, the first one should have been a no-brainer for most of the developers. Node.js is like the big brother of PHP. Whatever PHP can’t do, Node.js can do, and with much better efficiency than any other programming language. Node.js is a server-side JavaScript execution environment. With the use of Node.js, you can take advantage of JavaScript programming on server-side development. Node.js isn’t as popular as PHP, but slowly it is claiming the throne as the best server-side programming language.

The main reason behind the use of Node.JS is its ability to run asynchronous code on the server-side. This will increase the performance of the server. Moreover, most of the websites and web-based applications developed these days use JavaScript to make them more interactive. Thus, you don’t need to install any additional tools to run the JS code for your project.

Features

  • All the libraries that are present in Node. Js are asynchronous in nature, which means they are non-blocking. The server is built using Node. Java doesn’t have to wait for the data to arrive from the API.
  • Node.js works with the single-threaded architecture that comes with event looping. This results in servers being easily scalable when needed.
  • Node.js uses a V8 JavaScript runtime motor, which Google Chrome also uses. The hub provides a wrapper for JavaScript motors, which results in making the runtime execution process data much faster.

2. Ruby

Ruby is another programming language that has gained a lot of developer loyalty over the last couple of years. It is object-oriented programming that comes with the feature of memory management on its own. The framework used by Ruby is pretty much dynamic in nature as well. It doesn’t talk directly to the hardware of the system; it is written in a text file and then parsed by an interpreter, which turns the text into code.

The programmes written in Ruby are procedural in nature, as they are read from top to bottom. Likewise, the object-oriented methods of writing code allow developers to reuse specific parts of the code in the same programme or even in other applications as well. You can’t really talk about Ruby without adding in Rails. Ruby on Rails is an application framework that made Ruby come to the limelight and boosted its popularity.

Features

  • Ruby comes with mixins, which is like inheritance, but it is much more flexible in nature. The Mixin is like a single inheritance feature only. As a result, modules can also be a part of a class.
  • There is no need to declare variables as, most of the time, you will be using regular English language keywords with some form of punctuation to make the code work.
  • A constant variable isn’t constant in Ruby; if the constant is modified in a script, it will present a warning but still allow the programme to run.
  • You can use methods in Ruby, and they can even ask for the question mark “?” or an exclamation point “!”

3. Python

Python is more of a general-purpose programming language that can be used in a wide variety of projects. It comes with the addition of high-level data structures, dynamic typing, dynamic binding, and other features, which makes it more useful when dealing with complex application development. Moreover, a developer can make calls to almost all the different types of operating systems and can also make it run the code in C and C++. With its ability to run on every system architecture and its ubiquity, Python has become a universal language that can be found in various applications.

Features

  • Python comes with the added benefit of third-party modules.
  • Depending on the requirements, extensive library support can be used in a project.
  • Most of the development that takes place in the source code of Python is done by the community due to Python’s being an open-source programming language.
  • The code written in Python is portable and even interactive.
  • Lastly, it gives developers the opportunity to work closely with the Internet of Things (IoT).

4. C#

C# is a programming language that Microsoft develops, and the majority of the applications developed by them run on C#. The syntax of C# is pretty much identical to C. As a result, any programmer who has knowledge of C can easily use it to create an application. C # also works flawlessly with the net framework. There are tonnes of libraries that the. The Net framework provides extensions that can be used with C# to make it a more well-developed language. C# is basically a logical programming language, and it comes with all the paradigms that the industry standard requires. C# can also be used with any non-Windows programming language, and it can run on various other operating platforms like Linux and Mac OS. If you want to develop an application specifically for Windows, then C# is the best way to go as it requires no additional libraries to complete the development.

Features

  • C# is also a part of Microsoft Visual Studio 7.0.
  • With the implementation of C #, you get the raw power of C++ and the high productivity of Visual Basic.
  • The classes and data types of C# will remain the same for all the different versions of the.Net language.
  • You don’t have to worry about memory management, pointers, and other issues that are pretty standard in C++.
  • Lastly, it comes with the support of garbage collection, automatic memory management, and other high-level programming language features to ease the code-writing pressure on developers.

5. Go

Go is one of the well-known procedural programming languages and was developed in 2007 by Robert Griesmer, Rob Pike, and Ken Thompson, who worked at Google. The language, even though created in 2007, was not released until 2009 as an open-source programming language. When developers are using it, they use a number of packages together to form the application. This results in inefficient management of dependencies. In addition to this, you are also getting support for the environment by adopting patterns. You can even do most of its programmes using online IDEs such as Go Playground and others. They will make the application run even without installing it.

Features

  • Go is a compiled language, which means that the code is written directly into the file, and then it gets translated into various formats that the processor can understand; this makes the programs written in it fast in execution.
  • Go is also easy to learn; if you have a solid knowledge of Java and C, you can quickly understand the workings of Go.
  • Go comes with the support of concurrency; it comes with goroutines, which are basically functions that can run independently alongside each other.
  • Go is considered to be one of the most in-demand programming languages, and a person who knows how to handle its code can get a job in no time.

6. Perl

Perl is more like a family of script programming languages, and it has a similar syntax to that of the C language. It is pretty old, is open-source, and can be used for creating general-purpose programs. The main idea behind the creation of Perl was to develop a language that has greater usability. With its efficient design, a developer can do a lot by just writing a little bit of code. There are a number of features and advantages that gave it the nickname “the Swiss Army Chainsaw of the internet.” Perl is easy to learn in comparison to other structured languages like C and C++. Nonetheless, it is a language that was developed to make advanced applications and common gateway interfaces (CGI).

Features

  • Perl stands for Practical Extraction and Reporting Language, which shows us that Perl is a high-text manipulation programming language that can generate reports from various text files with ease.
  • Perl contains some of the best features that are present in other programming languages; some of them are C, sed, awk, sh, etc.
  • Perl can be embedded into web servers in order to increase its processing power, and it also comes with the DBI package.

7. Scala

Scala is one of those programming languages that comes with the support of both object-oriented and functional styles of programming, which can be used for larger-scale projects. Scala is also a strong, static type of programming language, which is somehow influenced by Java. One of the significant similarities between Java and Scala is that you can write the code later in the same way you write the code for Java. You can even use a number of Java libraries with Scala along with third-party libraries.

  • With the use of Scala, your code will be more concise, readable, and error-free.
  • The writing of code is much simpler, and debugging can be done quickly.
  • With functional programming, you get to approach the same problem from a different angle.
  • You can use Scala to parallelize your tasks.
  • A number of third-party libraries can be used for doing a specific job, and they can be part of the code in the form of language constructs.

Wrapping Up

So these are the top 7 PHP alternatives you can try to write your code with. Php, even though it is described as a general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development, still can’t manage to outperform its competitor. Indeed, it is an easy language to learn, but if you want to build a complex website for yourself or for your clients,

Then choosing the PHP alternatives will be a much better option for you. We hope this article helped you to find out which one of the programming languages suits your requirements the most. If there is any other language you want us to add here, then feel free to mention it in the comment section. Happy coding.

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