Laravel Vs CodeIgniter: Which Is Better?

There are a number of PHP frameworks that can be used to create feature rich websites that help the business succeed. But the problem that persists is the decision you have to make about which framework to choose. 

It is obvious that each framework comes with its own features and benefits. Even then it is definitely hard to choose the framework that will be ideal for your business website.

The only way you can make a decision is  by comparing the frameworks and taking a measure of their differences. And in this article we are going to look at the differences between Laravel and CodeIgniter. 

Both Laravel and CodeIgniter are very popular frameworks within PHP web development. Both these frameworks have huge community of developers supporting them and there is no doubt that when it comes to website development, both frameworks have their own benefits. But what are the differences between the two? Let’s take a look. 

1. Support For PHP 7

PHP 7 has been a major release of the server-side programming language. It came with many new features and enhancements that only improved the web development process and reduced memory consumption. 

While both Laravel and CodeIgniter is known for supporting PHP 7 update, there have been some reports on the issues CodeIgniter developers have been facing when developing and testing CodeIgniter applications on PHP7. while there have been no such reports on Laravel development. 

2. Built-in Modules

It is a common practice among most developers to divide a big complex application into a number of small modules. This way they can simplify the entire process and speed it up at the same time. 

Laravel comes with a built-in modularity feature, enabling the developers to divide up a project into smaller modules. This way they will have a better grasp at the development process of a large website. They can also reuse the modules throughout different projects. 

But with CodeIgniter, the developers don’t get a built-in modularity features. They have to use Modular extensions in order to create and maintain modules. 

Which is why if you have a large and complex project to be built, then you will be better off looking to hire laravel developer.

3. Database Support

When it comes to database support, both frameworks support a number of databases such as- MySQL, Microsoft Bi,PostgreSQL and MangoDB etc. 

But as it turns out, CodeIgniter supports some additional databases such as - ORACLE, IBM DB2, Microsoft SQL Server, orientdb, and JDBC compatible etc. And this is one of the places where codeIgniter vs laravel wins against Laravel framework. 

4. Eloquent ORM

With laravel development services, the developers get the advantage of Eloquent ORM. With the ORM or Object relational mapping, they can use ActiveRecord implementation to work with a number of databases more efficiently than ever. 

With CodeIgniter, you don’t get the same advantage of having an Eloquent ORM system. And that is why you should hire dedicated laravel developer for your project, because with the application of ORM, the developers will be able to interact with the databases directly through specific models of individual database tables. 

5. Built-in Template Engine

Laravel has an integrated template engine that is both simple and robust. This template engine, Blade, enables the developers to optimize the design and performance .

CodeIgniter on the other hand does not come with any in-built template engine. The developers have to integrate template engines into the framework to complete the common tasks.

6. Rest API Development

With the RESTful Controllers provided by Laravel, the developers can build Rest APIs with minimum effort and time. With this they would be able to build custom REST APIs without having to write any code. 

CodeIgniter doesn’t have any special features like this and the developers will have to write additional code to build the custom APIs while developing web apps with CodeIgniter.

7. Learning Curve

As a framework, Laravel comes with better and more features than CodeIgniter. And that’s why Laravel developers have to put in more effort into learning how to use all those features to the best of their ability and create best web application. And that is why when you are looking to hire laravel expert, you have to make sure that they know all about Laravel framework before you hire them. 

CodeIgniter on the other hand is easier to use for beginners because it has a smaller set of feature and therefore it is less complex. And that’s why beginners find it easier to learn and use CodeIgniter.

Making the choice is not easy, but at the same time choosing one among both CodeIgniter. However, with our help and this article, make sure that you choose the right platform for your website.