{"id":145,"date":"2016-06-28T06:04:47","date_gmt":"2016-06-28T06:04:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.a2design.biz\/?p=145"},"modified":"2024-02-13T09:20:13","modified_gmt":"2024-02-13T09:20:13","slug":"why-we-use-laravel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.a2design.biz\/blog\/why-we-use-laravel\/","title":{"rendered":"Why We Use Laravel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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For the last ten years, we\u2019ve been involved in quite a few small- and large-scale projects. This has allowed us to work with various PHP frameworks and different content management systems including CakePHP<\/a>, Zend<\/a>, Laravel<\/a>, CodeIgniter<\/a>, Yii<\/a>, Symfony<\/a>, WordPress<\/a>, Drupal<\/a>, Joomla<\/a>, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, unless you\u2019re tech-savvy and have already dealt with software development, it\u2019s very likely that different web frameworks along with their distinctive features, pros, and cons mean very little to you. However, once you start working with us, you\u2019ll hear these terms pretty often; so let me fill you in on everything you need to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a web framework?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A web framework is a set of components that are designed to simplify the web development process. It incorporates basic structuring tools that serve as a solid base for the project. A framework makes development more efficient and secure. It lets developers focus on the most important details and the goals of the project instead of creating things that can be simply pulled out of the framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apart from all these pros, there\u2019s probably only one con: It\u2019s too easy to get lost in the variety of frameworks. That said, each one has it\u2019s own limitations and rules; as such, it is important that you use a framework that is right for your project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Journey: From CakePHP to Laravel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By 2013, we had been working with CakePHP framework for nearly six years, and it started to feel like it was time to switch to something new. We didn\u2019t have a specific issue with CakePHP; it had served us well. However, new technologies and trends had been emerging in the web development world and, eventually, we had to let CakePHP go and replace it with a new generation PHP framework: Laravel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laravel was created by Taylor Otwell back in 2011 and, since its release, it has taken the web development community by storm. Perhaps nothing can illustrate the success of Laravel better that some Google Trends reports (Thanks, Google!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get to the heart of the facts, we took five of the most popular PHP frameworks (Laravel, CodeIgniter, Yii, CakePHP and Symfony) and compared them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we already know, Laravel framework was released in 2011. The graph below depicts Laravel\u2019s increase in popularity throughout its existence. While it started very small, it took just a couple of years for it to overtake its competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 years Google trends report<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

And this graph from the past 12 months shows how Laravel compares to its main competitors<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do people love Laravel so much? And why does A2 Design love it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let me list a few points:<\/p>\n\n\n\n