Laravel vs Symfony: The Best PHP Framework for Developers in 2024?

Which is better: Laravel or Symfony?

This is the most-asked question when it comes to web development in 2024.

Laravel and Symfony are both popular PHP frameworks used for web development. While both these web frameworks are fast, scalable, convenient and robust for dynamic website applications, there are distinct features that make developers opt for one over the other based on project scope.

This blog on Laravel vs Symfony identifies the differences, weighs their features, functionalities, benefits, development ease, and more for modern web development.

If you are a web developer, this article will help you find the right framework between Laravel and Symfony PHP frameworks for the next website you are set to develop.

What is Laravel? Its Features

Laravel is a free, open source PHP framework with a rich set of features. It is based on the MVC (Model View Controller) architecture and is developed using the attributes of Symfony.

Laravel is a simplified framework and ensures a rapid development process, hence, is most chosen for building small and medium-size web applications.

Laravel 10 is the latest version and was released on Feb 14,2023. It is a beginner-friendly framework compared to Symfony. Laravel reuses the elements of existing frameworks and requires less configuration time to build a web application.

Also, it is easily adaptable by enterprises of any size and can be dependent across use cases for consistent performance.

Best Feature Highlights of Laravel

1.Supports MVC Structure

Laravel adheres to the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design pattern which creates a separation between the interface and the functionality layers. This helps developers build clean, maintainable code using Laravel.

2.Quick In-Built Authentication

In Laravel, features like user registration, login, password resets, and user roles are readily available. Hence, fast authentication is possible for developing web applications by saving development time significantly.

3.Eloquent ORM

Laravel’s eloquent ORM (Object Relational Mapper) makes it easy to communicate with the database with an object oriented approach. The elegant PHP syntax can be used to interact with the database. Ultimately, developers can build complex web applications in a reduced time.

4.Blade Template Engine

With Laravel’s blade template engine, writing syntax is simplified. You can use it to embed PHP code within your HTML templates for dynamic content generation.

5.Easy Unit Tests

Laravel is a preferred framework for developers for its effortless unit testing features. It can perform as many unit tests as needed for any new build or scenario. This helps figure out early bugs, so you can maintain clean code without disrupting the flow of the rest of the web application built.

Benefits of Choosing Laravel PHP Framework

1.Build Static & Dynamic Web Pages

Laravel is best suited for creation of both static and dynamic websites and for engaging user experiences in the latter.

2.Single Page Applications (SPA) & Multi Page Applications

You can create rich and responsive SPAs and MPAs with responsive web pages using Laravel framework. In both cases, the development process is simple and improved SEO with techniques like Server-Side Rendering (SSR).

3.e-Commerce Applications

With Laravel, launch responsive ecommerce apps with user management, product catalogs, shopping carts, secure payment processing, and order fulfillment.

4.Content Management Systems

Laravel’s structure is ideal for creating custom CMS solutions. It allows for user-friendly content creation, editing, and management, making it easy to maintain dynamic websites.

5.Any Enterprise Level Apps & Web Portals

Complex enterprise applications and web portals like employee portals, and other forums should support high user traffic and foster data security, which Laravel can offer as a secure PHP framework.

Popular Apps Built on Laravel

Invoice Ninja, Alison, Barchart, MyRank, Alphacoders

What is Symfony? Its Features

Symfony is a powerful framework with reusable PHP components to build web applications, APIs, microservices, and web services. The first version of Symfony was released on Oct 18, 2005 and most leveraged by web developers to build scalable and efficient web pages. In fact, Symfony as a framework was majorly built to speed up the development process.

When it comes to building complex web applications with interactive pages, Symfony is the first choice for developers. It follows the MVC architecture and clubs 50+ standalone components that can be readily used for web app development.

Symfony can be quickly adopted by developers and has a stable reputation. It is also built for the use of best practices and undergoes ongoing improvement. Symfony closely aligns with the de facto standards of PHP and is highly interoperable.

Best Feature Highlights of Symfony

1.MVC Architecture

By following the MVC design, Symfony eases code organization, maintainability, and testability. This approach makes Symfony most ideal for scalable and high-performing web development, enabling developers to add or modify features effortlessly.

2.URI Routing

Symfony’s robust routing component defines how URLs map to specific controllers and actions within your application. This allows for clean and flexible URL structures. It is so efficient and flexible that it is adopted by many PHP frameworks as well.

3.Twig Templating

Symfony uses user-friendly template engines like Twig which helps to write clear and performing templates easily and efficiently for creating dynamic web pages. These engines simplify the process of separating logic from presentation.

4.Form Handling

The best highlight about using Symfony is its simplified form creation validation, and processing. With intuitive syntax and tools, Symfony assists with processing submitted form data, reducing development time.

5.High-Quality Documentation

The Symfony community is large with over 600,000 developers globally. The framework is backed by extensive and well-written documentation. There are detailed guides that cover various aspects of framework usage, making it easy to learn and master.

Benefits of Choosing Symfony PHP Framework

1.Speedy Development

Symfony streamlines and speeds up the development process significantly. It has a vast library of pre-built components with a powerful command-line interface (CLI) called Symfony Console which accelerates web development.

2.Flexibility

Based on the project needs, Symfony helps keep the web application lightweight and efficient, focusing on essential resources and functionalities.

3.Performance-rich Features

Symfony includes features like optimized routing, robust caching mechanisms, and performance monitoring tools. These features work together to enhance application responsiveness and ensure efficient performance under heavy traffic.

4.Handle Heavy Databases

With Symfony, web applications with heavy database interactivity can be handled responsively. Also, Symfony prioritizes security to protect your application from database vulnerabilities.

5.Easy Configuration of Code

The component-based architecture enables Symfony to excel in interoperability, allowing it to seamlessly integrate with various external libraries and frameworks.

Popular Apps Built on Symfony

Spotify, Trivago, BlaBlaCar, Dailymotion, Vogue

Laravel Vs Symfony for Web Development: The Best PHP Framework?

The Verdict

2024 is all about rich and responsive web applications that businesses can make the maximum ROI from. As a developer, it is vital to understand client needs to deliver web applications that navigate smoothly, interact seamlessly with databases and deliver an exceptional user experience.

Both Laravel and Symfony are excellent PHP frameworks that accelerate web app development processes with rich pre-built components. But, what makes them different is the efficiency to handle larger web applications and stability of the websites to handle a large user base. Laravel wins when speedy development is a priority, the project scope is well defined, making it easier for developers new to PHP frameworks.

On the other hand, Symfony is the ideal option if you need a highly scalable and complex application, your project requires long-term maintainability and security, and you as a developer or your team has experience with component-based frameworks.