Top 5 Php Frameworks to be included in the Best of 2025 List
What is a Framework?
In computer programming, a software framework is an abstraction in which software, providing generic functionality, can be selectively changed by additional user-written code, thus providing application-specific software. It provides a standard way to build and deploy applications and is a universal, reusable software environment that provides particular functionality as part of a larger software platform to facilitate the development of software applications, products and solutions.
A PHP framework is a pre-built platform that provides a foundation and tools for building web applications with PHP programming language. These frameworks aim to streamline development by offering standardized conventions, reusable components, and a modular architecture.
Top 5 PHP Frameworks for Web Development
In the following article, we will talk about the best php frameworks that should be in the top 5 for 2025.
1. Symfony
Symfony is a free and open-source PHP web application framework and a set of reusable PHP component libraries. It was published as free software on October 18, 2005, and released under the MIT License.
Features
- 50+ decoupled components easily installable using Composer.
- Supports a diverse set of databases — MySql, Oracle, PostgreSQL, SQLite, SQL Server, and SAP Sybase.
- Twig templating engine for handling views.
- Provides a command-line interface (CLI) called Symfony Console to create custom commands to perform various tasks, such as generating code, running migrations, and more.
- Integrates with the Doctrine Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) system to use PHP objects with databases.
- Highly flexible and customizable.
- Mature ecosystem with a large developer community.
- Supports testing through PHPUnit.
2. Laravel
Laravel is a web application framework with expressive, elegant syntax. We’ve already laid the foundation — freeing you to create without sweating the small things.
Features
- Built-in access management.
- Integrate with popular email services like Amazon SES, sendmail, etc.
- Built-in Eloquent ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) to convert data between incompatible type systems.
- Middleware to filter HTTP requests entering the application.
- Routing that allows developers to map HTTP requests to specific controller actions.
- Reverse routing to generate URLs dynamically on the basis of their route name.
- Blade templating engine for designing templates.
- RESTful controllers for request handling.
- Built-in PHPUnit Testing.
- Real-Time broadcasting with Laravel Echo for building features like live chat, notifications, and other real-time updates.
3. Laminas
Laminas Project (formerly Zend Framework or ZF) is an open source, object-oriented web application framework implemented in PHP 7 and licensed under the New BSD License.[3] The framework is basically a collection of professional PHP[4]-based packages.[5] The framework uses various packages by the use of Composer as part of its package dependency managers; some of them are PHPUnit for testing all packages, Travis CI for continuous Integration Services. Laminas provides to users a support of the model–view–controller (MVC) in combination with Front Controller solution.[6] MVC implementation in Laminas has five main areas. The router and dispatcher functions to decide which controller to run based on data from URL, and controller functions in combination with the model and view to develop and create the final web page.[5]
On 17 April 2019 it was announced[7] that the framework is transitioning into an open source project hosted by the Linux Foundation to be known as Laminas.
Features
- Event-driven flexible MVC framework for building scalable PHP applications.
- Extensive databases include MySQL, MS SQL Server, Oracle, MariaDB, IBMDB2, PostgreSQL, etc.
- Provides better security.
- Provides components for dependency injection, caching, form validations, PubSubHubbub(WebSub) interactions, logging, routing, pagination, session management, diagnostic tests, event dispatchers, feed parsers, etc.
- Some noteworthy components apart from the usual ones are:
- ‘Laminas-log’ — is a PSR-3 compliant logger with support for filtering and formatting.
- ‘Laminas-form’ for implementing complex forms, casting them into business objects.
- ‘Laminas-math’ for generating cryptographic numbers.
- ‘Laminas-session’ for object-oriented interface to session & storage.
- ‘Laminas-cache’ for caching implementations and codified caching storage strategies for callbacks.
- ‘Laminas-db’ is used for database abstraction and SQL operations.
- ‘Laminas-xml2json’ is used to convert XML documents to JSON format.
- ‘Laminas-SOAP’ is used to create SOAP applications and interact with them.
4. Mezzio
The beauty of Mezzio is we designed it around PHP-FIG, the framework interop group, their standard recommendations that they have put out. So it’s using the standard HTTP messages, standard middleware, standard HTTP message factories — and anything else you want to put in there. While we provide dependency injection container integration, you can use any dependency injection container you want — whether it’s one from Symfony, one we produce with our service manager, or even PHPDI.
You can do the same for templating, logging, and all of that. The great thing is that it doesn’t lock you in to any one framework, and allows you to develop exactly the application you need to deliver value with your business.
Mezzio is a really nice tool for writing microservices because you can design exactly the workflows you need, and make them as lean as you want them. This makes them an ideal candidate for APIs, which microservices essentially are, so they’re going to be very fast, simple to write, and they’re going to give you all the tools you need in order to do the exact workflow you need for that particular service.
Features
- Easy to Use and Modern Architecture
- PSR15 Middlewares
- Routing
- i18n Support
- PSR-11 Container
- Flexible Templating
- Modularity
- Error Handling
- Extensive databases include MySQL, MS SQL Server, Oracle, MariaDB, IBMDB2, PostgreSQL, etc.
- Provides better security.
- Provides components for dependency injection, caching, form validations, PubSubHubbub(WebSub) interactions, logging, routing, pagination, session management, diagnostic tests, event dispatchers, feed parsers, etc.
- Best choose for Microservices.
5. Olobase
Olobase is an Open Source full-stack developer framework designed to create fast and easy web applications using Vue.js — Php technologies with allows extensive customizations.
The framework contains Vue 3 + Vuetify + PHP + MYSQL + Redis tech stacks.
If you want an architecture-ready framework, you should check out this full-featured solution combined with Vue and PHP.
Features
- Integration Ready Vue.js / Vuetify.js Components
- Mezzio PHP Rest API for Backend
- Built in JWT Authentication
- Built in Roles & Permission Management for Authorization
- Layouts
- Plugins
- Input and Fields
- Data Providers
- Built in Data Grid Colum Filters
- i18n Support
- Authentication Providers
- Resource Management
- Community and Ticket Support