How does Symfony perform as compared to other PHP Frameworks?

Unlike other programming languages, PHP was originally designed with built-in web development capabilities. The latest version of PHP further provides several new features while delivering enhanced speed and consuming less memory. But the smart web developers still use PHP frameworks to avail a variety of libraries, utility modules, ORM, and code security. The developers also have option to use open source PHP frameworks to build web applications rapidly without increasing project overheads.

Each web developer can choose from several open source PHP frameworks including Laravel, Symfony, CakePHP, Yii, CodeIgniter, Phalcon, Zend Framework, and Nette. But the usage statistics posted on various websites indicate that many web developers prefer Symfony to other PHP frameworks. In addition to being an open source PHP framework, Symfony is also designed as a set of reusable and decoupled components. Hence, the web developers have option to use specific Symfony components according to the specific needs of each project. There are also a number of features that make Symfony different from other PHP frameworks.

What Makes Symfony Different from other PHP Frameworks?

Enhanced Performance

At present, Laravel is the only PHP framework which is more popular than Symfony. But the smart web developers prefer Symfony to Laravel due to its enhanced performance and speed. According to a number of studies, Symfony 2 is three times faster than both Symfony 1.4 and Zend Framework. Also, it simplifies development of modern web applications by providing several useful features and tools.

MVC Architecture Support

Like other modern PHP frameworks, Symfony also supports model-view-controller (MVC) architecture. The developers can take advantage of MVC architecture to make the web application development process modular. Also, they can simplify and speedup development of large web applications by keeping the business logic and presentation layers separate. Also, MVC architecture makes the web application maintainable, and enables users to add new functionalities without putting extra time and effort.

Choose from 30 Standalone Components

The web developers have option to use 30 standalone components provided by Symfony. Normally, the Symfony components are decoupled and reusable PHP libraries that provide a standard foundation for PHP application development. The programmers also have option to use the components independently from the PHP framework. Hence, the developers can easily accomplish common tasks without writing longer lines of code by taking advantage of the tools provided by Symfony components like asset, console, debug, finder, form, routing, security, templating and validator.

Use a Robust Dependency Management Tool

The developers can easily manage these Symfony components by using an efficient dependency management tools called Composer. Composer makes it easier for programmers to declare the libraries required by each project. Also, they can use the tool to install, manage and update the libraries without putting extra effort. However, Composer is completely different from other package managers. It enables developers to install and manage various components and libraries on a per-project basis.

Easy to Configure and Use

In addition to being open source, Symfony is easy to configure and use. The developers can easily install and configure the frameworks on multiple platforms. The flexible nature of Symfony further enables developers to customize the PHP framework according to the specific needs. At the same time, its database engine-independent nature allows programmers to choose from several commonly used databases according to size and requirements of the project.

Option to Automate Recurring Tasks

Symfony2 allows programmers to automate some of the recurring tasks by creating command-line commands using the Console component. The users also have option to install the Composer component in a number of ways. So they can simply run the console command to perform imports, cronjobs, and similar batch jobs. They can even use the Console component to simplify development of testable command line interfaces.

Web Debug Toolbar

Nowadays, the speed and performance of a website affect its user experience and search engine ranking. So the developers put extra time and effort to assess and optimize the performance of individual web pages. Symfony2 makes it easier for developers to improve the performance of each page using Web Debug Toolbar. The toolbar helps programmers to identify and repair all issues found in a web page. Also, the tools included in the new Web Debug Panel helps developers to view detailed information related to cache, configuration, processing time, memory usage and logging. The programmers also have option to customize the tool to assess the performance of each web page based on certain criterions.

Make Websites Accessible on Mobile Devices

Most users nowadays access websites on their smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. So many businesses adopt responsive web design to make their websites look good and deliver richer user experience across many devices. At the same time, some businesses design specific versions of their websites for mobile devices. While using Symfony, the programmers can use MobileDetectBundle to redirect each user to the most appropriate version of the website based on his device type, operating system and vendor. The programmers also have option to configure the tool specifically to accomplish more complex redirect requirements.

Used by Many Large Websites and Popular Frameworks

The effectiveness of Symfony2 can also be determined from the number of websites it. At present, the framework is being used by many large and high-traffic websites like BlaBlaCar, NatGeo Play, and Spotify. At the same time, the individual components of Symfony are also being used by popular content management systems and web frameworks like Joomla, Drupal, Magento, Composer, Silex, OroCRM, PHPunit, and Sylius.

Supported by a Large Community

Like other open source web frameworks, Symfony is also supported by a large and active community. The Symfony developers community reportedly include over 300,000 developers from various regions. These developers frequently share code snippets and components to simplify development of modern web applications. At the same time, the beginners can stay connected with the community to resolve programming issues without any hassle and delay.

However, the popularity of Symfony is impacted by its steep learning curve. The beginners have to invest additional time and effort to lean and use Symfony components effectively. But a web developer can take advantage of these Symfony components to reduce development time significantly, while enhancing the web application’s quality.