Benefits of PHP frameworks [closed]

Question

I have heard a lot about PHP frameworks like ZEND, CodeIgniter,CakePhp etc and i am also well aware of some advantages of using it i.e. increased productivity,reduced errors etc but doesn't php framework make coding a complex process ? Doesn't coding without framework provides more flexibility ? Some people say you don't need any additional framework, as PHP is itself a framework.

So why there is so much usage of PHP framework ? Are frameworks really necessary in PHP?

Answer 1

This is a broad question and I think an important one. I am in the camp of NOT using frameworks unless absolutely necessary. The question is, when is it necessary?

First off, the thing that I think gave me this strange, allergic reaction to frameworks is that inexperienced coders want to use them for EVERYTHING, even tiny sites.... and it's bizarre. Maybe its through some need to make their resumes bigger by saying they've used codeigniter- but in my experience that doesn't make a damn bit of a difference. Hiring managers want SKILLSETS, not somebody that can read API documentation- which anyone can do. If you have working knowledge about program architecture and OOP principles, you're hired. If you don't, but you're a codeigniter ninja, .... eeehhhh.... ok?

Frameworks have their uses but I think when your mom wants to make a website for her bake sale then you can just slap a page together using a much lighter weight system. I don't sit in the camp of belief that you should include code "in case you need it". Over time, I have developed my own framework that is absolutely tiny, which is why every single web site or application I have ever built has ranked in the top 2% (though usually top 1%) of page load times in the world by google.

This is not to say they are bad- just don't go running off to use a framework because you want to put it on your resume- you're actually shooting yourself in the foot in the long run. Why? Because you won't spend time using the language itself, you'll spend time using the language of the framework. Take jQuery for instance- I avoided it for YEARS because it wasn't JAVASCRIPT. People scoffed at it- but now, when I go to a technical interview and I get asked (inevitably): "What is your experience level with jQuery", and I say "not much", and they for a second look surprised, but then I follow it up with "but I just wrote dependency injection via inversion of control in native JS yesterday"- I get hired ON THE SPOT.

Frameworks are great. Just ask yourself if you really need them. Particularly the question is: are the benefits of coding it yourself outweighed by the time benefits (don't forget about the learning curve of the platform) of the framework or not? On the one hand (non-framework approach), you learn a lot, and perhaps you take more time because you're working out your own kinks- but you learned a ton about the language itself (PHP in this case). On the other hand, you learned a new framework and maybe got a site up quicker that most likely is slower.

Wordpress is a great example of an overused framework in my opinion. Back in my freelancing days I used to take on gigs that needed me to "revamp a wordpress site"- only to find a site that could barely load because somebody plugged in every plugin they could find and made what was a stupid simple site into a tank with ungreased treads. It's OVERKILL in that case.

With my experience in CTO and Tech Lead positions, when somebody puts Wordpress and jQuery as primary points on their resume, to me that says "I don't know a thing about OOP and how to use these languages if required" which, in the real world (and I work on huge projects like windows 8 and other projects of that magnitude) - is OFTEN the case. Microsoft expressly forbids the usage of jQuery in their metro app system for MS released products because they want to show off their system dependency free.

Other companies, however, DO use frameworks. I just got off a project using Foundation and it was AWESOME- but that's because the architect of the project fully researched the framework and we used it RIGHT. The result was a fully responsive pristine code base that went from full monitor glory down to triscuit-sized smartphone screen awesomeness.

IN SHORT:

Frameworks, when used right, can be awesome- particularly for large projects (and I'm talking enterprise large). For smaller projects they aren't necessarily bad- but when they are used without thinking about their implementations, its like using a hatchet for a scalpel.

Just my 2 cents.