PHP Frameworks in 2020: Laravel or Symfony?

When developers set out to decide upon a PHP framework for their development project, they look for a solution that is not only highly organized but also fares exceptionally well when it comes to code that is maintainable and reusable in equal measure. And rightly so, because such qualities are crucial for any web app development project where the goal is to build a robust product without spending more time and effort than is necessary. And given how much they are in demand all over the globe, it should come as no surprise that the market is brimming with a plethora of PHP frameworks to choose from.

And, despite the abundance of options, the choice almost always comes down to just two names: Laravel and Symfony, owing to their top-rated abilities in the context of their usability, highly productive features, and so much more. Unfortunately, it can prove to be harder than one would imagine choosing which one of the two is better suited for your requirements because of their many similarities. It includes a whole list of comparable features, such as scaffolding, full-text search support, and more. Then there’s also the fact that both Symfony and Laravel come equipped with features to enable cross-platform app development, making it even harder to pick between the two. So, now it is time we see how they are different to help you make an informed decision for your web app development project.

1. Speed: In this context, Symfony makes use of a variety of strategic approaches to handle, sustain, and maintain the app’s speed. It enables developers to determine the rate of the entire app or just a single feature by bypassing features that are not essential to the app’s core function. Unfortunately, Laravel doesn’t get any such special provisions to help developers take care of the speed challenge, though it does deliver relevant version control feature that allows migrating the app in the future.
2. Database support: For data access, both Laravel as well as Symfony provide Object Relation Mapping (ORM). However, in the former, Eloquent is used to tend to the ORM, whereas in Symfony, Doctrine takes care of the ORM. First things first, ORM facilitates easier data manipulation with Eloquent and Doctrine. Now, the differences in this regard — Symfony may enable automatic database migration, but it needs simple definitions for every single field in the model. Laravel, on the other hand, may not offer automated migration, but it doesn’t necessitate defining areas in the database model either.
3. Forms and validators: This is the aspect where the difference between Laravel and Symfony becomes clear and evident. While Symfony needs a validator component to ratify objects against a specific group of rules, Laravel enables validation of certain inputs against a restricted rule.

While the above discussion may translate into you wanting to look for the Laravel web application development company, the fact remains that you must first carefully evaluate your requirements against the provisions of each one of the two PHP frameworks before making any decision.