PHP Vs Python – Comparison between both Languages

Scripting Languages

Scripting languages are becoming progressively popular in web application programming in the last few years. Now in this article trying to compare popular languages nowadays: PHP and Python. The languages will be compared regarding history, evolution, popularity, syntax, features, security, and enactment in web application locations. A final thought will Conclude and recommends a language that looks most capable for programing.

Developing a popular website or an application starts with a selection of reliable programming languages. There are so many programming languages like c++, Java, Python, JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, dart, etc. Every language has its pros and cons—programming languages based on your requirements and area of work. Developing front-end and backend frameworks needs different languages as not a single language can perform both tasks simultaneously.

We have to see many things before starting a project, the nature of the language which the programmer will choose, and many other factors before developing any program. Programmers have their preferences, opinions, liking, and disliking, and they have favorite tools and areas for software development. Beginners and many inexperienced face trouble while choosing a programming language to get started.

Backend development is one of the most desirable skills today. Almost every new startup needs a website and a mobile application that links them to a backend server. Therefore, backend developers are high in request, and companies are ready to give a massive amount of cash to developers who can manage the backend in a good way. Several programming languages that are being used for backend development are evolving in today’s modern world.

There are masses of great languages to learn and work on. This article will narrow down the differences between two of the best: PHP vs. Python. Which one is best for your application and web development? Also, which is one will give the best development time and other results?

History of PHP & Python languages

Python

Python high-level object-oriented programming language. It has built-in data structures, combined with dynamic typing & binding, making it an ideal choice for swift application development. Python also suggestions maintenance for modules and correspondences, which allows system modularity and code re-claim. It is one of the firmest programming languages as it requires very few lines of code.

Its stress is on readability and easiness, which make it an excellent choice for trainees. Python is one of the most widespread choices of backend programming. It is relatively new as compared to PHP and has enormous library support. It was established by Guido van Rossum and released in 1991. With the development in various versions and agitations, Python 2,3 with the new Python 3.9.2, released in 2021.

PHP

PHP stands for Hypertext Pre-processor. Hypertext Preprocessor, an open-source basis scripting language, is used widely for server-side web development. It is a server-side scripting language. It is used for developing a dynamic website. PHP can easily work in all major web servers and in all major operating systems. PHP is a widely-used and resourceful option to members such as Microsoft’s ASP. Non-technical users can quickly learn to make their web pages manageable and more useful.

PHP was created in 1994 by Rasmus Lerdorf, a Danish-Canadian programmer. PHP was named Personal Home Page originally. He released the first PHP version in June 1995. Since then, many developments have been made for the subsequent PHP versions, and we have PHP 8 as the latest PHP version that was released in 2020. PHP project’s mascot is a blue “elePHPant” (elephant). A PHP code is administered over a web server using a PHP translator applied in a daemon, module, or an executable CGI. This analysis and execution of PHP code can be data of any type.

Silent features of both languages

Features of Python

The main features of Python are:

• Free and open-source: Python is officially available on its website to download for free. We can also use its openly available source code and change according to wants.
• Accessible to code: This high-level Language is easier to learn than other languages, including Java, JavaScript, C++, etc. It’s also creator-friendly and uses less complex syntax with plain English and mathematics. Coding becomes easy with Python; that’s why many developers prefer it.
• Interpreted Language: Python codes are performed line-by-line, one at a time similar to Java, C++, and C. Therefore, code assembling is excessive, creating debugging easier and saves time.
• Portable: codes are portable. If you have Python codes for Windows OS, and if you want to use them on operating systems like Mac, Linux, or UNIX, it can be run efficiently without changing the codes.
• Dynamically-typed: A variable type is particular during run time instead of at the start. You don’t need to identify the variable type like char, long, double, etc. It cuts lines of code and makes the programming simpler.
• Easy to learn, read and keep
• It can be used on several hardware stages & using a similar interface.
• Python offers the ultimate configuration and support for large programs.
• Python offers support for programmed junk collection.
• It supports the shared mode of testing and debugging.
• It offers high-level dynamic data types which support active checking.
• It can be integrated with Java, C, and C++ programming code.

Features of PHP

• Open source: PHP is open source and available for downloading and use it. This enables developers globally to inspect codes and contribute to coding and bug fixing. Easy Usage: It is simple and easy to use; that’s why developers prefer this programming language. Its syntax is moderately similar to that of C language, with a well-planned and logical structure. It’s also easy to learn PHP as compared to many scripting languages.
• Database support: PHP supports many databases, comprising MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, etc., along with database integration. Compatibility: It can run on nearly every operating system, including Windows, Mac, Linux, and UNIX. Run across electric devices such as computers, laptops, tablets, and mobiles. Besides, PHP is friendly with various servers such as IIS, Apache, and more.
• Flexible: PHP offers better flexibility and embedding abilities. It can easily be combined with JavaScript, HTML, XML, etc.
• Real-time monitoring: It offers recent logging details of a user. You can get CPU and memory usage data as well.
• Object-oriented features: The object-oriented features in PHP adds to its speed and offer extra features. It also provides magic constants, common terminologies, PDO class, supports cookies, and much more.
• Database Integration Maintain many databases, such as Oracle, MySQL, etc.
• It is easy to use compared to other scripting languages.
• It is faster than an alternative scripting language.
• Open source means you don’t want to pay for using PHP; you can easily download and use it.
• PHP has some predefined mistakes reporting sums to generate an error notice or warning.
• PHP offers access logging by creating a summary of recent accesses of the user.

Advantages of Using Python & PHP

• Easy to Read, Write and Learn: Python, a high-level programming language that has an English-like syntax. This makes it easy to read the code and understand it. Python is easy to pick up and learn; that’s why Python is recommended to beginners. Need small code to perform the same as compared to other languages.
• Improvement in Productivity: Python is a productive Language. Because of its simplicity, developers can easily focus on the solution of the problem. In less time, developers can understand the syntax and behavior of the language.
• Execute code line by line: Python line by line executes the code, which shows that it is interpreted language. If there is any error, further execution stops and reports the error. Python shows one error even there are multiple errors in the program. This makes debugging easier.
• Typed dynamically: Python does not identify the type of variable until you run the code. The data type is assigned automatically during the execution process.
• Free and Open-Source: Python comes under the OSI-approved. Due to which it is free to use and understand. Download the source code, modify it or even distribute your python version.
• Vast Libraries Support: Python’s standard library is vast, and you can find almost all the functions required for the task. So, no need to depend on any external libraries.
• Portability: In languages like C/C++, you have to change the code to run the program on different platforms. But Python doesn’t do so. Write it once and run it anywhere.

Disadvantages of Python

• Slow Speed: The line-by-line execution of code frequently slows down the execution. The dynamic nature of Python is likewise responsible for the sluggish speed of Python since it needs to accomplish the additional work while executing code. In this way, Python isn’t utilized for purposes where speed is a fundamental part of the task.
• Not Memory Efficient: To give simplicity to the developers, Python needs to do a minor tradeoff. The Python programming language utilizes a lot of memory. This can be an inconvenience while building applications when we incline toward memory optimization.
• Weak in Mobile Computing: Python is, for the most part, utilized in server-side programming. We will not see Python on the client-side or mobile applications as a result of the following reasons.
• Python isn’t memory efficient, and it has slow power processing as compare to another programming language
• Database Access
• Programming in Python is simple and peaceful.
• In any case, when we are communicating with the database, it needs behind.
• The Python’s data set admittance layer is crude and immature, contrasted with famous innovations like JDBC and ODBC.
• Runtime Errors: As we know, Python is a dynamically typed language, so the data type of a variable can change anytime. A variable containing an integer number may hold a string in the future, leading to Runtime Errors. Therefore Python programmers need to perform thorough testing of the applications.

As we know, Python is a dynamically typed language, so the data type of a variable can change anytime. A variable containing a number may hold a string, later on prompting Runtime Errors. Consequently, Python developers need to perform exhaustive testing of the applications.

Advantages of PHP Framework

• Wide choice available for specialists: A large number of available specialists results in high competitiveness and lower demanded wages, which is beneficial for reducing development costs. PHP is easy to learn and implement
• Plentiful documentation: Material like tutorials, manuals, and references can facilitate web development and provide help in challenging situations. And, as described above, learning PHP is comparatively easy, though not as easy as Python.
• PHP Improves loading speed: PHP makes a website and its pages load faster and easier than compared to other development technologies. For example, currently, PHP is about thrice quicker than Python. Lower loading time is essential in SEO ranking, which helps you to promote your website. A higher application speed keeps customers satisfied.
• Large database selection: PHP allows connecting any database. MySQL is most common, mainly because it is free and much effective, and popular among developers MSQL, MS-SQL, SQLite, PostgreSQL, etc., are compatible with PHP.
• Open-Source, inexpensive software: PHP is a free-to-use technology that presents considerable savings for the development budget. Also, most development tools are utilized in combination with PHP is open-source software, and it can be used without charges; they also reduce the project cost. Moreover, numerous frameworks, such as Laravel and CodeIgniter, and various CMS, such as WordPress and Drupal. The extend PHP functionality and make development more effective and easy
• Combine with HTML: PHP offers embedded HTML programming, due to this reason there is an incredible synergy between PHP and HTML. Mostly, the HTML code of a web page is not interfered with by PHP script but instead completes it inside the borders defined by tags. And vice versa
• Good flexibility: Flexibility in PHP makes it effective to combine with many other programming languages to use the effective technology for a particular feature. PHP is a cross-platform language, which provides flexibility to developers to use any primary operating system – Windows, Linux, macOS – to perform the coding.
• Compatible with cloud service: Nowadays, modern products use cloud computing solutions like Amazon Web Services for different purposes. Applications that are written in PHP are fully supported by many additional cloud services, like AWS Lambda. Thus, PHP applications can be deployed on a cloud server and can achieve excellent scalability and beneficial effects.

Disadvantages of PHP Language

• Popularity decreases: As PHP is a powerful tool supported by a large community and excellent reference documentation, there are more accessible languages for web apps. This is why novice developers prefer learning Python as their initial language and rarely consider adding PHP to their skillset.
• Lack of specialized libraries: PHP has its libraries and is difficult to compete with Python in developing web apps empowered by machine learning. PHP can’t offer fast and effective alternatives to Scikit-learn, Theano, Python’s TensorFlow, and Keras. If your app requires ML functionality, PHP is not the best choice.
• Security Issues and Flaws: The open-source nature of PHP is the reason for code vulnerabilities. Thus, in theory, during the period between reveal and fixing in the updated versions of the programming language, those vulnerabilities may be exploited by any programmer with malicious intent and adequate skills

Comparison based on Major aspects

Comparing both the language needs deep understanding and accurate facts and figures about both these two’s programing and actual working. Both PHP and Python have their advantages and which one is the best for web development and the application, we can compare the basic of this functioning:

• Installation Performance and Speed
• Library Support
• Web Framework Options
• Environment Management
• Flexibility, Scalability, and Versatility
• Security
• Debugging
• Documentation
• Web and Application Development
• Developer Community and Support
• Similarities
• Differences

Keeping in view all these aspects and selecting one is undoubtedly difficult after matching both of these languages. Python is the doorway to machine learning codes, while PHP is designed for server-side scripting and web development.

• Python suggests plenty of web frameworks. Python is well in library support. I am having frameworks like Django and Flask that are highly reachable, secure, and fast.
• If you want to set up ML models or use self-regulating and decoupled mechanisms to build apps, Django benefits you in it. You can swap or unplug these components based on your changing corporate needs.
• Due to its flexibility and simplicity, Instagram uses the Django framework, choosing Python in the PHP-vs-Python race. It helps this social media site deliver its millions of users daily without troubles.
• Python is easy to learn for beginners. This scripting language was designed to be readable without difficulty with orderly configuring, syntax, and plain English words instead of punctuations. Python has a comprehensive range of built-in data types ready to go right out of the box. The test with Python often knows which tool to use for the specific job you’re doing. That’s still an encounter, but it’s generally an easier one to answer. Python does have a drawback that the Python 2 to Python 3 advancement has not been reluctantly compatible.
• Things that make web applications slow are not related to programming languages. Quiet database questions every programming language. Trusting on excessive network demands and analyzing a lot of information from a disk will slow you down every time. In most situations, PHP is a faster programming language than Python
• In recent times, Python was faster than PHP, but this has altered after PHP 7. The entire PHP team has a widespread infinite deal to speed up the language, and now PHP is faster than Python and several other languages. If makers need to process vast quantities of data, high speed may significantly improve performance.
• Data security is the main issue in the field of programming. A report ranked Python among the top secure programming languages. Python has numerous safety features that can be used to form complex apps with particular goals and functions in mind. For instance, its framework Django has built-in security features that permit developers to deal with threats efficiently.
• In contrast to Python, a large number of PHP apps may have security problems due to old coding performance and corrupt code. Many of these issues have been fixed through PHP contribution. However, skilled web app developers use both languages to generate protected applications following security rehearses.
• Python offers an unambiguous and brief syntax of codes, whereas PHP has a wide range of naming conventions and syntax.
• Python’s key features are Quick development, dynamic typing, and unique code, whereas Key features of PHP are Open source, Easy Setting out, Constant Developments.
• It supports programmer’s code clearly with clarity and is suitable for large-scale and small-scale projects. Due to its widespread list of standard libraries, Python is also known as a “Batteries Included” programming language.

Final Thoughts

To some extent, both Python and PHP are somehow similar to one another. Python is better than PHP. Python appears to be a conqueror over PHP. PHP has been the preferably attaining majority of web development. But now, Python is gradually making its way with its extraordinary features and functionalities for high-end applications and provides to this contemporary, tech-perception world. It mainly depends on your project’s wants, expertise, awareness, and PHP or Python skills.

You can go with how you find a professionally better programmer, and you need to project a simple website with less complexity. You can consider Python if you are planning to implement machine learning codes or require Unicode support. And if you are planning for web development and server-side scripting projects, PHP is the way forward.