When developing PHP, should you use native or framework?

With the continuous development of PHP technology, more and more developers are beginning to face this question: Should they choose to use native PHP or use a framework?

There is no fixed answer to this question as it all depends on your needs and your personal preference. In this article, we’ll explore the pros and cons of using native PHP versus using a framework to help you better decide which approach is best for your project.

Native PHP

When we say "use native PHP", we mean pure PHP code when writing PHP code without using third-party frameworks or libraries. Native PHP may be the basis for us to learn PHP in the early days, or it may be the first choice for some small projects that do not rely on too many external dependencies. So what are its advantages and disadvantages?

Pros:

1. Control: Writing code in native PHP gives you complete control over your code and your application. Not tied to a framework, you can implement the changes you need at any time without having to wait for framework updates or author approval.
2. High degree of freedom: Using native PHP, you can implement your creative and customized parts more easily. You are not tied to a framework and can follow various development paradigms or best practices.
3. Low resource consumption: When using a framework, it is usually necessary to enable a large number of libraries and packages on the server. Relatively speaking, native PHP usually requires fewer resources.

Disadvantages:

1. Heavy writing effort: Writing projects using native PHP means you need to spend more time and effort writing code because there is no built-in Resources or features can help you do this.
2. Difficult to maintain: Since you have full control over your code and application, you need to understand the various PHP versions and modify them for them. This can also make maintenance a more time-consuming and difficult process.
3. Possibility of reinventing the wheel: With native PHP, you need to write the same code in many different projects, which may increase repetitive work and waste valuable time and energy.

Framework

When you choose to use a framework, you will rely on third-party libraries to speed up the development process. There are many PHP frameworks available today, most with very powerful features that make the development process simpler and more efficient.

Advantages:

1. Accelerate the development process: The framework is built on the existing foundation of PHP development and usually has many built-in libraries and functions, which allows you to develop projects faster .
2. Example Code: If you use a widely adopted framework, you'll likely find extensive documentation, tutorials, and code examples in the community to help you get started and code easily.
3. Easier maintenance and upgrades: Frameworks often use the MVC pattern, which greatly improves the ease of maintenance and upgrades because you can adjust different parts of the application more easily.

Disadvantages:

1. Steep framework learning curve: Depending on the complexity of the framework you choose, learning one or more frameworks may require a large learning curve .
2. Website platform dependencies: Frameworks often rely on various functions, libraries, and other tools, which may limit which servers and PHP environments your code can run on. Frequently upgrading the framework may also lead to a large number of annoying changes.
3. Insufficient flexibility: Each framework has its own methods and processes, which can make some more innovative and flexible decisions difficult.

Conclusion:

Overall, whether to use native PHP or adopt a framework depends on your specific needs and the complexity of the project. For small projects, if you prefer flexibility, freedom, and control, using native PHP will be a better choice; if you need to complete the project quickly and efficiently, a framework is the first choice.

No matter which method you choose, you need to weigh the pros and cons and find a balance between your specific needs and workflow during the development cycle of the project. Ultimately, only you can decide which option is right for your project and best meets your needs.

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