CakePHP Vs Laravel: Which One to Choose for Website Framework

These days, websites and web applications are being developed not from scratch, but with the help of frameworks.

This approach can speed up the web development and design work up to a great extent, improve the quality of the final product due to the high quality of the code and reduce costs of the website development.

CakePHP framework and Laravel are considered to be the two most popular and sought-after PHP frameworks. These two frameworks are used in a large number of new projects, from the smallest one-page sites to huge corporate portals with complex internal structure and functionality. We will compare these two frameworks on different indicators and find out in which cases it is advantageous to use CakePHP and in which cases-Laravel. Let’s start now.

Structure

CakePHP allows professionals to create web applications easily and quickly by writing less code. It has complex XML or YAML files. You just have to configure the database connection and start developing websites or web applications. You can rely on well-thought CakePHP conventions in app development. Multi Language support, database access, caching, validation, authentication, etc, are already available in the framework.

Some key features are- Built-in ORM to interact with the database, Scaffolding, MVC architecture, Query Manager, Flexible URLs and Routing, Built-in validation, Fast and flexible templating with PHP syntax and helpers, Flexible ACL, Data normalization, Flexible caching, Localization support. As for Laravel Development Services, all the packages and dependencies are installed by default. If you need, additional features can also be installed via Composer.

Configuration Settings

You can configure application settings in CakePHP using the three main formats - PHP, XML & YML. YML is considered the most progressive as it is the default element used in new web projects. For Laravel, there is only one configuration format – PHP. On the one hand, this is good for novice programmers as there is no need to understand other formats. However, configuration flexibility is lost. So, the end result can be quite cumbersome and less visual than CakePHP.

Processing HTTP Requests

Before entering the server, all requests from the client are processed in several stages. CakePHP uses so-called kernel events for this purpose. You can place all sorts of data checks from the request (structure, format, etc.), make an access check, change data on the fly, etc. Laravel has middlewares, which drop the query checks and work using a slightly simpler scheme. For each of them, you can easily describe the matching criteria that a query must pass in order to get to the server.

Work with Database

CakePHP has the ORM doctrine-a relational projector that allows you to work with data in object style, is used to simplify work with the database. This significantly reduces the amount of code needed for taking take a sample from the database or insert a new piece of data.

Always keep in mind that doctrine DM allows you to write code, abstracting from the specific type of DBMS used in the project (MySQL, PostgreSQL, etc.). Apart from this, when using ORM, the developer does not have to own the syntax of the database as all low-level operations are performed "under the hood". In Laravel, you have to work with the database uses its own library called Eloquent. It is not a full ORM. So, working with it is much easier especially for beginners.

Ease-of-use

It is easier for newcomers to web development to master Laravel than Cake PHP. On Laravel, the process of creating a typical site looks more vivid and accessible to the person who recently learned object-oriented PHP. This framework is very popular among freelance programmers and web development companies.

Work with Template Engine

In both frameworks, so-called template engines are used for rendering web pages. In Cake PHP Framework, Twig performs in this role and in Laravel, Blade. The template engine allows you to manage data when displayed on a website page, format it, display web forms, access internal services or even a database if logic requires it anytime. Always keep in mind that Twig and Blade are very similar. But first one is more rigorous when it comes to the processing and filtering of data, which is performed in the template code.

The Final Verdict

Now, it's clear that Laravel is used for relatively small and less complicated projects, such as backend for mobile applications, API of online stores, subject author blogs, as an alternative to the same WordPress, start-up company sites. It is beneficial to use Laravel implement some typical solutions and functionality on web resources. Cake PHP is often used in the development of complex corporate projects because of its greater reliability, flexibility and extensibility. You should use Cake PHP or Laravel as per your specific needs and requirements (for creating websites or web applications.)