PHP vs. Python: A comparative study

by Anannya Agrawal professional trainer for mobile and web applicatio

The web development industry is in a competitive landscape since the early 21st century. There has been a significant evolution in terms of the emergence of new and powerful programming languages in the web development market. Initially, the web development market had big players like java and c. Since the resurrection PHP and Python, It has taken over the market.

To understand which programming language is better, we have to dig deep into the different aspects of these languages.So let us begin with the most basic question.

What is Python?

Python is a general-purpose programming language. We can run applications developed using any device or platform. As of January 2020, Python owns 9.704% of programming language market share. Since 2016, the growth rate of Python has significantly increased. Applications and websites like Instagram, Uber, Netflix, Spotify, Dropbox, Pinterest, and more were developed using Python.

What is PHP?

The motive behind the development of PHP was to create a compelling and dynamic web development language. PHP is an open-source language, which offers easy deployment. As of January 2020, PHP owns 2.405% programming language market share. Applications and websites like Facebook, Slack, Hootsuite, MIT, and more were made using PHP.

PHP vs. Python

1. Learning Curve
For beginners, PHP is easy to understand as compared to Python. For projects with long duration and extensive functionality, Python would be a great choice.

2. Web Frameworks
Frameworks are an essential part of programming. Both Python and PHP provide robust framework mechanisms for faster and efficient programming and application development. Top python frameworks include Django, flask, and more. While the top PHP framework includes Laravel, CodeIgniter, Zend, and more.

3. Programming Syntax

In terms of programming syntax, Python is easily understandable than PHP. A wide range of naming conventions governs PHP. Python, on the other hand, has human-friendly syntax structures.

4. Installation and Maintenance

The installation of PHP is far more straightforward as compared to Python irrespective of the operating system. Applications built using Python are easier to maintain as compared to PHP.

5. Extending functionality

Python has a better and matured range of functions and packages. PHP has a composer combined with Packagist, which helps in amplifying features using packages, but it is not sufficient. Python hence takes the lead here.

6. Popularity

According to TIOBE, Python ranks 3rd while PHP ranks 8th in the Programming Community index, which is an indicator of the popularity of programming languages. PYPL ranks python 1st, while PHP stands at 5th position in terms of popularity. All these results are on the premise of the overall strength and reputation of the language. However, if we consider the W3Techs report, 79% of websites on the internet developed using PHP.

PHP had a slight downfall in 2010 to 2019 period. However, since the release of PHP Version 7.4, programmers are rooting for the better future of PHP developers. All credit goes to performance benchmarking. As per the report by various agencies, PHP Version 7.4 general release has improved its performance index. By September 2021, there is going to be the rise of the new and improved PHP 8.0. The beta version of PHP Version 8.0 is showing a promising impact in terms of performance because of new features like Just In Time (JIT). If you are looking for a great career in the web development industry, you must opt for an intuitive PHP web development training. PHP stands firm in the web development vertical and should be your first preferred choice as compared to Python.