PHP vs Node.js: The Battle For Web Development Supremacy

PHP vs Node.js The Battle For Web Development Supremacy iCoderz Solutions
PHP vs Node.js The Battle For Web Development Supremacy iCoderz Solutions

The arena of web development is always full of old and new warriors. Now and then a new competitor enters the arena with never heard of tools. On the other hand, old web development tools innovate new ways to stay relevant in this ever-changing field. In such times, it is important for web developers to be well-acquainted and well updated with all the developments. And web development is also divided into the front end, back end and full stack web development. Web developers use HTML, CSS, etc. for front end and PHP, Node.js for back end among many other contenders. PHP vs Node.js is a never-ending and ever hot debate topic for back end web development.

Who is the winner of the PHP vs Node.js battle? Let’s have a look.

PHP Development

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PHP is a server-side scripting language. Web developers use it to develop interactive web pages. Rasmus Lerdorf created this general purpose web development language back in 1994. It has seen many iterations ever since and it is one of the most popular server-side scripting languages. When it comes to PHP vs Node.js, PHP has a clear upper hand in many ways.

It is not that PHP is the best and most versatile back end scripting language out there. There are certainly many other options and some of them are even better but PHP has been around for more than 25 years now. It is very mature and popular language too. That is the reason 75% of all the websites use PHP one way or the other.

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A Long Way Ahead

As noted earlier it has been around since 1994 and almost 75% of all the websites use it in one form or the other. Developers can easily integrate it with a number of frameworks and templates so they use it on servers without second thoughts.

When it comes to PHP vs Node.js, PHP is compatible with more content management systems than Node.js. Frameworks like Laravel, Symphony, and CakePHP supports PHP. It is also easy to learn with a little prior knowledge of a scripting language. PHP is also very fast because it doesn’t require a lot of processing power.

When we see login pages, online forms, survey, and picture gallery, 3 out of 4 must have been developed with PHP.

Node.js Development

The second part of the PHP vs Node.js argument is Node.js. Node.js is a server environment that is open source. It provides an environment for JavaScript. Node.js is completely cross-platform which means it can run on Windows, Mac, Linux, Unix, etc. The package ecosystem of the Node.js is the single largest ecosystem of open source libraries in the entire world. Simply put, Node.js is a web server. It handles the incoming connections. Developers can use Node.js for front end development too but, normally, they don’t use it for the front end. It is more extensive and a lot faster than PHP in many regards.

Similarities Between PHP And Node.js

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When we are talking about PHP vs Node.js, we have to note that there are a few similarities between the two, too.

  • Developers can run PHP and Node.js in their runtime environments.
  • Both of them are interpreted languages.
  • PHP and Node.js run on the server side.

The list ends here as far as the similarities go. But the list of differences between PHP and Node.js is quite extensive.

PHP vs Node.js – The Key Differences

  • When comparing the runtime environment, PHP has ready to install feature that developers can use in server side. On the other hand, Node.js is itself a runtime environment for running Javascript on the server side.
  • PHP vs Node.js is quite clear when we notice their engines. Zend engine powers PHP whereas Google’s V8 Javascript engine powers Node.js. Both of them are quite distinct and different.
  • When we talk about JSON, PHP uses it less than Node.js. PHP uses certain functions like json_enconde() and json_decode(). On the other hand, Node.js uses function like JSON.stringify() and JSON.parse().
  • When compared to Node.js, PHP is simpler in use and requires fewer codes. The only reason why Node.js is not as simple as PHP is its requirement of more codes. It also requires a basic understanding of functions like closures and callback.

PHP vs Node.js – Other Noteworthy Differences

  • For concurrency, Node.js uses event-driven and non-blocking I/O execution model. On the other hand, when PHP wants to run multiple tasks in parallel to each other, it uses multithreaded blocking I/O.
  • PHP is synchronous whereas Node.js is asynchronous. When the first line of the PHP code is quite complex and takes a lot of time in execution, PHP will wait for it to complete before going to the next line. To the contrary, Javascript engine runs through the complete Node.js code package in one go and run all the codes simultaneously, perform all the tasks and present the result quicker.
  • Because of this asynchronous nature, Node.js faster and lightweight than PHP.

Requirement Of Web Servers

  • PHP requires Apache web server to run. If it is a Windows machine, it can also run on IIS web server. On the other hand, Node.js is itself a web server and runs in its own environment.
  • PHP uses old, tested and proven package system like PEAR and the newer one Composer. Node.js comes with bundled Node Package Manager (NPM).

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Final Thoughts

There can be no clear winner for the battle of PHP vs Node.js. It all depends on the use case. When the requirement is robust and steady development, one can opt for PHP development. On the other hand, when the speed is a must-have element, one can opt for Node.js development. When the client doesn’t have to interact with the server all the time, PHP is good whereas the frequent requirement of interaction with servers means Node.js.

If you are thinking about full stack web development, iCoderz Solutions is an ideal choice for you because we are a full stack web development company. We are also a leading full-stack mobile app development company too. Our company houses dedicated teams for web development, iOS app development, and Android app development. These departments have delivered more than 500 projects cumulatively. Contact us now to discuss your requirements and have a quote now.


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