Python Vs PHP: Which One Should You Choose?

Struggling to choose between Python Vs PHP? Well, PHP is an object-oriented programming language specially developed for website backend development. On the other hand, Python is both object-oriented and process-oriented general-purpose programming language vastly used for AI development, data analysis, & machine learning along with website backend development. Both are open source & free to use but considering ease of learning, debugging, community, resource availability, & security strength, Python is used by developers more than PHP. However, before jumping into a choice, let’s have a look at the detailed comparison between Python & PHP.

What is Python?

Python is an interpreted both object-oriented & process-oriented, high-level, dynamically semantic programming language. It is particularly desirable for Rapid Application Development as well as for usage as a scripting or glue language to tie existing components together due to its high-level built-in data structures, dynamic typing, and dynamic binding. It was designed by Dutch mathematician & computer programmer Guido van Rossum in the late ’80s & launched in 1991. Shorter programs and ease of writing make Python the most demanded programming language. It’s an open-source & general-purpose programming language.

Frameworks of Python

Popular large frameworks: Django, Dash, Falcon

Popular micro-framework: Python bottle, Cherrypy, Fast API, Flask

What is Python Used For?

Inspite of being a programming language, due to its extensive resources & ease of learning, Python is used by many non-programmers. Here are some fields where Python is extensively used-

Software Development
Web Development
Software Testing & Prototyping
Data Analysis
Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence
Image & Text Processing
Data Visualization

Who Are Using Python?

Organizations like IBM, NASA, Netflix, Youtube, & thousands of other big names are using Python. But, more importantly, most of the startups nowadays are using Python for web & app development. According to statistics, 1.3% of websites use Python either fully or partially.

Pros & Cons of Python

Pros
Large Community
Vast Library
Embeddable
Secured
Flexible & Extensible
Open-source & portable

Cons
Slower Than Compiled Language
Larger Memory Consumption
Complication of Designing
Run Time Errors
Weak in Mobile Computing
No Block Comment

What is PHP?

PHP originally stands for Personal Home Page, though currently, it stands for the recursive acronym “Hypertext Preprocessor”. It’s a general-purpose programming language, specially designed for website backend development. It was originally designed and developed by Danish-Canadian programmer Rasmus Lerdorf in 1993 & launched in 1995. It is widely used because of its excellent compatibility with HTML, cheaper cost, & faster prosecution.

Frameworks of PHP

Large frameworks of PHP: Laravel, Symfony, CakePHP, Phalcon

Micro frameworks of PHP: Silex, Lumen, Laravel Zero, Bullet PHP

What is PHP Used For?

PHP is a general purpose & open source programming language primarily used to develop dynamic & responsive web development. PHP is specially designed for backend development. Even though it has limited features compared to Python, still it has a variety of features to offer apart from web development.

Database management system
Augmented reality
ERP solution
Serverside-Scripting
Command-line Scripting

Who is Using PHP?

Because of its huge community & simplicity, PHP is used by a lot of big companies like Facebook, Wikipedia, Slack, Mailchimp, WordPress, etc are using PHP for web development. According to statistics, 3.1 million companies are currently using PHP either fully or partially.

Pros & Cons of PHP

Pros
Vast Library Support
Easy to Learn & Use
Support Multiple OS
Open-Source & Free of Cost
Faster Loading Speed

Cons
Not Perfect for Larger Application
HTML Dependent Rather than Human Language
Doesn’t Allow Modification in Online App
Poor in Error Handling
Less Secured Compared to Python

Similarities Between Python & PHP

Both of them are free and open-source
Both of them are object-oriented interpreted language
Both are simple and easy to learn
Both of them have custom made IDEs for all the major operating systems
Both of them have large community
Both are being used by many large organizations

Differences Between Python and PHP

PHP is object oriented while Python is both object oriented & procedure oriented
Python is general purpose while PHP is specially designed for web development
Python needs less number of code lines compared to PHP
PHP has huge number of database access compared to Python
Python’s syntex is similar to human language compared to PHP

Detailed Comparison on Python Vs PHP

Parameters
Versetility
Maintenance
Syntex
Debugging
Framework
Speed
Security
Code

PHP
Specialized in Web Development
Difficult to Maintain
Mechine language dependent
Slower debugging
Huge number of framework
Faster than python
Less secured
Larger code

Python
Multiple usability
Easy to maintain
Human unerstandable
Faster debugging
Little number of framework
Slow compare to PHP
Highly secured
Shorter code

Final Thoughts

Inspite of being used by large corporation, PHP is losing its popularity because of larger code, not having human understandable syntex, security issues, & lack of regular update. On the other hand, having human language similar syntax, easy-to-learn opportunities, & strong security, Python is becoming more popular day by day. At TechCare, we provide web design & development services. According to our decade of experience in the web development industry, we have found that Python is better performing compared to other languages. We provide Python developers along with other developers. Feel free to contact us to hire experienced and vetted Python developers.