Which is Best Programming
Language
In this Blog we are going to take a look at two of the most well-known programming languages in the world of web development. That is PHP and Python. So, we’re going to look in a few different categories and compare things like learning curve popularity and so on.
Before we start there are some really important points to keep in mind.
- There is no common answer for everyone
- Both the technologies in an impartial way to help people decide which path to take.
- Learn more about both languages and what they’re generally used for.
Uses of these Languages
PHP is strictly used for web development whereas Python is used for web development and as a general programming language. PHP is extremely popular for web development on its own or through frameworks or through content management systems like WordPress that is its job that’s what PHP does.
Python however is used for web development but it is also used for many other things. So, it’s a general-purpose language and python is getting more popular every day but not necessarily for web development machine learning and AI. It’s huge right now and python plays a big role in that genre like data science, automation etc. So, there is a difference in these two languages.
If you are interested in machine learning and AI or Data Science then Python Language is for you. But if you are interested in making full stack web applications, web API’s you should go with PHP.
Now let’s talk about these languages’ popularity. So, the results of Stack overflow survey gave PHP a popularity score of 30.7% and Python 38.8%. Python has a solid claim for being the fastest growing major programming language and Python is used for many more things.
On the other side, PHP has its little small world of web applications. If we are talking about popularity of just that of websites or web app’s then PHP has more popularity. If you look at the number of websites that use PHP/ Python then PHP is a clear win. WordPress is a huge component of that among other frameworks like Laravel.
So, both languages are used by large companies, most big companies and websites use multiple technologies but PHP is used for instance by Facebook, Wikipedia, Yahoo, Instagram parts of google. Spotify that uses Python.
Syntax and Elegance of these two languages
Talking about popularity in the industry and popularity among developers is really different. PHP is very practical as far as deployment hosting, WordPress Content Management are like that which makes it great for developers but on the other hand there’s also so much poorly written PHP and the fact is that PHP lets you write poor code and it really works it’s really which is not good practise. So, take time to learn good code by doing more practise.
Python, on the other hand, is much stricter in its syntax and how it lets you put things together which makes it cleaner.
Curve of these languages
- Python has a clear path for learning but has a broad range of syntax
- Python is also used for harder things in general
- PHP has too many ways to do the same thing which can be confusing
- PHP is not secure
Frameworks and CMS (Content Management System)
So, both the languages have two amazing frameworks. PHP has Laravel and symphony. Python has Django and flask. Laravel is just a good developer like PHP so they like Laravel too because of the work that’s been put into it, the elegance, the ease of use, and the symphony is also a great framework. Laravel uses symphony components and symphony 4 is now a micro framework to start with so you can use it for like micro services and backend Api’s you can also build it into a full-fledged large-scale application which is good.
Whereas python goes it has Django and flask which are different frameworks which is good because it depends on which type of developer you are as to which is better for you now Django is very high level there’s a certain way to do things.
Hosting
When it comes to deployment PHP is simple and cheap you can use a shared hosting account. Python you have options like cloud hosting like digital ocean.
Conclusion
Figure out what you want to do
Run through a few simple tutorials of both and see what you grasp and what you enjoy.
Read and watch videos to get clear perspectives
Look out job stats and figure out what you are passionate about. Do you want to build web apps or are you interested in data science AI etc anything but web apps Python is probably the clear choice over php but if it is web development that you are interested in run through some tutorials documentations and take time to observe what you like and don’t like in these languages?
Maybe PHP has more jobs but you hate writing then you probably go with python.
Don’t just go with one source, go with different sources and discover your own experience with both the languages.
This was all about the PHP and Python language. Let me know in the comment section which programming language you are working, and your experience with it. Also, if you are a PHP or Python developer, what you think about the above information. If you are a learner of any of these languages what challenges you are facing.