PHP vs Python: Which one to choose in 2020?

  Mohit Singh    December 7, 2020    380

 

With the continuous insistence on web and mobile application development, 2019 has been about customer-centric and responsive applications. Therefore, organizations aim to choose a coding language that is an ideal fit for making scalable websites. PHP vs Python is a significant comparison that companies looking for website solutions have to make. Similarly, in 2020, it is also expected that web and mobile applications will continue to dominate the market. Accordingly, two coding languages are giving each other a run for their money. The PHP vs Python fight has become a fascinating one with developers from both sides having solid points to support their language against the other. With regards to Custom Web Development Services, the two most well known choices remain PHP and Python. Let us compare PHP and Python with respect to the following points.

Also know- Best web development trends and technologies for 2020.

PHP vs Python – Factors to Consider for Web Development Language selection-

 

1. Ease of Installation-

PHP can install properly on Windows, macOS X, and Linux platforms and can be found on many shared hosting sites typically for a negligible cost. On the other hand, Python has some installation challenges. If you have macOS X installed on your machine, at that point existing Python version already exists on your computer that is outdated and is unsatisfactory for coding. Installing new packages would not help update Python. In fact, you should install new version on your system. On Windows, it is a more terrible as you probably will have to use a Windows package manager like Chocolatey to get started. Linux is better in this case because it has no issues about installing Python. Thus, PHP certainly edges Python on this aspect.

2. Learning Curve-

With regards to PHP, you will discover many new developers offering PHP development services even on different freelancing websites. Python also has a lot of new developers learning the language. In any case, PHP gets slightly supported over Python due to learning ease, because it is supported by a huge developer community. It also has large documentation that is accessible on the web and can be accessed freely or at a less cost.

You can hire dedicated PHP developers of the Solace team for effective web development.

3. Simple Syntax-

It is the reason to go for a language that has a simple syntax. This statement is true for beginner level developers who need to quickly start syntax error-free programming. Therefore, Python provides ease where users can code without worrying about parenthesis and other syntax related “restrictions” that always fail the code during the build.

Python offers better readability of the written code. Also, debugging is much simpler in Python because the written code has a higher possibility of being read and interpreted in the best possible manner. PHP poses more difficulty in this perspective and this is why Python is a preferred choice on this criterion.

4. Efficiency-

A perfectly written application is upheld by a clean code that is more efficient in terms of performance and memory use. In spite of the fact that these appear as technical concerns, away from the eye and attention of the end-user; but they greatly affect how the product is received in the market. A slow application that requires more time to respond to the user and providing the desired results can create bad reviews for the product, particularly when there are numerous competitive products in the market that the users can easily be swayed towards. 

Python is well constructed; it is robust to accommodate “whims” of the user market in developing out-of-the-box products. PHP doesn’t have a similar distinction as Python in this case.

5. Environment Management-

This is a significant concept particularly if you don’t depend on containers for building applications. However, if that is not the case, at that point you probably spend substantial time in isolating your application’s installed language and library versions.

In such manner, different versions of Python can be managed by different systems in the market. For instance, Virtalenv allows installing, managing and switching between various versions of Python. This is one of those original environment managers that have been maintained for over 10 years. It is highly preferred in the Developer community as an extraordinary piece of software.

PHP too has an original environment manager, that goes by the name of virtPHP. But, unlike its counterpart Python’s environment manager, this one has been shelved and no longer effectively maintained. The PHP developer community suggests using containers instead. Subsequently, Python outshines PHP in this regard.

6. Data Analytics-

A lot of Python Development Services relate to analyzing data, So the language helps towards the development of products and applications related to Big Data. This is an ever developing concept supported by a huge number of products and applications, for example, Google Maps, Uber, Careem, and so on. The concept of analyzing huge amounts of data continuously and giving clear understanding to end-users for making decisions on the fly is a broadly well known concept that is sure to remain as a residing trend for the coming years.

Python language is generally used for creating a clear code that delivers accuracy and precision in delivering the desired outcomes to the users for better decision-making capacities. In outcome, Python increases a advantage over PHP on this angle.

7. Easier Rendering-

Supported by a large developer community, PHP has more comprehensive documentation. Thus, PHP follows a conclusive approach in rendering. Python experiences issues in terms of rendering, as it isn’t as clear as PHP. Hence, PHP is a better choice in this regard.

8. Price-

These days, most of the languages and platforms are developed to help developers on a mass scale. Both Python and PHP are designed in a similar way – which means both are free and open source. Main reason for its popularity is the fact that they are accessible to anyone which gives them an edge over the paid web frameworks.

9. Library Support-

Library support is particularly related to machine learning backed web applications. Python has numerous machine learning libraries, for example, TensorFlow, Kera, Theano, Scikit Learn, and so on, in comparison with only one PHP library which is known as Packagist. This is a major giveaway regarding why Python holds more prominence in the IT industry as it provides faster libraries that offer ease of functioning. Through these libraries, developers can integrate with the web frameworks, allowing reusability and faster development time of features. 

The general project cost is reduced alongside a few project risks, for example, more time in development and testing when you can use re-usable components that are shared over the network. On that account, Python outperforms PHP because of the presence of multiple libraries.

Also know- Python vs Java : Know the difference.

Final words-

PHP is particularly for web development project while the use of Python is more extensive. What you need to develop, the general product scope, your timeliness, and budget are significant giveaways on which language you want to choose for your project needs. Both of these languages offer specialized capabilities, however for now, it seems that the future for Python is more positive than for PHP.


 Article keywords:
php development, php vs python, website development

 


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