As web development continues to evolve, there are two programming languages that stand out among the rest: JavaScript and PHP. Both technologies have played a significant role in the growth and development of the web, with JavaScript driving client-side interactions and PHP handling server-side processing.
In this blog, we will take a detailed look at the features and benefits of both JavaScript and PHP. We will analyze their performance, use-cases, and other crucial factors that influence the choice of technology for web development.
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced developer, this comparison will help you make an informed decision about which technology to use for your next web development project. So, let's dive into the world of JavaScript and PHP and explore what each of them has to offer.
JavaScript vs PHP - Quick Comparison
Technology
JavaScript
PHP
Developed by
Brendan Eich
Rasmus Lerdorf
Ecosystem
Simple and compatible
NA
Release year
1995
1995
Performance
High
Moderate
Data Binding
One-way and Two-way
No support for built-in data binding
Best suited for
Creating dynamic and interactive web/desktop-based applications
Web Development (for creating dynamic web pages and web applications)
We generally use HTML to structure the webpage and CSS to add styling to it but that is only the static web page where users can't interact. That is where JavaScript language comes into play.
JavaScript is a lightweight programming language that is cross-platform, interpreted, and object-oriented. Developers use JavaScript to design interactive and dynamic web pages. JavaScript supports both client-side and server-side programming. JavaScript is one of the most popular programming languages because it is highly versatile. It allows us to control multimedia, animate pictures, and do a variety of other things.
There are two methods for adding JavaScript code into an HTML web page: internally and externally. In the Internal JavaScript method, <script> tag is used within the body of HTML to add all the JavaScript code. External JavaScript, on the other hand, requires storing the code in a separate .js file and then retrieving it within the HTML page. While working on large projects, developers frequently use this technique to keep the code structure organized.
What is PHP?
PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is a popular server-side scripting language used for Web Development. Originally created in 1994 by Rasmus Lerdorf, PHP has since evolved into a robust and powerful programming language. PHP files have extension ".php" and it enables developers to create, open, read, write, delete and close files on the server.
PHP has the ability to run on multiple operating systems, including Windows, Linux, Unix, and Mac OS X. Additionally, PHP is designed to be compatible with a wide range of servers commonly used in web development, such as Apache and IIS, allowing developers to use PHP on the server of their choice.
One of the main advantages of PHP is that it can be embedded directly into HTML code, allowing developers to create dynamic web pages that can interact with databases and other server-side technologies. PHP can be used for a wide range of applications, from simple scripts to complex web applications.
Some of the key features of PHP include its simplicity, ease of use, and flexibility. It is an open-source language, which means that developers have access to a large community of users and contributors who can provide support and help with development and many firms also look to hire PHP developers.
Key Features
JavaScript - Key Features
Cross-platform: JavaScript language is supported by various operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux. It is built into Netscape 2.0 and greater, and runs on all platforms which support Netscape.
Light-weight: Since JavaScript is not a compiled language, there is no prior byte-code conversion. However, it does adhere to a model known as Just-In-Time (JIT) Compilation. Hence, just before it executes, it is transformed to bytecode. Because of this, JS is a lightweight programming language. JavaScript can be executed on even less powerful machines.
Interpreted: As discussed above, JavaScript is not a compiled language but it's rather an interpreted language just like Python and Ruby. The source code of JavaScript is interpreted by the browser, line by line and is then executed.
Browser support: JavaScript is supported by almost every web browser including Chrome, Firefox, Safari etc.
Case sensitive: JavaScript is a case-sensitive language where all variables, function names and other identifiers must follow consistent capitalisation of letters.
Object oriented: JavaScript is a prototype based Object Oriented programming language. Data types like Arrays, Functions, etc. inherit properties of the object prototype.
Scripting language: JavaScript is a lightweight scripting language designed for client-side processing on the browser. It manages the web pages displayed to the user and its associated processing, such as cookies, sessions, and local storage, on the client's machine (browser).
Dynamically typed: Type checks (whether string or number) take place during run-time which makes JavaScript dynamically typed language. In JS, we don't need to clearly state upfront what kind of data will be kept in a variable. For instance, when we define var "num", "num" can now hold a string or an integer.
PHP - Key Features
Open source: PHP is an open-source programming language. It can be modified and used by developers for creating a wide range of web applications without any cost.
Cross-platform compatibility: PHP is platform-independent, which means it can run on various platforms such as Windows, Linux, Unix, and macOS, making it easy for developers to create applications on any platform.
Flexibility: PHP is a versatile language and can be used for creating different types of web applications such as e-commerce websites, content management systems, and social networking sites etc.
Easy to learn: PHP has a simple syntax, which makes it easy for beginners to learn and understand. The language is also well-documented, making it easy to find solutions to any question.
Fast processing: PHP executes code quickly, making it suitable for high-traffic websites. Its processing speed is due to the fact that PHP code is interpreted rather than compiled, which makes it faster to execute.
Database support: PHP supports many popular databases such as MySQL, Oracle, and PostgreSQL, making it easy to store and manage data on websites.
Community support: PHP has a large and active community of developers who contribute to its development, provide support, and share knowledge.
Security: PHP features several security features, including protection against SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.
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Performance Comparison
JavaScript Performance
JavaScript is a widely used programming language for creating web applications and interactive experiences and many firms look to hire JavaScript developers. Its performance has improved considerably over the years, thanks to enhancements in web browser speed, hardware, and JavaScript language features. The faster and more efficient web browsers have allowed JavaScript to perform better, which means developers can now build more complex and interactive applications that run more smoothly and respond more quickly.
Modern JavaScript engines, like V8 and SpiderMonkey, can compile and execute code at incredibly fast speeds. This makes it easier for developers to create highly responsive applications that users can enjoy without delays or lags.
Another critical factor that affects JavaScript performance is the smoothness of the user interface. To achieve this, developers need to minimize the time taken for JavaScript to render and update the user interface, as well as optimize the use of memory and other system resources. Techniques like lazy loading, code splitting, and caching can help to reduce the amount of JavaScript that needs to be loaded and executed by the browser, ensuring a smoother and more responsive user experience.
JavaScript's performance has significantly improved and is expected to continue doing so as web technologies and hardware advance further in the future.
PHP Performance
Here are some of the factors that contribute to the overall performance of PHP:
Speed: PHP executes code line by line rather than compiling the entire code at once. This makes it fast to execute, especially for small and medium-sized applications.
Caching: PHP comes with caching mechanisms that help to speed up code processing.
Server-side execution: PHP is a server-side language and therefore, the code executes on the server before being sent to the client's browser. This approach reduces the load on the client's browser, resulting in better application performance.
Scalability: PHP is highly scalable and can handle large volumes of requests. Proper configuration and optimization can enable PHP to handle high-traffic websites and web applications.
Third-party tools: PHP has many third-party tools, such as PHP-FIG, that provide standards for PHP web development. These tools improve the quality and performance of PHP code.
Smoothness: PHP has a simple and intuitive syntax that makes code easy to read and write. This reduces errors and simplifies debugging, leading to a smoother development process.
Popularity over the years
JavaScript
Over 1.8 billion websites exist worldwide, and 95% of them use JavaScript. According to Github's 2020 Octoverse Report, JavaScript is by far the most popular language.
The basis for JavaScript's success is its origin tale. Its original name was Mocha, followed by LiveScript and then Javascript. The story starts in December of 1995 at the Netscape headquarters, where Brendan Eich participates in a ten-day coding sprint and comes out with a new language. Because of a license deal between Netscape and Sun (the company that owned Java), the language was renamed to Javascript and particularly "Java" script because Java was the most popular language at that time and this would help in Javascript's marketing.
While JavaScript has earned the title of "The Language of the Browser," its destiny changed in 2009 with the introduction of Node.JS, a runtime environment that allows JavaScript code to be executed outside of a web browser. Because Node.JS represents the idea of "JavaScript everywhere" paradigm, JavaScript's popularity has consequently increased.
Due to JavaScript's popularity, a number of libraries and frameworks have been developed, which have improved the effectiveness and efficiency of application development. React JS, jQuery, D3.JS, and other libraries are now used in the majority of apps all over the globe. Large apps can be built with the optimal performance of frameworks like Angular, Ember JS, and Vue JS. According to Stackoverflow, JavaScript has one of the largest communities amongst the programming languages.
PHP
Since its creation in 1995, PHP has been a popular programming language for Web Development. Initially, it competed with other web programming languages such as Perl and CGI scripts. However, PHP gained popularity due to its simplicity and effectiveness in creating dynamic web pages.
In the mid-2000s to late 2000s, PHP continued to grow in popularity as open-source web platforms such as WordPress and Drupal were built on PHP. Many developers also started using PHP frameworks like Zend and CakePHP for web application development.
The release of PHP 7 in 2015 introduced significant performance improvements, increasing the language's popularity among developers. It’s estimated that 78% of websites use PHP for server-side scripting. PHP continues to be a popular language for Web Development, with many popular web platforms and applications such as Facebook, Wikipedia, Yahoo, Wordpress and Slack built on PHP.
Overall, PHP has remained a popular language for web development due to its versatility, ease of use, large community of developers, and extensive documentation. Its popularity is expected to continue due to its ability to handle high-traffic websites and web applications and its ongoing evolution with new versions and updates.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages of JavaScript
Less server load: JavaScript runs on the client-side and hence, the requests sent to the server get reduced. User input is validated before the request is sent to the server and hence, it saves server traffic which reduces the load on the server.
Rich interface: JavaScript's rich interface capabilities allow for dynamic and interactive web pages, with features such as animations, user input validation, and real-time updates without requiring a page refresh. This makes for a more engaging and seamless user experience on the web.
Increased interactivity: By allowing developers to manipulate HTML and CSS elements in real-time, JS can enhance the user experience by providing increased interactivity, dynamic content updates, and seamless page transitions.
Speed: JS runs on the client side without the need for outside resources and third party apps which makes it a very fast language.
Versatility: JavaScript is a highly versatile programming language that can be used for both front-end and back-end development, as well as for building mobile and desktop applications. Its flexibility and vast ecosystem of libraries and frameworks make it a popular choice for developers across various domains.
Updates: In order to maintain JavaScript's relevance within the industry, the development team and ECMA International regularly update and build new frameworks and libraries.
Disadvantages of JavaScript
Browser compatibility: JavaScript can behave differently in different browsers resulting in different outputs, which can cause compatibility issues.
Multi-threading or Multiprocessing: JS doesn't support multi-threading or multi-processing.
Debugging: Debugging JavaScript can be challenging due to its loose typing and dynamic nature, making it more prone to errors.
Client-side security: JavaScript is executed on the client-side, which means that it can be exploited by attackers to carry out malicious activities.
Advantages of PHP
Cost-effective: PHP is open-source and free to use, which makes it a cost-effective option for web development. This is especially important for small businesses or startups with limited budgets.
High performance: PHP is designed to be fast and efficient, which means that it can handle high-traffic websites and web applications with ease. It also has built-in caching mechanisms that can further improve performance.
Large ecosystem of tools and frameworks: PHP has a large ecosystem of tools and frameworks, such as Laravel, CodeIgniter, and Symfony, which can help developers to build scalable and robust web applications quickly and easily.
Integration with other technologies: PHP can be easily integrated with other technologies and platforms, such as JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and various APIs. This makes it easy to build web applications that leverage the strengths of different technologies and platforms.
Large talent pool: Because PHP has been around for a long time and is widely used, there is a large pool of talented PHP developers available to hire. This can make it easier to find skilled developers to work on your web projects.
Easy maintenance: PHP code is easy to maintain and update, which can save time and money in the long run.
Easy deployment: PHP applications can be easily deployed on a wide range of web servers, including Apache, Nginx, and Microsoft IIS, among others.
Support for multiple protocols: PHP has built-in support for multiple protocols such as HTTP, POP3, SMTP, and FTP, which makes it easy to build web applications that communicate with other systems and services.
Disadvantages of PHP
Inconsistent naming conventions: PHP has varying naming conventions for its built-in functions and classes. This can make it more challenging for developers to read and understand code.
Security vulnerabilities: Due to its popularity and open-source nature, PHP has been subject to numerous security vulnerabilities including SQL injection attacks, File inclusion vulnerabilities, Cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks and Remote code execution vulnerabilities.
Limited multithreading support: PHP has limited support for multithreading, which can make it difficult to build highly concurrent applications. This can be a disadvantage for certain types of applications, such as real-time chat systems or streaming video services.
Lack of type checking: PHP is a dynamically typed language, which means that type checking does not occur at compile time. This can lead to errors and bugs that are not caught until runtime.
Your engineers should not be hiring. They should be coding.
Help your team focus on what they were hired for. Flexiple will manage your entire hiring process and scale your tech team.
Use Cases
JavaScript - Use Cases
Cross-platform: JavaScript language is supported by various operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux. It is built into Netscape 2.0 and greater, and runs on all platforms which support Netscape.
Light-weight: Since JavaScript is not a compiled language, there is no prior byte-code conversion. However, it does adhere to a model known as Just-In-Time (JIT) Compilation. Hence, just before it executes, it is transformed to bytecode. Because of this, JS is a lightweight programming language. JavaScript can be executed on even less powerful machines.
Interpreted: As discussed above, JavaScript is not a compiled language but it's rather an interpreted language just like Python and Ruby. The source code of JavaScript is interpreted by the browser, line by line and is then executed.
Browser support: JavaScript is supported by almost every web browser including Chrome, Firefox, Safari etc.
Case sensitive: JavaScript is a case-sensitive language where all variables, function names and other identifiers must follow consistent capitalisation of letters.
Object oriented: JavaScript is a prototype based Object Oriented programming language. Data types like Arrays, Functions, etc. inherit properties of the object prototype.
Scripting language: JavaScript is a lightweight scripting language designed for client-side processing on the browser. It manages the web pages displayed to the user and its associated processing, such as cookies, sessions, and local storage, on the client's machine (browser).
Dynamically typed: Type checks (whether string or number) take place during run-time which makes JavaScript dynamically typed language. In JS, we don't need to clearly state upfront what kind of data will be kept in a variable. For instance, when we define var "num", "num" can now hold a string or an integer.
PHP - Use Cases
Open source: PHP is an open-source programming language. It can be modified and used by developers for creating a wide range of web applications without any cost.
Cross-platform compatibility: PHP is platform-independent, which means it can run on various platforms such as Windows, Linux, Unix, and macOS, making it easy for developers to create applications on any platform.
Flexibility: PHP is a versatile language and can be used for creating different types of web applications such as e-commerce websites, content management systems, and social networking sites etc.
Easy to learn: PHP has a simple syntax, which makes it easy for beginners to learn and understand. The language is also well-documented, making it easy to find solutions to any question.
Fast processing: PHP executes code quickly, making it suitable for high-traffic websites. Its processing speed is due to the fact that PHP code is interpreted rather than compiled, which makes it faster to execute.
Database support: PHP supports many popular databases such as MySQL, Oracle, and PostgreSQL, making it easy to store and manage data on websites.
Community support: PHP has a large and active community of developers who contribute to its development, provide support, and share knowledge.
Security: PHP features several security features, including protection against SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.
Which is better - JavaScript or PHP
After analyzing the features and benefits of both JavaScript and PHP, we can conclude that both technologies have their unique strengths and weaknesses. JavaScript is ideal for creating dynamic and interactive user interfaces, while PHP is a reliable and robust server-side language for building web applications.
The choice of technology for web development ultimately depends on the specific requirements of the project. For instance, a project that requires real-time updates and seamless user interactions would benefit from using JavaScript, while a project that involves handling large amounts of data would require the power and scalability of PHP.
In terms of interdependence, JavaScript and PHP are often used together to create a full-stack web application. While they are independent of each other, they can work seamlessly to deliver a complete and robust web application. This combination enables developers to create highly functional web applications that cater to the user's needs.
