Why is PHP better than Java?

PHP has remained one of the world’s most versatile and practical web development languages. It is a big favourite amongst newbies and established development agencies worldwide due to its wide range of functionalities, incredible add-ins to extend functionalities, open-source nature, and tremendous online community support.

Java was first introduced in 1995. It gained popularity and has been used for over 25 years with the simple and effective logic of “write once, run anywhere.” As a result, developers prefer Java codes that, once written, can be used on multiple desktops, mobile devices, and so on without issue.

Java and PHP are two programming languages that have been around for a long time. PHP is still preferred as a server-side language, whereas Java is preferred as a client-side language. Both PHP and Java have advantages and disadvantages. Here we’ll look at why PHP is better compared to Java. Let’s get started.

Advantages of PHP over Java

With the rise of digitization, website and app development technologies have advanced. Choices are always difficult, and when it comes to PHP versus Java, every developer faces this dilemma at some point in their career. Check out the advantages of PHP over Java to help you decide between the two.

Faster than Java
Speed of Coding
Cost of Development
Ideal for Start-ups and Less Complex Projects
Dominating the Web

1. Faster than Java

Because of its design and architecture, Java is supposed to be faster than any other programming language. Still, PHP wins the quick development race when executed. PHP is faster than Java in web development and supports standard and advanced server-side content.

Java takes longer to load a page, especially if it contains complex logic.
In contrast, PHP loads pages faster because it takes a lighter load than JSP.

2. Speed of Coding

If the same software must be coded in PHP and Java, PHP will take less time to code than Java. PHP takes over the various threads available in Java that are in charge of efficiently and quickly managing and processing instruction sequences.

However, compared with Java, PHP remains the winner because its latest versions significantly speed up the coding process while reducing memory consumption. As a result, writing the same software in PHP would take less time than writing it in Java.

3. Cost of Development

PHP-based applications are preferred by businesses looking to launch low-cost applications. On the other hand, developing apps in Java is an expensive option that takes a lot of time and effort. As a result, compared to Java, PHP has lower development costs.

4. Ideal for Start-ups and Less Complex Projects

PHP is best suited for start-ups and less complex projects, while Java is used for complex enterprise-level projects. PHP was developed to create dynamic web pages but is now used for many different things, whereas Java is a general-purpose language. So PHP is best suited for beginner developers with less complex projects.

5. Dominating the Web

Without a doubt, PHP is the most popular server-side programming language. PHP serves as the backend for about 75% of all websites. WordPress uses PHP, which is one of the reasons why so many websites use it. WordPress currently controls about 34% of the online market. Seventy-five million websites use WordPress in total.

Similarities of PHP and Java

Both PHP and Java have certain similarities, advantages, and disadvantages. Let’s have a quick look at the similarities between them to have a better understanding of both programming languages.

Object-Oriented Programming
Ease-To-Learn
Open-source programming languages
Syntax

1. Object-Oriented Programming

Both PHP and Java adhere to all object-oriented programming (OOPS) principles, including encapsulation, polymorphism, inheritance, etc. Because the codes can be used in other programs, both PHP and Java are simple to understand.

2. Easy to Learn

Both PHP and Java can be learned quickly. Due to their ease of learning, PHP and Java are popular among new developers.

3. Open-source Programming Languages

Developers have unlimited access to both Java and PHP with no fees or restrictions. That makes it simple for developers to distribute and modify PHP and Java according to project requirements.

4. Syntax

Java and PHP both share a similar syntax. Because of this, these languages are based on the same technology and have similar classes, member functions, definitions of data members, and looping structures.

7 Global Websites that use PHP

The dynamic nature of PHP as a scripting language has allowed businesses to maximize long-term ROI by minimizing lost daily time. So one thing is clear. It’s time for the business and software development teams to consider PHP seriously.

It has gained immense popularity as a server-side language among leading tech and retail companies. Here is a list of seven global websites that use PHP for their web development.

1. Facebook

PHP was the primary programming language used to develop Facebook, one of the most popular social media web applications, with more than 1.49 billion active users.

2. Wikipedia

PHP is the programming language used by Wikipedia, along with MySQL/MariaDB as the database backend.

3. Tumblr

Since 2016, Tumblr has used PHP 7 scalar type hints and return type declarations, noting dramatic performance improvements.

4. Slack

The Slack backend uses PHP to maximize workflow efficiency faster, speed up web requests, and minimize program defects.

5. MailChimp

One of the primary players in email marketing, MailChimp, uses scalable PHP databases on their backend, so it’s no surprise they use scalable databases.

6. Etsy

With more than 45.7 million active buyers, Etsy has become one of the top ten most popular retail PHP websites in the US. Etsy is now recognized as one of the biggest PHP-powered e-commerce websites.

7. WordPress

The largest content management system, WordPress, uses PHP to communicate with databases and retrieve data, which is ultimately not surprising.

So we discussed the various aspects that make PHP win over Java. However, the developers have the final say in choosing the programming language, PHP or Java, according to their project’s needs.

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