Both PHP and Python are popular web development languages. We compare the two so that you are aware of the pros and cons of each language and select the one that is suitable keeping in mind your unique requirements as well as preferences.

How to choose between PHP and Python?

Choosing a programming language depends on two factors: market viability of the language and what is the sort of programming you want to do. Python is a general-purpose programming language invented by Guido Van Rossum. The former is notable for its elegant syntax as well as extremely readable code. PHP on the other hand is fast and flexible. It powers everything ranging from a simple blog to the most popular websites in the world today. We compare the two programming platforms.

Learning Curve

Python is far easier to learn than PHP. The former is a general-purpose language in which you can become adept in a very short span of time. Many programming courses for beginners employ the Python programming language to train folk on programming fundamentals. Programs created using Python are relatively shorter as well as easy to write than programs written harnessing contemporary programming languages. The syntax is relatively simpler and the syntax is much more readable when benchmarked against other programming languages.

PHP wasn’t designed with the purpose of being a general-purpose language. Rather it was meant for web applications that are certainly more complex. Definitely learning PHP takes more time than learning Python. A major factor to select a particular programming language is the duration taken to learn as well as master it. From the beginner’s perspective learning Python is far easier. PHP was never targeted towards beginners. As a matter of fact, it was meant to be used by expert as well as experienced coders.

Platform Support

PHP code works on all operating systems. Developers don’t need to worry about the latter.

Popularity

PHP is far more popular than Python. As per statistics, PHP powers over 80% of the websites worldwide. Python became popular when Google started using it. It is rising in popularity.

Speed

As Python is interpreted the programs written in the former run slowly. In the domain of web development, it is extremely important that the application runs fast. PHP programs run much faster than Python programs. PHP 7 is twice as fast as PHP 5.

CMS

The most popular CMS namely WordPress is built employing PHP. The latter provides more versatile options in terms of CMS.

Syntax Errors

Python is extremely tolerant of syntax errors. Programs written in Python run even in the presence of minor errors. The same cannot be said about programs written using PHP.

Frameworks

PHP users have access to mature frameworks. On the other hand, Python has a smaller number of frameworks.

Database Connectivity

PHP scores over Python in terms of seamless database connectivity. Via PHP it is possible to access more than 20 different databases.

Community Support

PHP has a larger support community than Python. However, the Python community is currently growing at a fast pace.

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