PHP VS PYTHON – Which One Is The Best Scripting Language?

Do you want to develop GUI-based applications? Well, this is possible using PHP as well as Python. But wait, which is better for this kind of application. Today, I am going to explain the major differences between PHP vs Python.

It will help you to understand what would be the best for a specific purpose. Apart from this, I have detailed which programming language is in trend. And which would be better for you in terms of career prospects.

So, without confusing you more. Let’s start with the details. But before that, let me clear your doubts about what is PHP and what is Python with their respective features.

What is Python Programming Language?

Python is an object-oriented, open-source programming language developed by Guido van Rossum. It is a high-level language that provides built-in data structures. 

Moreover, dynamic typing and binding features make this language the best suited for rapid application development.

Developers use this language for the creation of websites, softwares, automation, etc. Moreover, Python’s syntax is so simple that non-programmers also easily learn and understand this language. 

For this reason, Python is the most favorite language for data scientists.

Some key features of Python are as follows.

• High-level language
• Easy to learn and code
• GUI Programming support
• Portability
• Extensibility
• integrated 
• Active community support
• Large standard language
• Dynamically-typed language

Why Python? 

Here are a few reasons why Python is a good choice:

• Python code is simple to write and debug when compared to other languages. As a result, maintaining its source code is relatively simple.
• Python is a portable programming language that runs on various operating systems and platforms.
• When comparing Python vs PHP web development, Python has a lot of built-in libraries that make your development process a lot easier.
• Python makes complicated programming easier to understand. Garbage collection is necessary since it works with memory addresses internally.
• Python includes an interactive shell that allows you to test ideas before committing them to code.
• All major commercial DBMS systems include database interfaces in Python.
• Python is a programming language that can create graphical user interfaces (GUI) and is also used as a web framework. tkmter, WXPython, and Django are other examples.

History of Python

• Python was conceived in the late 1980s, but it was not implemented until December 1989.
• Guido van Rossum invented it in the Netherlands.
• In February 1991, Rossum released the first version of Python (0.9.0).
• Python is derived from the ABC programming language, a general-purpose programming language. Python is now maintained by a core development team, though Rossum plays a vital role in its direction.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Python

The following are the advantages and disadvantages of using Python for web development:

Advantages of Python 

• A language that can be used in various fields because it is general-purpose, object-oriented, and versatile.
• Features reusability of code across platforms
• It’s simple to use, read, study, and maintain.
• Garbage collection is automatic.
• Creates graphical user interface applications.
• Can readily interface with other languages’ programming code, such as Java or C++
• Has libraries like TensorFlow for math-intensive workloads.
• A language that is open-source, uniformly unfolding language.
• It’s highly graphic, and it appeals to amateurs favourable.
• WORA functionality makes it portable.

Disadvantages of Python

• It is not helpful In terms of mobile computing, browsers, and app development.
• It makes extensive use of Memory to provide developers with ease of use.
• It is slower than other website building languages.
• Delays the testing of web applications.
• Error detection becomes challenging for a simple and small software or website due to dynamic typing Gigantic.
• Run-time errors are caused by duck-typing.
• For some specific activities, it’s a little easier.

When Should You Use Python?

The Python programming language is becoming increasingly popular in recent years. Here are some examples of when Python should be used:

• Using the Django framework to create websites
• In search of deep data analytics
• Working in fields such as robots and data science is also a plus.

What is PHP Programming Language?

PHP was developed in 1994 by Rasmus Lerdorf for the maintenance of his personal home page. PHP is a server-side scripting language. 

Programmers use PHP for the creation of dynamic websites or web applications. Moreover, it is also useful in creating flash animations, PDF files, XML documents, etc.

PHP scripts need a web server installation for interpretation. Although, a website user needs a web browser to access PHP scripts.  

Some key features of PHP are as follows.

• Simple, Familiar, and easy of use
• Loosely typed language
• Flexibility
• Extensibility
• Open-Source
• Cross-platform compatibility
• Active community support
• Fast and efficient performance
• Object-oriented features
• Real-time access monitoring

Why PHP?

Here are some of the most important reasons to use PHP:

• PHP is available for Windows, Unix, Linux, Mac OS X, and other operating systems.
• PHP works with practically all Apache and IIS servers.
• PHP is a server-side scripting language that is simple to learn and use.
• PHP is available for download for free at www.php.net.

History Of PHP

• Rasmus Lerdorf created PHP in 1995 as a Perl hack.
• In 1997, Zeev Suraski and Gutmans rewrote it and released PHP2.0 with a new passer engine.
• PHP 2 turned the language into a scripting language for the server.
• ODBC support was added to PHP 3 (1998). (Open Database Connectivity) Support for many platforms and email protocols has been added.
• PHP version 4, which was published in the year 2000, has become an independent component of the webserver for increased performance.
• Zend Engine II with object-oriented programming and robust XML support was added to PHP 5, released in 2004.

Advantages and disadvantages of PHP

Here are some advantages and disadvantages of using PHP for web development

Advantages of PHP

• Maintains a high level of debugging a plethora of pluggable frameworks Object-oriented and open-source
• There is a large ecosystem here.
• Other database interfaces, such as No SQL, PostgreSQL, and others, are supported.
• Get cross-platform support and work with a variety of operating systems.
• Provides database collection module support.
• PHP-based apps are flexible and platform-independent, supporting all operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and UNIX.
• SQL support is pre-installed.
• Numerous open-source PHP frameworks can be used for free.

Disadvantages of PHP

• impeded and wired performance
• Its essential behaviour is unchangeable.
• Uses poor typing, which can lead to users receiving incorrect information and knowledge.
• not good for content-based apps
• There is no IoT alliance.
• Security protocols and features are insufficient.

When Should You Use PHP?

Among developers, PHP is a popular server-side programming language. Here are some examples of when PHP can be used:

• Less investment
• Creating websites, web applications, and blogs
• On the server-side, it’s important to work efficiently.

Let’s first compare the features of PHP vs Python

PHP vs Python: Which is more popular?

From the 5 year graph, it is quite clear that initially, PHP was more popular than Python. But after 2016, Python gets renowned and keeps on rising. The reason for the popularity could be that Python programs need fewer lines of code.

Therefore, it is quite easy to deal with the Python programming language. Moreover, it has an easy-to-understand syntax that a beginner can easily understand and learn. 

PHP vs Python: Differences in tabular form

PHP VS Python: Detailed differences analyzed on different factors.

The main differences between PHP vs Python are as follows.

Ease of Learning

PHP and Python are known for their easy-to-learn syntax. Moreover, both are interpreted and object-oriented languages. Both of these languages are super easy to learn.

PHP requires a ‘$’ sign as the prefix of all variables and a ‘->’ operator to indicate an object. In contrast, Python doesn’t require any prefix for variable declaration. 

PHP’s double-edged sword in array concept acts as a combination of Python’s dictionary and list data types. It is very beneficial for someone who knows the proper usage of the array in PHP. 

However, PHP usually lacks quality implementations of other data types. That means if something doesn’t fit into an array, then anyone needs to write his own data type.

On the other hand, Python has a lot of variety in built-in data types. Sometimes it becomes quite difficult to remember which tool to use for a particular job. However, this challenge is easier to solve than PHP’s data type creation. 

Library Support

Python and PHP both support various libraries to provide ease of development. But, Python has more advantages than PHP. It has an extensive set of libraries for all types of applications. Python uses Pip (Pip Installs Python) to manage packages. 

On the other hand, PHP provides Composer for library management. A Composer is a great tool and very similar to Python’s library management system. 

Lastly, Python has a lot more variety in mature packages, and its tools are easier to install and use.

Speed

Speed is an important performance factor. It is not always related to the programming language. Rather, there can be many other reasons behind it—an overloaded server, network issues, DNS configuration issues, etc.

PHP has become extremely fast after the release of the PHP 7 version. However, PHP has some disadvantages. PHP restarts the entire application at the start of a web request. For this reason, sharing resources is difficult in PHP. In comparison, Python does not have this difficulty.

Lastly, It is crucial to remember that no language can guarantee a fast application as several other factors lie behind it.

Debugging

PHP comes with an XDebug package for debugging. On the other hand, Python provides PDB (Python Debugger). Both of these tools are very powerful. Moreover, PDP AND XDebug both provide the most useful features, i.e., stacks, breakpoints, and path mapping.

Both of these languages have powerful debuggers. However, Python’s debugging tool can directly integrate into IDEs like PyCharm or VS Code. On the contrary, PHP requires a small setup for debugging.

Documentation

PHP and Python both come with large documentation. Moreover, there are numerous websites on the internet that provide information about the usage of these languages. 

Is there any renowned brand name that is using PHP or Python?

Yes, there is. 

Below are some of the names that help you believe that PHP and Python are always worth learning to get the desired job.

Is PHP or Python easier to learn?

Without any doubt, I can simply say that Python is the easiest programming language to learn. Moreover, the syntax and other concepts of Python can be learned easily. If you do not have any prior programming knowledge, you can still learn Python on your own. 

Now, you can understand how easy Python is. On the other hand, if we talk about PHP, it is quite hard compared to Python. Therefore, I personally suggest you first go with Python if you are a beginner. But learners with prior programming knowledge can go with PHP.

Final discussion: Which is better PHP or Python?

I have already mentioned that it is quite challenging to say which is better, especially for backend web development. But if I would say that Python is much better for long-term projects, then you probably agree with me.

Also, PHP has quite a complex syntax for learning compared to Python. That is why some of you might not want to get started with it. In contrast to this, Python has indentation enforcements. This makes Python programs more readable than PHP.

Therefore, I can say that it totally depends on you and your choice for which purpose you want to start using these languages. Go again and check the difference given above and make a decision wisely.

Conclusion

This blog has provided information about PHP VS Python- the main differences. Both (PHP vs Python) are somehow similar to each other. Therefore, It isn’t easy to choose one of these languages. 

Python has more applications as compared to PHP. For instance, developers can use Python for machine learning, software development, web scripting, web development, etc. In contrast, PHP is a server-side scripting language. Therefore, It is mainly used for the backend development of websites. 

In the end, both these languages are best for web development since they offer a great set of libraries and frameworks.

To get Python project ideas for beginners: Click Here

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is PHP so popular?

The reason for its popularity is the codebase’s age. It means the longer you have the language sticks, the more it will generate the legacy code. Because of the age of PHP, it has a large user-based community.

Can Python replace PHP?

Yes, you can use Python instead of PHP for backend development. But it is quite challenging to compare both languages. The reason could be that both prove their effectiveness and prove one is better than another.