Two words that strike the mind at the thought of web development are PHP and ASP.NET.
You cannot make an exact comparison between PHP and ASP.NET as the latter is a web framework while the former is a programming language.
Why is PHP popular?
One of the amazing facts about PHP is that it is compiled with a number of frameworks which makes website development easy. WordPress and Facebook are powered by PHP.
What makes ASP.Net popular?
ASP.NET was developed by Microsoft as a web framework which is acts as a scripting tool. This helps developers build web pages and applications for the web.
Pros and cons of using PHP vs ASP.Net:
PHP is free of cost whereas ASP.Net is a Microsoft product, hence it has certain charges such as the following:
Buying Windows is Expensive:
ASP.Net has been designed to work on Windows. If you are using other operating systems like the MAC or Linux, you can use the Mono Project to work with ASP.Net.
Windows hosting:
The hosting costs are almost similar when compared to Linux web hosting charges.
Integrated Development Environment:
PHP is one of the most important factors to be considered for cost-effectiveness. ASP.Net development is executed using VS Express which is a free version of the IDE. This is offered by Microsoft.
Performance matters:
The performance capability of web applications is determined by how well the interaction happens between the script, the server, and the database. The LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP) stack ensures enhanced performance. The speed of communication between the time taken by the browser to open and the server are closely related.
Scalability:
Both PHP and ASP.Net are highly scalable. Facebook is powered by PHP whereas ASP.net is used on websites like Microsoft.
Tools and Editors
Many PHP developers use text editors such as the VIM and Notepad++, rather than a full-fledged IDE. If you work with an IDE while using PHP, then you will get strong support which is absolutely free of cost.
ASP.Net is backed up by various IDE’. You can use it with Microsoft Visual Studio but it is not free. There are ample features and is one of the most flexible IDEs.
Freedom:
Developers love freedom! PHP offers unlimited freedom to code in any way needed.
When using PHP you can use or code using text editors such as the jEdit, Emacs, Bluefish, Notebook++, or Notepad too.
When using ASP.Net, your freedom is limited. You could try using only Microsoft Visual Studio.
PHP can run on the following OS:
● Linux
● Mac OSX
● Unix
● Windows
Popular Frameworks:
Some of the popular PHP Frameworks include:
● Laravel
● Zend
● CodeIgniter
● Symphony
● Yii
● Phalcon
Popularity:
PHP has higher popularity of Programming Language Usage than ASP.net. There are stats that show PHP is clearly a favorite among developers.
Fixing problems:
PHP is good at fixing problems. Unlike ASP.Net, you can find out with quite an extended ease where the issue is arising from. You can get rid of these with help from the PHP community. It is great because an issue with one request will never interfere with the other.
Unbeatable Speed:
No programming language could beat the operating speed of PHP. PHP operates at a faster speed than any other coding language as it does not take the system resources.
Hosting PHP is easy and it is also going to be easy If you are planning to use PHP with other software.
Database support:
WordPress is one of the greatest examples, PHP coding with MySQL is used for its content management system that makes things easier. Wikipedia is an example that utilizes a combination of PHP and Database. This is why many choose PHP over ASP.Net.
Learning PHP is simple and easy:
PHP is easy to understand for someone even if not from an IT background. When it comes to ASP.Net It is not easy or simple as PHP.
Coding in PHP:
PHP was written in C for the first time. If you have an idea about the C language, PHP becomes easier to code. Also, ASP.NET offers a number of programming options, unlike PHP. PHP does not meet the modern needs but ASP.NET provides options to programmers.
Compatibility:
PHP can be used with any operating system. This is not possible with ASP.Net. Also, PHP is available with most of the relational database systems and gives the flexibility to run with any web server thus making it the most compatible framework unlike ASP.Net
PHP has its own disadvantages:
PHP has its own cons: a set of disadvantages when compared to ASP.Net. The drawback is that it can only parse code within its delimiters, anything beyond the delimiters will be sent to the output which is undesirable. PHP is not good for building desktop applications.