Why Laravel is an Optimal Choice for Your Next Project

Published On - July 18, 2024

admin Laravel Development

Since its inception in the mid-90s, PHP has remained one of the most popular web development languages. According to a survey, over 29 million live websites on the internet are powered by PHP.

Choosing a PHP framework for the early stages of your web application project can be highly advantageous. Development teams typically follow specific criteria when selecting the ideal framework. Some key factors include:

• Team’s experience with the framework 
• Popularity of the framework
• Development costs
• Customisation and scalability capabilities
• Built-in security features

In addition to these factors, it is essential to consider deployment options, third-party integration, and testing approaches.

Looking at the statistics, Laravel currently stands out as one of the top and most popular PHP frameworks. According to some reports, it powers over 750,000 live websites on the internet. Additionally, it has received more than 71,000 stars on GitHub, showcasing its popularity among developers.

While there are many PHP frameworks available, Laravel is often the best choice for your project.

In this blog, you will explore what Laravel is and why it is an excellent option for web and application development. 

What is Laravel? 

Launched in June 2011, Laravel is a free, open-source platform designed for back-end web application development, offering an extensive range of syntaxes. It features a powerful architecture and a suite of tools that streamline the development process. The latest version of Laravel includes enhancements in localisation, views, routing, authentication, models, and sessions. Additionally, it boasts features like inversion of control, integrated database management support, the Blade template engine, a packaging mechanism called bundles, event management support, and a command-line interface known as Artisan.

For web applications or websites that require robust security and high performance, hiring a Laravel development company is an excellent choice.

Next, let’s explore why Laravel should be your preferred PHP framework.

Why Choose Laravel?

Laravel offers some of the best features to enhance the appearance, functionality, performance, and security of web applications and websites.

MVC & Object-Oriented Architecture:

Laravel’s object-oriented Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture is a standout feature. It allows Laravel developers to separate the presentation layer from the core business logic, leading to cleaner and more organised code. This separation enhances security and improves application speed and performance. Additionally, Laravel offers a range of syntaxes, making it inherently object-oriented and highly beneficial for development teams. The built-in functionalities provided by Laravel contribute to faster development and more robust applications.

Default Authentication & Authorisation:

Laravel excels in authentication and authorisation, providing a streamlined approach for these critical aspects of web development. Its built-in authorisation coding techniques enable Laravel developers to quickly implement efficient authentication systems. The logical structure of Laravel’s framework grants access to resources and simplifies authorisation logic, making it easier for developers to manage permissions and user roles. This flexibility allows Laravel to support the development of software applications of any size, ensuring robust security and efficient performance. 

Eloquent ORM (Object Relational Mapping):

Laravel’s Eloquent ORM feature allows Laravel developers to interact seamlessly with databases using ActiveRecord implementation. This approach saves time and effort by enabling developers to write database queries using PHP syntax rather than complex SQL. With Eloquent ORM, creating and managing database queries becomes straightforward, reducing the need for extensive knowledge of SQL. It also facilitates the development of object-oriented structures with minimal effort. Additionally, Eloquent ORM includes a built-in library that enhances the functionality of applications, supporting comprehensive object-oriented programming.

Automated Unit Testing:

Ensuring that your web application is bug-free and meets all requirements necessitates thorough testing. Laravel’s automated unit testing is a key feature that guarantees the speed and performance of your website or application. It conducts comprehensive tests more quickly than other frameworks, ensuring that the application behaves as expected. Laravel’s expressive testing capabilities allow developers to simulate natural user interactions, such as making requests, clicking forms, and analysing outputs. This helps in detecting and preventing regressions, thereby improving the overall quality and reliability of websites or applications.

Artisan Console:

Laravel’s built-in command-line interface, Artisan, is a powerful tool that streamlines various development tasks. Some of its key uses include:

• Managing Database Migrations: Artisan simplifies the process of creating, migrating, and managing database schema.
• Publishing Package Assets: It allows easy publication of package resources, ensuring that your application remains up-to-date with the latest features.
• Generating Boilerplate Code: Artisan can quickly generate essential code for new models, controllers, and migrations, saving developers significant time.

Additionally, Artisan is highly extendable. Developers can create custom commands to further enhance its capabilities and automate repetitive tasks, making the development process even more efficient.

Enhanced Website Performance:

Laravel is equipped with various speed optimisation techniques that significantly enhance website performance. For instance:

• Website Caching: Laravel provides straightforward methods for implementing caching, which can drastically reduce load times and improve user experience.
• Memory Usage Reduction: By optimising memory usage, Laravel ensures that applications run smoothly even under heavy load.
• Database Indexing: Effective indexing strategies can be easily implemented to speed up database queries, making your application more responsive.

These features make Laravel an excellent choice for developers focused on creating fast, SEO-friendly websites.

Flexibility and Versatility:

Laravel is a robust framework capable of supporting a wide range of applications, from professional B2B websites to complex eCommerce platforms. Its extensive collection of pre-installed authorisation libraries and third-party packages allows Laravel developers to easily add advanced features like encryption and password reset functionalities.

Moreover, Laravel’s flexibility extends to its compatibility with various operating systems, including macOS, Linux, Windows, and UNIX. This cross-platform compatibility makes Laravel a preferred choice for developing versatile web applications that can run seamlessly across different environments.

Blade Template Engine:

One of Laravel’s standout features is the Blade Template Engine, which comes integrated with the core platform. Blade allows developers to use plain PHP code in views without adding any overhead to the application. It efficiently combines data models with multiple templates, enhancing performance and ensuring optimal outcomes. Blade also provides convenient PHP shortcuts and supports template inheritance, making the web development process more flexible and streamlined.

Open Source & Large Community:

Laravel is an open-source platform supported by a large and active community. This community continually introduces new features, enhancing the framework’s flexibility, security, and power. Being open-source also means that developers can rely on the community for support, advice, and solutions to any issues they encounter, ensuring continuous improvement and innovation.

Events & Broadcasting:

Laravel’s broadcasting feature is essential for developing modern web applications that require real-time capabilities. It allows developers to implement live feeds and real-time data updates by sharing event names between the client and server sides. This feature enables real-time data acquisition and dynamic user experiences, making Laravel ideal for applications that need instant updates and interactions.

Robust Security Features:

Security is a critical concern for any website or application, regardless of the business size. Laravel addresses this with a comprehensive suite of security features, ensuring robust protection against various threats. Some of the key security measures include:

• HTTP Middleware: This adds an extra layer of security by filtering and processing HTTP requests entering your application.
• Input Sanitisation: Ensures that all user inputs are cleaned and validated to prevent SQL injection and other common attacks.
• Encryption: Laravel uses strong encryption protocols to secure sensitive data.
• Rate Limiting: Protects your application from brute force attacks by limiting the number of requests from a single IP address.
• Password Hashing: Uses bcrypt hashing algorithm to store passwords securely, making it difficult for attackers to decrypt them.

Laravel consistently introduces new security features and improvements. Therefore, it is crucial to keep your Laravel framework updated to the latest version to benefit from the latest security enhancements.

If you are planning to develop a website or web application, Laravel is a great choice due to its strong security capabilities. However, if you are not proficient in programming, you might consider hiring a white-label Laravel development company. These professionals can leverage Laravel’s full potential to build secure and efficient applications tailored to your needs.

 Popular Laravel Combinations

To create top-tier web applications, experts often combine Laravel with other frameworks. Here are a few popular combinations:

Laravel + Vue.js:

Vue.js is a JavaScript framework used for developing interactive user interfaces for websites and web applications. Laravel provides built-in support for Vue.js, allowing developers to seamlessly integrate the two. This combination is ideal for creating advanced client-side applications with rich, dynamic interfaces.

Laravel + Angular:

Angular is commonly used to develop single-page applications (SPAs). By using Laravel for the back-end and Angular for the front-end, developers can build powerful, full-stack applications. This approach ensures efficient handling of substantial traffic and data, providing a robust solution for complex web applications.

Laravel + Bootstrap:

Bootstrap is a widely adopted front-end framework that seamlessly integrates with Laravel. Together, they enable developers to create mobile-friendly, responsive applications with consistent, visually appealing designs. Bootstrap’s extensive CSS and JavaScript components complement Laravel’s backend capabilities, ensuring a cohesive user experience across devices.

Laravel + AWS:

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a leading cloud computing platform offering a suite of services for hosting, storage, and data processing. When combined with Laravel, AWS provides scalable infrastructure and robust solutions for deploying reliable web applications. Leveraging AWS’s capabilities enhances Laravel’s performance, reliability, and scalability, making it suitable for handling varying workloads and accommodating business growth.

Laravel + Git:

Git is essential for version control and collaboration among developers. Integrating Git with Laravel streamlines the development process by tracking code changes, managing branches, and facilitating collaboration across teams. Developers can use Git to deploy changes efficiently, ensuring seamless updates and maintenance of web applications built on Laravel.

Wrapping Up

Laravel has become a cornerstone for over 750,000 websites worldwide, renowned for its robust features such as Artisan, Blade Template Engine, Automated Unit Testing, Event & Broadcasting, and more. This popularity has led numerous companies to opt for Laravel, often seeking outsourcing from specialised Laravel development agencies.

Laravel stands out among PHP frameworks due to its expressive syntax, MVC Architecture, comprehensive Testing and Debugging tools, and vibrant community support. Its rich ecosystem includes numerous built-in features that accelerate development while maintaining high standards of quality and security. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced developer, Laravel provides a wealth of tools and resources to facilitate the efficient creation of sophisticated websites and applications.

If you are seeking skilled Laravel developers to enhance your existing website or develop new web solutions with precision, Arsenaltech offers tailored solutions to meet your needs. We prioritise leveraging cutting-edge technology to deliver superior outcomes for our clients. Our team of proficient Laravel developers specialises in crafting high-quality, secure, and scalable web solutions customised to fit your unique business requirements. Connect with us today at GetAProgrammer to access top-tier Laravel developers equipped with diverse skill sets.