Programming languages and platforms are the basis of every single bit of technology we use today. They are also the building blocks for websites and applications. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy technology the way we do today. Think about a world without services like Frontier cable and internet. For most of us, such a world is too terrifying to consider. There have been many languages and platforms over the years. Some have been regularly updated and offer much more than they did initially. Others have been discarded because they became too obsolete or difficult to use.
An Introduction to PHP and ASP.NET
PHP is a general-purpose programming language. The language design was originally for web development. Rasmus Lerdorf created the first version of the language in 1994. It is an open-source license, which means it offers the flexibility of use. It has been widely ported and can deploy on most web servers. It can work on most operating systems and is free for anyone to use.
ASP.NET, unlike PHP, is not a language. It is an open-source server-side web development tool. It was created by Microsoft, as a tool to develop dynamic web pages and applications. The framework supports multiple languages like Visual Basic.NET, JavaScript.NET, Perl, and Python.
Now that the basics of what PHP and ASP.NET are defined let’s move on to the differences.
10 Differences Between PHP and ASP.NET
There has been some debate amongst developers between PHP and ASP.NET. PHP enjoys a dedicated following of developers who enjoy using the language. On the other hand, ASP.NET is extremely versatile and operates across any .NET-supported language. In addition, it is Microsoft to back it up.
Here are 10 difference between PHP and ASP.NET which might help you to choose between the two:
- Cost
- Speed
- Tools and Editors
- Performance
- Frameworks
- Problem-Fixing
- Limitations
- Database Support
- Scalability
- Popularity
#1. Cost
PHP is free to use. Anyone is able to use the language as they want. Microsoft, on the other hand, owns ASP.NET. So it is designed to work on Microsoft’s Windows operating system. There are tools like the Mono Project that let operating systems like Linux and MAC work with ASP.NET.
#2. Speed
PHP doesn’t take up much of the system resources. That is why it operates at faster speeds than other languages. On the other hand, ASP.NET is a heavy framework. It uses many of the system resources to run. To ensure trouble-free usage, ASP.NET requires higher specification system.
#3. Tools and Editors
PHP allows developers to use editors like Notepad++ as well as implement developed IDEs. Editors like Eclipse give PHP developers strong support if they prefer working with IDEs. Eclipse is completely free to use. In comparison, ASP.Net is backed by a variety of IDEs, however, you have to use Microsoft Visual Studio. It is not free like Eclipse but offers more features.
#4. Performance
The performance web applications are determined by observing the quality of interaction between the server, the script and the database. Planting a web application in PHP will always take the LAMP formation. This ensures enhanced performance. ASP.NET uses Windows OS, which is usually slower than say Linux. Because of this, ASP.NET performs slower than PHP running on Linux.
#5. Frameworks
PHP users are aware of the various frameworks that are currently available. They are spoiled for choices. Some of the most popular frameworks for PHP include Phalcon, Zend, Symphony, Laravel, and CodeIgniter. When PHP developers find themselves requiring help, they can use these frameworks. They offer fixes to session management, code reuse, as well as database access libraries.
#6. Problem-Fixing
In addition to all the support frameworks PHP developers can benefit from, the language is also good at fixing problems. Unlike ASP.NET, the PHP community is very vast. With a little help from them, PHP developers can find out where there is a problem and fix it.
#7. Limitations
PHP holds nearly no limitations over developers. Unlike ASP.NET, developers are free to code in any way they prefer. They are also free to use any OS they like; PHP is compatible with Linux, Windows, Mac OSX, and Unix. ASP.NET, on the other hand, may be limited to the use of Microsoft Visual Studio. If there is one thing developers love, its freedom.
#8. Database Support
PHP is supported across all platforms and databases. It supports a variety of databases, including MySQL. An example of successful PHP coding with a MySQL database is the content management system for WordPress.
#9. Scalability
Both PHP and ASP.NET offer good levels of scalability. What really matters is how capable the developer is when using either of these options.
#10. Popularity
Among developers today, PHP stands at 67 percent popularity over 30 percent popularity of ASP.NET. These figures are of 2018, taken by observing the top million websites.
Conclusion
Both, PHP and ASP.NET have their advantages and disadvantages. Deciding between them is like deciding between Frontier Internet packages and another service provider package of the same tier. It can be done, but really it comes down to user preference. PHP offers much more freedom to developers over ASP.NET. It’s also free to use. On the other hand, ASP.NET offers the capability to work with a myriad of languages.
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