Must-Have Tools & Frameworks for PHP Developers

Chirag Rawal
by Chirag Rawal 24 Mar, 2016
Must-Have Tools & Frameworks for PHP Developers

Building an engaging and fully functional website to meet client expectations is undoubtedly a challenging task. Thankfully, there is no shortage of excellent PHP development tools and frameworks.

Whether you are currently a PHP developer or are thinking of hiring one soon, take alook at these must-have tools and frameworks:

Tools

- PHP Designer - If you are serious about improving your coding skills as a developer, it is time to embrace this wonderful free website editor. This tool works brilliantly irrespective of the PHP framework you are using. The editor will highlight code as soon as you start typing. It also enables you to jump to any declarations instantly. Moreover, it detects syntax errors automatically.

- Nusphere PhpED - Now this is something that you can't afford to miss or ignore. It is one of the leading PHP IDE (integrated development environment) to build a website in a hassle-free manner. It has many interesting features related to debugging, coding, testing and file management.

- PHP Debugbar - Debugging is a breeze when you have this fantastic open source tool for PHP website development. It also integrates well with any project and handles AJAX requests flawlessly. With an easy-to-use interface and a client sidebar coded completely in Javascript, this PHP tool is unmatched.

- Sublime Text - If you are searching for the best IDE, your search ends here. The text editor has good features and an extraordinary design to help you find anything with a couple of keystrokes. It also let you edit your file effortlessly, and customization of menus, snippets, etc.

- Plates PHP - Easy to use, the tool is great if you are planning to make use of native PHP templates for your website development. It also enables reuse of code along with template layouts and consists of integrated escaping helpers.

Frameworks

- Phalcon2.0 - This boasts an innovative architecture and enables you to achieve high performance without any sweat. Moreover, it is not at all difficult to get familiar with and has a clean intuitive API. The framework is continuously evolving and is gradually becoming the digital darling of the developer community. Be it a fashion website or an online store selling a range of products, Phalcon 2.0 has always proved immensely valuable.

- Laravel - If you are an expert in PHP development, just go for Laravel without giving a second thought. Some of its interesting features include RESTFUL routing, readable syntax, integrated unit testing and so on. There is already a large community over the Web that can help you out in the case of any problem faced by you during the development process.

- Symfony - Be it Web applications or websites, Symfony is an undisputed king with its reusable PHP components, flexibility, easy configuration and other bright features. It also adheres to the best-known Web practices and is reliable for long projects. Moreover, it is free and eliminates the need for doing any repetitive tasks during PHP development.

- Yii - Composed in PHP 5, Yii is a contemporary framework best for PHP developers who are looking for something cost-effective and easy to use. Yii is an open source framework consisting of a remarkable MVC architecture and layered caching scheme. It encourages developers to complete website development within a minimal period. It is also quite secure with XSS, CSRF and cookie tampering.

- CakePHP - This one is a PHP framework most suitable if you are a beginner to PHP development as it is simple and fully loaded with all necessary features as well as attractive web applications. You can easily extend the framework with plugins, components, helpers and many more elements.

Now that you are completely aware of the must-have tools and top frameworks for PHP development, don't wait to get started. In case, you are looking for a competent developer for any PHP project, hire a PHP developer only after enquiring about the kind of tools he or she will use for the purpose of PHP development. This will undoubtedly help you to choose the best developer and to get your website or Web application up and running quicker.

Author Bio:

Chirag Rawal is an expert Web Developer. He works for the reputable Elsner company and serves large clientele worldwide. He possesses in-depth knowledge about Cake PHP Development, Core PHP Development and much more. Hire a PHP developer to get the best solution for your enterprise's development goals.