If someone says “JavaScript is only for front end development, and PHP is for back end” — do not listen.
Before I jump into claiming that one language is better than the other, there is something I need to clarify. I don’t want to turn the PHP vs JavaScript discussion into comparing oranges with apples, so I should explain the main difference between JavaScript vs PHP.
PHP is a programming language for back end development only. JavaScript, in turn, was initially designed as a front end development language. But with the introduction of Node.js in 2009, JavaScript became full stack.
The commonly cited claim that “JavaScript is only for front end development, and PHP is for back end” is just not true. Today, you can develop the entire app with JavaScript, both client side and server side. The question is, which language is more effective for your particular project?
Therefore, if you’re trying to decide between PHP and JavaScript, the discussion is reduced to which language you want to use for back end development. And to help you make an informed decision, I will compare PHP vs JavaScript for web development based on the following criteria:
Brief overview
Performance and speed
Extensibility
Universality
Community
Learning curve
Syntax
Apps it is best suited for
Brief overview
Javascript
JavaScript is a light dynamic programming language, multi-paradigm, high level, interpreted or just in time. Introduced in 1995 by Brendan Eich, JavaScript is characterized by a syntax in square brackets, first-class functions and object orientation based on a prototype.
According to Statista, 69% of developers worldwide use JavaScript and 5% more plan to adopt this language. The report shows that it is the most popular programming language in the world at the end of 2019.
PHP
PHP stands for Hypertext Preprocessor, and it is an open source scripting language for back-end development. Developed in 1994 by Rasmus Lerdorf, the language has received worldwide recognition. According to the W3Tech survey, 79% of all websites use PHP. Among the most popular are Facebook, Wikipedia and, of course, WordPress.
PHP against JavaScript: 0-0
Performance and speed
Javascript
JavaScript is characterized by a single-threaded, non-blocking, event-driven I / O execution model. Such a model is ensured by the event loop and the clustering of nodes.
The asynchronous nature of Node.js allows it to execute all of the code simultaneously without waiting for certain functions to be executed. Thanks to it, JavaScript is the best solution for low latency applications, such as streaming platforms. Node.js is further accelerated by the V8 engine, constant connection to the server and callback functions.
PHP
PHP is characterized by a blocking multi-threaded I / O execution model. Unlike JavaScript, PHP is synchronous. The second line of code in PHP cannot be executed before the first, which makes it much slower than JavaScript.
While PHP definitely loses speed, some say it is more stable than JavaScript. However, this advantage is quite ambiguous and has not been 100% proven.
The reliability and stability of PHP and JavaScript are subject to interpretation. But thanks to the exceptional speed, JavaScript wins a point.
PHP vs JavaScript: 0-1
Extensibility
Javascript
JavaScript can be combined with HTML, XML and Ajax.
There are a number of great JavaScript frameworks, and you can’t even count them because new ones emerge quite often.
The most popular front-end JS technologies are Vue, Angular and React, but here at KeenEthics, we also believe in a bright future for Svelte.
The most common server-side framework is Node.js. The framework you choose can define the speed and cost of development, performance and other technical qualities of your future application.
As for package managers, Node.js comes with NPM (Node Package Manager) preinstalled. NPM makes life much easier for developers and it is the largest software registry in the world.
PHP can be combined with HTML only.
Probably the biggest advantage of PHP is the availability of CMS such as WordPress or Drupal. These solutions can greatly facilitate and even reduce web development. PHP can also be extended with any LAMP stack technology and server solutions such as MySQL or PostgreSQl.
There are two package managers for PHP – PEAR and Composer. PEAR (PHP Extension and Application Repository) is a structured library of open source PHP code. Composer is a dependency management tool for PHP.
Overall, JavaScript offers more possibilities for extensibility, so it wins the point.
PHP versus JavaScript: 0 – 2
Universality
JavaScript is cross-platform, just like PHP. PHP and JavaScript are primarily aimed at developing web applications, although both can be used for mobile application development.
Javascript
The biggest advantage of JavaScript over PHP is that JavaScript is a full stack development language. Most JS vs PHP comparisons point out that JavaScript is just front-end, but that’s just not true. You can develop a complete web or mobile application without any technology other than JavaScript.
KeenEthics’ experience proves it: as a JS-oriented company, we develop personalized web and mobile solutions from scratch using only JavaScript.
PHP
PHP is a back-end development language only. PHP belongs to the LAMP stack, which stands for Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP / Perl / Python.
To develop a web application with this technological stack, a software engineer must know four different syntax systems, as well as HTML and CSS. Switching between languages is neither practical nor efficient, and makes the learning curve difficult.
JavaScript development is a full development, which is the biggest advantage.
PHP vs JavaScript: 0-3
Community
Javascript
According to stackshare.io, the main reasons developers like to work with JavaScript are its universality (“Can be used on the front-end and the back-end”), its popularity (“It is everywhere”) and its extensibility ( “there are a lot of great executives”).
JavaScript is used by Netflix, LinkedIn, Trello, Uber, Airbnb, Instagram, eBay, NASA and Medium.
Most JS frameworks are open source but not JavaScript itself.
JavaScript is the most popular language on GitHub with over 20% of pull requests.
PHP
Stackshare.io shows that the most appreciated advantages of PHP are a large community, open source and simple deployment.
PHP is used by companies such as Facebook, Lyft, Wikipedia, Slack, Tumblr and 9 GAG.
The PHP code is open source, which makes it more flexible and customizable.
On GitHub, PHP only takes eighth place with around 5% of pull requests.
Both languages have huge support communities and are favored by the big tech giants – PHP and JavaScript earn a point.
PHP vs JavaScript: 1 to 4
Learning curve
PHP
PHP is much easier to start learning than JavaScript. Setting up a server is as simple as creating a single .php file, writing a few lines of code surrounded by And enter the URL in the browser tab.
In addition, PHP features, such as inconsistent functions or return values, are easier to understand and master than the features of JavaScript and some JS frameworks.
Javascript
The configuration of JavaScript, namely Node.js, on the server side is not that complicated. But it is more difficult than PHP. A beginner JS developer should have more knowledge than a beginner PHP developer.
However, the effort you put into learning JavaScript pays off. Since JavaScript is more universal than PHP, the learning effort brings much more value.
PHP earns a point for simplicity of learning, novice developers will certainly appreciate it.
PHP vs JavaScript: 2 to 4
Syntax
The syntax of a programming language, in most cases, is only a matter of personal preference. Therefore, none of the languages can earn a point here.
However, I will provide a side-by-side comparison of the JS and PHP syntax rules in case you are thinking here of the language to learn. Maybe some peculiarities of a certain language will work better for you, and that is how you will make your choice.
PHP and JavaScript use hooks of various types, including hooks, hooks, and hooks.
In PHP and JavaScript, variables can be of any type, they can change types, and you can check the type by calling a language-specific operator – typeof in JS and gettype in PHP.
In both languages, the tables begin with “0”.
for identical loop () functions in PHP and JavaScript, the only difference is in how the variable inside the parentheses is declared. The foreach () loop, which is unique to PHP, can be easily transformed into a JS for () loop.
In JS, variables are global by default unless declared local with var. A local variable is available for everything in this function or its sub-functions.
In JS, addition and concatenation are done with “+”.
JS is case sensitive in variables and functions.
There are no associative arrays (key-value pairs) in JS, you must use JSON strings instead.
In JS, tables and objects are very similar and often interchangeable. An object element can also be referenced as an array element.
In JS, the elements of objects are referenced with an end point “.”.
PHP uses dollar signs “$” to denote variables, while JS does not have such a sign. All variables are local by default, unless they are declared global with global. A local variable will not be available in the subfunctions, unless you pass it in an argument.
In PHP, addition is done with “+”, and concatenation is done with “.”.
PHP is only case sensitive in variables.
PHP allows numeric and associative arrays.
In PHP, arrays and objects are completely different things with different syntax.
In PHP, the elements of objects are referenced by an arrow “->”.
These are some of the most basic differences you should know about these languages. See this table and this article for more syntax differences between PHP and JavaScript.
As I said, no language earns a point here because syntax is a matter of personal preference.
PHP vs JavaScript: 2 to 4
Best suited applications
Javascript
JavaScript has dedicated server hosting, which makes it ideal for large projects. It can be used to develop both the front-end and the back-end of almost all types of software applications, including 3D games, AR / VR solutions, IoT products, etc.
PHP
Although PHP is a general purpose programming language, it is mainly used to develop dynamic web pages. Given the availability of PHP-based content management systems such as Moodle and WordPress, PHP is the best solution for blogs, learning management systems, and e-commerce websites.
Again, when it comes to which apps are best suited, each language is different but neither better nor worse than the competition. PHP and JavaScript are fairly universal, so both get a point.
PHP vs JavaScript: 3 to 5
To wrap up
The comparison between PHP and JavaScript ends with the score of 3 to 5 – JavaScript beats PHP.
Both languages are quite good in terms of community support, scalability and suitable applications. JavaScript is certainly more efficient in terms of speed and universality. Meanwhile, it loses to PHP in terms of the learning curve even if the syntax, as we concluded, is only a matter of personal preference.
Keep in mind – this doesn’t mean that JavaScript and Node.js in particular are always the best choice – it’s up to you and your project to decide.
Choose Node.js:
If you plan to develop a single page application,
If you plan to build a real-time app, such as a streaming service or a messenger,
If you plan to create a large project with a high data load,
If you are using JavaScript for front end development.
Choose PHP:
If you are planning to develop an ecommerce blog or website,
If you are already using some of the LAMP technologies.