PHP web development has always been a complex and time consuming task. But not anymore! This is all thanks to high-end PHP frameworks. Agile application development is now not only easy, but it is also faster. These high-end PHP frameworks come to your rescue when time is a big issue and you want to implement those high-end functionalities in your application in the least possible time. Image credit: Flickr This is thus the time that you need to look at popular PHP frameworks. Without any delay, let us take a look at the top PHP frameworks that would help you develop agile and secure applications. Laravel Packed with a lot of interesting features, a tempting engine and other development related stuff, Laravel provides your application with a reliable and tested environment. Painless routing, a robust library and powerful ORM along with simple authentication are some of the features that make Laravel the first choice for developers. Allows you to easily manage third-party packages with its tool composer. Has an easy to comprehend syntax. Eliminates testing hassles with its built-in unit testing. Allows you to manage client and server routes through Restful routing. Provides you with the flexibility to craft enthusiasts’ small businesses into big enterprise applications all in one go! Phalcon Named as one of the fastest PHP frameworks that the industry has ever witnessed, Phalcon provides you with an array of features. They include asset management, security and translations, which make it one of the most preferred MVC frameworks boosted by PHP. Consider Phalcon to develop micro application and high-end MVC applications with multi modules. Easy to grasp and...
PHP and ASP.NET are definitely not new to the web development industry. They have both been major contributors to website and enterprise applications for many years now. Python, Django, Ruby on Rails and a lot of others have challenged their survival. But these two languages have always emerged stronger, all thanks to the feature set that they possess and the flexibility that they provide to developers. PHP development and ASP.NET development have been in a neck and neck competition with each other for the title as the best. And have thus forced CTOs and enterprise owners to make the difficult decision of which one to choose for their enterprise application? So let us find out more about these two languages! ASP.NET and PHP at a Glance ASP Active Server Page (also known as ASP) is scripting language mainly used on the server side which was developed by Microsoft. Image credit: Flickr It is a more powerful server side language and hosts an array of features, including links to the backend, session, and state management, and handling request and response parameters. A webpage that has been designed using ASP will include static HTML tags and dynamic validation using JavaScript or VBScript. Dynamic generation of HTML and CSS is also possible with ASP.NET. How Does ASP.NET Work? You request an ASP page which is on a server and the corresponding page fetches the information from the database. This then dynamically generates the HTML code for you to present your requested data and it sends it to you to view in a browser. PHP PHP is a scripting language. PHP is...
PHP has a large footprint in the web development community. With over 80% of all existing websites running on PHP code, we can confidently say that PHP has become a ubiquitous phenomenon in web development. A major reason for many developers choosing PHP is its wide range of developmental frameworks. PHP frameworks enable you to build websites and apps of all sizes and complexity levels without having to start from scratch. So, the massive growth of PHP-based web development can be rightly attributed to these excellent frameworks. But, then again, the real question is which PHP framework is best suited for your needs. While choosing the best framework can be subjective and based on your particular needs, there are few qualities that make a framework the best choice in many cases. Yii and Zend are two frameworks with such amazing features and capabilities. So, here is a brief overview of both these frameworks to help you decide which is the best one for your MVC development project. Yii Yii has been a popular choice among developers to develop large-scale and secured applications. It was launched in 2008 and is one of the oldest PHP frameworks still going strong. Yii 2.0 is the latest version available. This framework is suitable for developing secure applications with complex workflows. It is also great for developing CRM and CMS applications. Yii is a high-performance, component-based PHP framework that is designed to make your MVC development fast and easy. It is flexible and includes a variety of features, including: Integration with jQuery, Gii module – a built-in code generator, and Active record – the ability to access...
Turning your mobile website into an app for a greater reach to users is not an easy task. However, before you take the leap, you have to thoroughly weigh its benefits and consciously choose to migrate your website to a mobile app. Previously, mobile websites were more predominant when browsers dominated the launch of many new eCommerce start-ups. Browsers made the websites seamlessly fit in all kinds of handheld devices and users found it exciting to buy stuff on the internet using their mobile devices. The availability of the internet and the evolution of HTML to support rich media also enabled this transition. So, many ventures have started to launch mobile websites to attract their consumers and thereby increase revenues. With the present era of mobile devices being dominated by the app ecosystems, the prevalent question becomes whether or not mobile websites are indeed mobile and meeting its purpose. Apps have been making inroads on many users’ lifestyles and its adoption for business is seen as a positive trend. There are many benefits for businesses to migrate from the traditional browser-based mobile commerce sites to the mobile app ecosystem. A few of these benefits are listed below to aid you in making a conscious decision to follow the trend. Faster Access Mobile apps are written on the handheld devices’ native operating systems, while the websites run on a browser and always depend on an internet connection to work. So, apps are much faster than the mobile sites. This plays a critical role if you do not want to lose your customers due to a slow connection while waiting for...
Have you been keeping track of the leading eCommerce platforms that have emerged in recent years for businesses? If yes, then Magento is sure to figure in that list of popular eCommerce solutions that have made lives easier for businesses to go online with their products or services. Magento has been known to help businesses seamlessly build an online store across any category, customise it as per their changing needs, attract more customers and generate better sales. This open source Content Management System (CMS) has been constantly evolving with new solutions and tools, due to which it has been trusted and utilised by more than 240,000 businesses across the globe. This number is estimated to rise by leaps and bounds in the coming years as the demand for eCommerce increases. So let’s check out the advantages offered by Magento, especially for small businesses, and compare it to other eCommerce platforms or CMSs. 1. A Customisable Open Source Solution Magento (Community Edition) is open source and can be downloaded for free. Once installed, you are not restricted to the standard templates, but you can customise it as per the dynamic requirements of your business. Image credit: Flickr You can boost your eCommerce store with several new features and functionalities by installing Magento extensions that are available at the Magento Connect marketplace. For small businesses, this customising option is pretty handy since the eCommerce needs of these businesses may be pretty specific. 2. Strong Community Support To enjoy a smooth experience with any new tool or CMS, like Magento, that you haven’t used before, you will always feel the need to have...
Are you looking for a CRM interface for your website? If yes, then it is possible to manage the CRM of your website with a simple open source relationship management system software like CiviCRM. The best part is that CiviCRM is available for installation as a standalone software or as a component along with content management systems like Drupal, Joomla, and WordPress. It may also be installed as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). Let’s take a detailed look at the benefits offered by CiviCRM, its features and how it can work seamlessly with a Content Management System (CMS) like Drupal. Web-Based Synchronisation CiviCRM is a web-based application which is a great advantage, as it can be easily installed and utilised by you with the help of an internet-enabled computer system. It synchronises seamlessly with various CMSs for effective web-based relationship management, especially for school, church and other charitable or non-profit organisations. As CiviCRM is developed by the community Hive Mind, you may not get instant direct support for any related issues. However, there are plenty of help forums that provide solutions for various CiviCRM based problems. Key Features Online Fundraising and Donor Management It can manage and keep track of all the contributions or donations to your organisation from your constituents from a single screen within the application. You are empowered to create customised web pages quickly in order to accept online donations. You also get access to updated details of every donation and relevant contact with no chance of data entry errors. Online Membership Management With CiviCRM, you can easily manage the online sign ups, renewals and membership summaries for your organisation....
First launched in 2008, Magento is arguably one of the most popular and widely used eCommerce platforms that powers hundreds of thousands of online stores, and can be downloaded for free. Tailored according to your specific eCommerce needs, this open source platform offers maximum performance and scalability, with advanced out-of-the-box capabilities, packed in a bundle of multiple editions two of which are Magento Enterprise and Magento Community. Aside from the fact that one is free and the other is not, both Magento editions seem equally beneficial. Some businesses, however, prefer one to the other. So, what is the difference between the two, what features does one have, that the other doesn’t, and how they perform against each other on different parameters is what we’ll discuss in detail today. The purpose of this comparison is to ascertain which version is suitable for your organisation depending on what stage it is in, and future requirements. Size of the Business The first and perhaps the most important differentiator between the two Magento editions are the size and scale of the business. Consider the amount of sales you make every month, the size of the inventory, the number of SKUs, and the market growth your business is experiencing. With faster indexing process, speedy checkout feature, ability to handle large number of products, flexibility and better support for international business, Magento Enterprise is a real game changer in this scenario if you have lots of products or inventory. Modular Code Base On a core, technical level, though, those of you who are not afraid to get their hands dirty building and maintaining a website,...
The building block of every IT system is ‘data’. Optimal and secured storage of data has always been the key concern for any organisation. The volume of data is growing every minute and it is a difficult task to manage it. This immeasurable digital data is named as big data. The Internet, by reaching out to each and every computing platform has led to an outburst of information, thereby making big data too big to be handled. A scenario where the data grows beyond the reach of the present management techniques, will lead to total chaos. Some of the challenges faced with big data are: Managing data appropriately is a challenge for any organisation. The optimal use of data in an organised way is a priority task. Accessibility and connectivity of huge data are a hurdle. Data points are not integrated and there is no precise platform to manage data between various projects. The ever-growing data volume demands a larger technological landscape. Security of big data is another important aspect that is of concern to companies. The following chart explains the growth of big data in the recent years: Fig 1. Graphical Representation of Rise of Big data Business Intelligence – A Resourceful Solution for big data: Business Intelligence (BI) provides a solution to big data in the form of data analysis process. BI includes a variety of tools, applications and methodologies that streamline management of huge data. This system incorporates technologies that provide a correct decision making platform for the organisations. Some of the important advantages of Business Intelligence solutions are: BI simplifies the process of data management,...
Choosing the right content management system for your project depends on the amount of people working on your site, the size of your site and how frequently you will have to access it. There are, of course, many different options available, and in this blog post we are going to look at two different platforms to consider, Drupal and SharePoint. We will weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of each CMS, and look at ways you may be able to use them to get the best out of your website. What is a CMS? Firstly, we’ll get back to basics and answer a simple question – what exactly is a content management system? Essentially a content management system (CMS) allows the user to have full control over the addition of content, editing and organisation of their website through a conventional web browser. Without having to delve into code, a CMS can be entirely customisable and adapted to suit an individual or a business’ needs. Drupal vs. Sharepoint Before we look too deeply into a comparison between the two management systems, it would be a good idea to revisit exactly what each system offers its customers. Released in 2001, Drupal is today considered to be one of the leading content management systems for businesses around the world. Released as an open source project, the software is available for free and comes with an unlimited licence for customisation and re-distribution. This is part of Drupal’s appeal – the ‘building blocks’ approach allows users to have flexibility when it comes to their site. Microsoft Sharepoint comes from a slightly...
Intranet portals have been in existence for several years in many organisations, institutions, schools etc. Businesses have realised the benefits, an intranet site offers, to the thousands of employees connected to it, as well as to the company, in general. Intranet enable the employees get password-based access to a centralised corporate database on the company’s LAN (Local Area Network). These intranet sites have proved themselves useful from the standpoint of easy navigation to the company’s employee contacts list, time tracking applications, company event details, messages from the CEO or from the top management etc. A major advantage of the company intranet portals has been the use of web-based applications, which have allowed the companies to avoid investing in software licenses for individual employee desktops / laptops. All employee records are maintained on the intranet for restricted access by the HR team and the employees themselves. The ticket-based employee service app or portal is one of the common apps in a company’s intranet that enables employees to receive immediate help, with regards to any issues, with their computer hardware, IDcard, project IDgeneration, new software installation, international or domestic travel, etc. Intranet forums or communities help employees get in touch with each other socially and understand what’s happening across various departments of the organisation. Having dealt with many innovative intranet product enhancements, it is of paramount importance for us to keep coming up with new ideasto revamp / modernise the existing intranet system in organisations. Reasons to Revamp Intranet Portals If you think there is no need of revamping your existing Intranet portals, these reasons will make you think otherwise. Although the...
