Top PHP Frameworks for eCommerce in 2022

PHP is one of the most popular programming languages for eCommerce businesses. This is an ever-growing industry, with its2021 revenue surpassing 4.9 trillion U.S. dollars worldwide. Online retail is also expected to double its worth by 2025, signaling it’s time for eCommerce store owners to take their site to the next level and offer the best customer experience possible. Since there are many popular PHP frameworks for eCommerce, it can be tough to settle on one for store owners using this language for their sites.

At Resolve Digital, we work closely with our clients to determine the best PHP frameworks for their stores, as well as take care of the upgrades/migrations if needed. Our expert knowledge in the subject prompted us to write this article to help eCommerce store owners determine the best PHP frameworks for their sites. Read this guide to PHO frameworks to decide which one is better for your business!

A refresher: What is PHP for eCommerce?

PHP is an open-source programming language that has carved its way onto the heart of the eCommerce industry. Store owners from all over the world are choosing it as the preferred technology for the creation of their site. PHP stands as an acronym for “Hypertext Preprocessor” and is an HTML embedded programming language that enhances static pages to generate on-demand responses and add multiple functionalities. This makes it especially attractive for eCommerce websites, boosting its online presence in recent years to an extraordinary 82.9% of websites.

7 best and most popular PHP frameworks for eCommerce stores in 2022

CodeIgniter

CodeIgniter is a quick and mighty PHP framework widely used by developers who want to create projects on record-breaking timeframes. This open-source code is only a few pages long but we assure you it goes a long way in terms of capability and variability in functionalities. Its limited extensions allow for a rapid setup process and let you choose what code pattern to employ, even though MVC is the official recommendation. This framework adapts to your store’s needs and facilitates easier development thanks to their ready-to-use default settings and the support for different caching methods.

Strongest points:

• Great customer support.
• Ready-to-go default settings.
• Supports different caching methods.
• On-site security features.

Laravel

Laravel is the go-to PHP framework for eCommerce businesses and takes inspiration from its predecessor, CodeIgniter. This is a framework that’s been around for over a decade, allowing its creators to perfect most features and ensure a smooth coding experience. It allows developers to create beautiful and versatile code that helps build elegant eCommerce stores of all sorts. Laravel is also great for urgent projects, as it requires practically no learning curve and features simple yet capable tools. Though keep in mind the automation of this framework is limited and there will be a lot of manual work included. While it can be more of a hassle, it allows for better customization and original designs.

Strongest points:

• It expands on the best features of CodeIgniter.
• No learning curve or difficult-to-use tools.
• Provides a smooth coding experience.
• Allows developers to create elegant designs

Symfony

When it comes to versatility, Symfony is at the top of the list. It acts both as a PHP framework for eCommerce projects and as a set of reusable PHP components available for free. Developers can build websites and mobile applications through it, which allows eCommerce store owners enough flexibility to expand on their projects in the future. Symfony’s creators also created a regularly-updated blog and dozens of training videos that make it possible for anyone to understand how it works, not just software developers. This is something to consider if you wish to increase your involvement with the technical details of the business.

Strongest points:

• Advanced features.
• Blog and training materials.
• On-site access to reusable PHP library components.

CakePHP

CakePHP is a great framework for eCommerce websites and applications, as it’s a more slimmed-down platform than some of its competitors. The differentials of this framework

are the stability and reliability it offers to developers when creating a stellar website with it. CakePHP also offers a great deal of architectural flexibility and rapid development, thanks to its simple installment process and built-in Object-Relational Mapper (ORM). To complete the package, this framework also allows themes to be converted into plugins and vice versa. This helps it rank among the best PHP frameworks for eCommerce businesses looking for highly-tailored online stores.

Strongest points:

• Vast architectural flexibility.
• Theme to plugin conversion.
• Optimization of repetitive daily tasks.

Laminas Project

When it comes to the best PHP frameworks for eCommerce in 2022, Laminas Project is an Agile and object-oriented framework ready to provide quality tools for the creation of top-notch code. It was formerly known as Zend Framework but the move to GitHub updated the project for the better whilst retaining the same core codebase. This is now one of the fastest PHP frameworks for eCommerce websites and offers high-end security practices for online stores. Laminas Projects keeps positioning itself as a flexible and easily customizable framework that allows developers to make the most out of the PHP language.

Strongest points:

• Each new version improves performance.
• Leaves room for future eCommerce migrations to other frameworks.
• High-end security features.

Slim

If you’re looking to rapidly put together a simple yet strong-performing website or API, Slim is one of the best PHP frameworks for the task. This PHP microframework is perfect for developing quick APIs through advanced features that allow for expedited and seamless code. The design isn’t bulky or tedious to download, which makes it a popular PHP framework for developing small web applications as well. If your eCommerce company is looking to branch out from the main site or create a simple, elegant store design from the ground up, Slim is the right framework for your eCommerce project.

Strongest points:

• Lightweight design and speedy features.
• Advanced features that work perfectly for smaller stores.
• Go-to tools for creating APIs.

Fat-Free Framework

Fat-Free Framework helps developers and eCommerce store owners optimize the code utilized for their websites. This is a minimalistic PHP framework that’s perfect for first-time PHP users thanks to its ease of use and lightweight download files (only 65 KB!). Despite being a small PHP framework, it has a fully-fledged toolkit that includes advanced features and a generous variety of database types. If your company it’s looking to speed its development process for an online store, Fat-Free Framework will allow you to create a website no matter how tight is the timeline for the project.

Strongest points:

• Only 65 KB in size.
• Ability to optimize code writing tasks.
• Large library of database types.

Do you need help powering your website with the best PHP frameworks for eCommerce?

Online stores are becoming increasingly demanding and time-consuming when it comes to the technical maintenance of the site. This leads several business owners to encounter numerous problems with keeping their store updated and relevant as per the ever-evolving eCommerce trends. At Resolve Digital, we are dedicated to providing our clients with custom eCommerce solutions and take care of both the front and back end development of their online stores. Our talented software engineers are experienced in the latest PHP frameworks and can help you take your website’s customer experience and functionality to the next level. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you grow your eCommerce business!

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