There has always been a conflict when it comes to choosing between ASP.Net and PHP for web development. Which one do you think is better?
if you ask the programmers, they will again bury themselves in confusion as they are unsure of which is more comfortable to work with or which one offers more features. The debate is still on.
PHP is one of the widely used scripting languages, and developers are addicted to it. On the other hand, we have ASP.NET language that has Microsoft as its backup bearer and can be operated across any. NET-supported language.
PHP is a Hypertext Preprocessor language. It has grabbed all hearts over the internet for the beautiful learning curve that it offers. And, also it has a large developer community following.
One of the amazing facts about PHP is that it has been installed across 244 million websites. And, another exciting fact is that it is free of cost and is compiled with some frameworks which make website development easy.
I could not think of a better example than WordPress and Facebook as PHP has powered these.
Now, let us discuss what makes ASP.Net so popular.
ASP.NET being a web framework is also a scripting tool developed by Microsoft to help developers build web pages and applications for the web.
When using ASP.Net, you are at the advantage of using any .NET programming language to code.
MySpace and PlentyofFish.com are examples of the magic of ASP.Net.
As we discussed you now know that ASP.NET is used with programming languages now let us examine what are the pros and cons of using PHP and ASP.Net
Top Reasons to choose PHP over ASP.Net:
1. Costs:
It is not a new fact that PHP is free of cost, and as you know ASP.Net is a Microsoft product and hence comes with certain charges.
What are the relative costs when using ASP.Net?
- Buying Windows is an expensive affair:
Developers are aware of the fact that development using ASP.Net is possible only on Windows. It has been designed to work on Windows.
It cannot be a problem for most developers. If you are using operating systems such as the MAC or Linux, you may use the Mono Project to work with ASP.Net on your system.
- Windows hosting:
If we turn back in time, it can be observed that when Windows is used for hosting it is costlier than web hosting done using Linux.
But, now the situation is different. You can easily get the hosting done using Windows as the hosting costs are more or less similar when compared to Linux web hosting charges.
2. Performance:
What is meant by the performance capability of web applications? It is usually determined by how well the interaction between the database, the script and the server is taking place.
Whenever you are planting a web application in PHP, it will take the LAMP form and by LAMP, we mean Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP. The LAMP stack ensures an enhanced performance which is all that you are looking for during web development.
MSSQL is the database that is used in combination with ASP.NET.
The OS and file system that is used on the server profoundly impacts the performance. A fact is that the Linux Operating System and ext4 file system offer a higher I/O performance when compared to Windows and NTFS file systems.
3. Scalability:
When it comes to the scalability factor, we can find that both PHP and ASP.Net are highly scalable. It depends on how proficient the developer is when using either of them.
The most heavily trafficked site in the world is MySpace built on PHP and Facebook; this popular Social Media network uses ASP.Net.
4. Support:
As we have already discussed PHP is one of the scripting languages that is free of cost. It is open source, and the developer’s community keeps on contributing to the PHP network.
5. Tools and Editors:
I have observed that most of the PHP developers love to use text editors such as the VIM and Notepad++, rather than implementing a full-fledged IDE.
But, if you prefer to work with an IDE while using PHP, then you will get strong support from editors such as Eclipse, which is free of cost.
As you know, ASP.Net is backed up by a variety of IDEs, but you can use it with Microsoft Visual Studio. It is not free but has ample of features and is one of the most flexible IDEs.
This means that if you have some money to invest then choose ASP.Net for your needs.
6. No limitations:
One of the things that a developer loves is freedom!
PHP unlike ASP.Net offers you with the freedom to code anyway!
As you know PHP is open-source and it gives you the freedom to do anything you wish. Of course, I do agree that there should be some restrictions. When using PHP you get the freedom to use or code using text editors such as the Emacs, Notebook++, Bluefish, jEdit, or even the Notepad that you use.
But, with ASP.Net, your freedom is limited. Maybe you could use only Microsoft Visual Studio.
Another exciting feature about using PHP is that there is no specific OS that it is inclined to.
7. Framework:
I don’t know whether it is worth mentioning here or not, because PHP users are quite familiar to the fact that the community is too large. And, this is quite clear from the fact that the number of PHP Frameworks that are being added to the community is on a hike.
So, when in doubt, or when you are trying to fix certain things such as session management, the database access libraries, or code reuse, you can find help from the various PHP frameworks that are available.
8. PHP is object-oriented:
Not a new fact again!
We are all familiar to the fact that PHP is object-oriented!
So, you have the liberty to call Java and Windows COM objects from PHP. Also, PHP provides you with the freedom to create custom classes.
Another exciting feature of these custom classes is that any other classes that you create can align to these customized classes and borrow their features. This is what helps to extend the capability of your favorite programming language PHP further.
9. Fixing problems:
We have already discussed points that specify how well PHP provides support to its users and one of the reasons it is the favorite of people and also, why they prefer PHP over ASP.Net.
Also, apart from all these fantabulous properties, PHP is good at fixing problems.
Whenever you develop a web application, you are bound to encounter problems. So, then, how do you fix or overcome these issues that crop up while you have to deliver the project on time?
Unlike, other programming languages such as ASP.Net, you can find out with quite an extended ease where the issue is arising from and how to get rid of these with a little help from the PHP community.
Whenever you make a request to fix up an issue, PHP clears up and refreshes to help you start over. What does it mean? An issue with one request will never interfere with the other. You are free to work with the others at your own pace.
10. Unbeatable Speed:
There is no other programming language that could beat the speed at which PHP is capable of operating.
As you know PHP doesn’t take up the system resources in abundance which makes it easy for PHP to operate at a speed faster than other scripting languages.
Unlike other programming languages, PHP doesn’t create a lot of fuss when it comes to hosting. It is easy to host PHP and there are many hosts that are ever ready to host PHP.
If you are planning to use PHP with other software, you need not worry; it will never slow down the other processes. PHP will help maintain the speed without interrupting the other processes.
11. Database support:
Like we have discussed in almost all the points, PHP is supportive across all other platforms and processes and so is it when it comes to Databases. It is integerable and scalable and supportive to databases that includes MySQL.
WordPress is one of the popular examples if you ask me. It implements PHP coding with MySQL for its content management system that makes things easier.
This is how a number of popular influencers have been managing thousands of blogs per day.
Wikipedia is another example of such a system that utilizes a combination of PHP and Database.
So, now you know why you should use PHP over ASP.Net.
Do you know there are a number of popular sites that implements PHP and I have got a list of them:
Google, Yahoo, Wikipedia, WordPress, YouTube, Facebook, and most of them have been implemented on Linux OS.
Now it saves us of any doubts and we have the answer to all our questions.
PHP or ASP.Net?
hat’s your answer? From my inferences, I would prefer PHP for a large number of features that it offers. And, also it is free of cost, unlike ASP.Net which will tear your pocket.
Which is the programming language that you use for developing web applications?
Share your thoughts, suggestions and feedback with us.