Out of the many web development languages around, about 79.8% of websites use PHP, while Python is gaining tremendous momentum in the web development world. Both languages, although used for web development, serve different purposes.
In this PHP vs. Python tutorial, you will explore their differences and similarities and learn what makes them unique in their respective ways.
What is PHP?
PHP or Hypertext Preprocessor is a server-side, open-source, scripting language. It find most use in dynamic web development and when embedded into HTML codes.
PHP comprises 79.8% of all web applications, which nearly translates to 20 million websites and 2 million web servers.
Features of PHP
To have a market share as big as PHP, a programming language should have many features that make development simpler and efficient.
Some of the key features of PHP are listed below:
- It is an open-source language.
- It is an easy-to-learn language, so PHP is the language of choice if you have less time on your hands.
- It is highly compatible, as it works with multiple programming languages such as HTML, Javascript and supports various database languages like MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, and so on.
- It is platform-independent.
- It has an extensive community.
What is Python?
Python is an interpreted, high-level and object-oriented programming language generally used for Web Development, AI, Machine Learning, and System Scripting.
It is amongst one of the fastest programming languages requiring very few lines of code. It is also amongst the top choices of developers for a programming language in 2021.
Features of Python
Python has a vast range of applications ranging from web development to AI and data science and hence has a ton of features to support the variety of its use.
Some of the important features of Python are listed below:
- Easy to learn and maintain.
- Uniform Interface across various platforms.
- It is an open-source language.
- It is Scalable. It provides excellent support for large programs.
Critical Differences in PHP vs. Python
Parameter |
PHP |
Python |
|
Learning Curve |
Easy-to-learn language. Suited for beginner |
Better in long term projects |
|
Applications |
Web development |
Web development, AI, Machine learning, System Scripting |
|
Framework |
It has a large number of frameworks. E.g., Zend, Laravel |
Lower Number of frameworks in comparison. E.g., Django, Flask |
|
Performance |
PHP 7th gen is faster |
Less fast in comparison |
|
Community |
A very large and old community |
Very popular but smaller community in comparison |
|
Database Support |
Supports more than 20 different databases |
Less database support than PHP |
|
Maintenance |
Difficult to maintain large programs |
Easy to maintain |
|
Syntax |
Conventional Syntax with different naming conventions |
Easy to understand syntax. Very close to the English language. |
|
Companies |
Facebook, Yahoo, WordPress |
Instagram, Google, Pinterest |
Syntax: PHP vs. Python
The syntax of a language defines its readability and ease of writing, and in terms of syntax, Python is much simpler and more readable as it resembles a lot with the English language, while PHP has a wide range of conventions which makes it less easy to understand.
Now, look at the syntax of both of these programming languages:
Python
Since Python doesn’t use braces to differentiate parts of code, it has indentation rules to indicate blocks of code and increase readability.
if(7<10)
print ("Hello World!")
Here, a simple ‘if’ condition checks if 7<10 and if true, it prints the code under the ‘if’ condition’s block. And to print a value, it uses a simple “print” and the value follows it.
Also, while defining variables, there’s no need to define the variable type.
x = 10
y = "Simplilearn"
z = 70.8
PHP
PHP scripts are usually embedded into HTML codes. A PHP script starts with ‘<?php’ and ends with ‘?>’ while the code comes in between.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<?php
echo "Welcome to Simplilearn!";
?>
</body>
</html>
In PHP, ‘echo’ is used to print values.
PHP vs. Python: When to Use which?
Although both languages support web development, they are used at different times as per requirements. There’s no one language better than the other.
Have a look at which language is best suited and when amongst the two:
Python
- Preferred when working with data science, AI, and machine learning
- When working on large-scale projects using the Django framework
- System Scripting
PHP
- Preferred for beginners into web development
- Creating websites, blogs, and web applications
- For an efficient server-side with low investments
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Conclusion
This concludes the “PHP vs Python” tutorial. Here, you learned about the two languages, their features, key differences, and their respective syntax. Later, you learned about when the two respective languages are used based on requirements.
You can refer to this link here for a video tutorial on PHP vs. Python.
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Happy Learning!
