Software Development Updates

ASP.NET vs PHP is one of the most popular comparisons that web app developers make while choosing the technology for their client’s project. ASP.NET is a popular Microsoft framework while PHP is a server-side scripting language. Both these technologies have comprehensive tool support and large user bases, making them beneficial for creating scalable and robust projects. To know more about these technologies and which one to choose, let’s go through this blog.

1. What is ASP.NET?

ASP.NET is one of the most popular web development platforms. Which offers a comprehensive software infrastructure, a smooth application development life cycle, and a programming model along with different other services necessary for creating unique and robust web, mobile, and desktop applications. This platform was first released in January 2002 and is the successor to Microsoft’s technology known as Active Server Pages (ASP).

ASP.NET is known as a language-independent platform, which means developers can easily utilize any software development language that is supported by .NET. Besides this, the two most widely used .NET programming languages in the .NET ecosystem are VB.NET and C#. Here, VB.NET is a programming language based on Visual Basic, whereas C# programming language was introduced with the .NET framework. ASP.NET Core supports dependency injection allowing for Inversion of Control between classes and their dependencies.

ASP.NET is a popular web framework that provides strong support for JavaScript, CSS, and HTML. In addition to this, this framework is developed on Common Language Runtime (CLR), allowing software development experts to write code using any of the languages supported by .NET. 

Because of its popularity and unique features, this framework is commonly used by .NET development companies to develop dynamic web pages in a lightweight and faster manner. This approach allows the development team to integrate server code with HTML seamlessly. This means that software developers can create efficient web applications that offer the latest web standards. In addition to this, ASP.NET also helps in adding links and videos to social media sites.

1.1 Features Of ASP.NET

Here are the features of ASP.NET.

High Performance

Any application or program relies heavily on performance. Its ASP.NET Core and Kestrel web server make it the quickest and best web application framework accessible on the web. Its new Kestrel web server helps it to be lighter and faster. Its asynchronous programming approaches also have advantages. Apart from Python, Java, JavaScript, and PHP, all other languages utilize an interpreter. The compiler speed is quicker than interpreters because they compile all the code at once. ASP.NET uses compiler-based technology, which contributes to its speed.

Razor Pages

Razor Pages is a new feature in ASP.NET Core designed to simplify the development of page-focused scenarios. Specifically meant to simplify the development of online user interfaces, Razor Page is a page-based code module. Experienced developers know the controller classes in the ASP.NET MVC framework are bursting with activity and may grow when an additional feature is included.

Mastering Asynchronous Programming

A fundamental ASP.NET feature, Async/Await, allows for the asynchronous management of long-running activities. As asynchronous task execution without interrupting the primary thread, this also simplifies codes and increases the application’s performance.

1.2 Advantages of ASP.NET

Here are some of the major advantages of ASP.NET –

Separation of Concern

ASP.NET is a web development platform that follows the basic features of MVC architecture, because of which separate processes, inputs, and outputs of the applications are possible for developers. MVC, the three-tier architecture, has interconnected parts and can handle some major software development aspects.

Out-of-the-box Features

ASP.NET is a framework that comes with the capability to deliver excellent scalability and performance. It also enables the developers to use its best features such as early binding, just-in-time compilation, caching services, and native optimization to create unique applications.

These amazing features of ASP.NET help web app developers improve the performance level for the codes that cannot be interpreted, unlike the code in traditional ASP pages.

Reduces Coding Time

This web application framework helps in reducing the website development time. Besides, this platform comes with different types of code reviews, which means that there is no chance that a dot net developer will write poor-quality code, as these reviews help improve overall code quality.

Power and Flexibility

ASP.NET is a framework for web solutions known for its flexibility and power because this framework is based on a common language runtime. Besides this, as it is a language-independent platform, it allows web developers to choose the programming language they are comfortable with for their applications.

Toolbox

Another benefit of using the .NET framework is that it offers an amazing toolbox, which is integrated with Visual Studio. The ASP.NET toolbox plays a vital role in developing web applications that are robust and unique. In addition to this, the toolbox also comes with different monitoring tools like automatic deployment of applications and drag-and-drop server controls.

1.3 Disadvantages Of ASP.NET

Here are some disadvantages of ASP.NET:

Learning Can Be Tricky

Learning ASP.NET might be a little difficult, particularly if you are new to it. You must grasp certain additional concepts related to the .NET framework.

Costly

ASP.NET can be expensive compared to open-source options because you pay for Microsoft SQL Server, Visual Studio, Windows server licensing, etc. This makes the hosting companies charge extra for their services. Also, maintaining the framework is costly, thus you might have to utilize considerably more web server resources than in other languages, including PHP. This calls for significantly more resources for web servers.

Windows Server Dependency

Usually running on Windows servers, ASP.NET apps might be limited if you choose another server environment. With the release of.NET Core, attempts have been made to make ASP.NET cross-platform; yet, it might still need more configuration and setup.

2. What is PHP?

PHP was initially brought into the market as a small open-source project. But with time it evolved into an open source development framework and now this programming language offers integration with various popular databases. Code written in PHP is processed by a PHP interpreter and implemented on the web server as a module. Here, the web server combines the expected and interpreted PHP code.

Besides this, PHP is known for its fast execution speed. The reason behind this is that the execution in PHP works smoother when the code is compiled via the Apache module on the Unix system. PHP is one of the programming languages that enable support for major protocols like LDAP, POP3, and IMAP.

PHP is an ecosystem that offers strong support for distributed object architectures, while Java enables multiple-tier development. In addition to this, PHP web development technology offers a lot of open-source and free libraries. It is also known as an internet-aware system that includes built-in modules for accessing various database servers, web servers, and FTP servers.

2.1 Features Of PHP

Some of the major features of PHP are:

Simple And Easy To Learn

When compared to other popular programming languages, PHP’s syntax is easier to understand, making it a good choice for developers with experience in other languages. Thanks to its numerous pre-defined features, web apps can be created easily.

Loosely Typed Language

PHP allows the use of variables without specifying its data types. Thus, based on the value given to the variable, this is attended during the execution period. One can dynamically alter even the variable name.

Object-oriented

PHP supports object-oriented programming elements such as abstraction, inheritance, data encapsulation, polymorphism, etc. PHP5 includes the object-oriented programming ability. This function enables the development of complex, reusable web pages and renders PHP more compared to robust object-oriented languages like Java and Python.

2.2 Advantages of PHP

Some of the major benefits of PHP are –

Extremely Flexible

PHP, a server-side scripting language, is highly flexible for ongoing projects or for creating new applications from scratch. Flexibility in any scripting language is essential as it can support the language whenever there is a change in the functionality during the project course.

Besides this, one of the most important reasons for  PHP development is its ability to make changes even in the middle of the project. This feature helps the developers with a lot of time that goes behind making improvements after the entire application is developed.

Easy and Simple to Learn

PHP is known as one of the easiest scripting languages compared to other web application development languages. It doesn’t require intensive studying. Besides this, when it comes to syntax in PHP programming, it is well-organized and logical. The command functions in PHP are easy to understand for any developer and this is why it is said that when it comes to optimizing or creating an application, PHP is the best choice.

Efficient Performance

PHP has excellent potential but it also depends on the web developer’s codes. If the code is scalable and supported languages are used to create larger applications, PHP can be a very efficient choice.

Easy Integration and Compatibility

PHP is one of the most popular web development languages, and its main advantage is compatibility. This platform is highly compatible with a majority of the operating systems available on the market. Because of its easy integration and compatibility, PHP allows applications to run on various platforms, such as Linux, UNIX, and Solaris. It can be integrated with other technologies like Java.

Cost-Efficient

PHP is an open-source platform, making it completely free for developers to use. This means that when developers want to use PHP programming language for creating an application, they don’t have to purchase any license or software. It has open-source libraries which means that PHP can work efficiently and without any cost with other databases like Apache, MySQL, and PostgreSQL.

2.3 Disadvantages Of PHP

Here are some disadvantages of PHP are:

Inconsistent Standard Library

There are times when PHP’s standard library doesn’t follow the rules for function parameters, name procedures, or overall design. For developers trying to keep code consistent, this might provide difficulties and calls for more work to guarantee code quality.

Performance

PHP may not be as quick as other languages used for programming even if it has become faster over the years. Proper optimization methods, caching systems, and effective coding standards can help reduce performance issues.

Security Limitations

PHP is an open-source code, hence it also provides easily available ASCII text files. This implies that whatever code you create, together with all of its drawbacks, the public users may see it with ease. They can therefore utilize those weaknesses against you; so, you need improvised code guidelines to avoid such issues.

3. Websites Built Using ASP.NET

Here is the list of websites that are created using ASP.NET –

• StackOverflow
• Microsoft
• GoDaddy
• DELL
• Visual Studio
• WildTangent
• Diply.com
• TacoBell.com

4. Websites Built Using PHP

Here is the list of websites that are created using PHP –

• Facebook
• Wikipedia
• WordPress.com
• Flickr
• Yahoo!
• iStockPhoto
• Tumblr
• Mailchimp

5. Difference Between ASP.NET vs PHP

Let’s go through the major differences between ASP.NET and PHP –

5.1 Market Share

With a 73% market share, PHP is the most used programming language; ASP.NET has a 23% market share, according to BuiltWith. PHP’s market share in the top 10,000 websites is 52%; in the top 100,000 websites, it is 58%.

Also, see the percentage of websites running PHP against ASP.NET technologies based on the W3tech research below:

5.2 Community

The ASP.NET community is very active and supportive of its members. Though it’s not as big as the PHP community, Microsoft actively supports it. PHP is among the biggest and most active development communities worldwide. This active community offers many resources and helps support ongoing development. While ASP. NET benefits from Microsoft support, PHP’s large community offers a multitude of tools and solutions.

5.3 Scalability

When it comes to scalability, ASP.NET outshines PHP. While PHP can suffer under heavy loads, it is designed to manage significant traffic flow. Practically limitless corporate scalability is possible if you undertake ASP.NET programming on the Microsoft Azure cloud computing platform.

5.4 Type

ASP.NET is a popular framework for developing web applications, that was developed by Microsoft. Meanwhile, PHP is one of the best server-side scripting languages and it was developed by Rasmus Lerdorf.

5.5 Cost Solution

The cost of technology is the first consideration for any developer or business organization hiring a team of experts. The reason behind this is that the cost of technologies plays a crucial role in creating software development projects. Here, when we compare all the things of ASP.NET and PHP, ASP.NET is considered a bit costly framework as it comes with web hosting fees and some other functionality costs. While on the other hand, PHP is completely free to use.

5.6 Security

The risks of cyberattacks are growing with each passing day. So, if you are building a website or an application, you need technologies that can ensure its safety. 

Microsoft provides a robust security infrastructure for ASP.NET that comes with a series of built-in security features such as SQL injection and offers regular security updates. It rarely requires third-party solutions and what little integration it provides, helps add an extra layer of protection to your web solutions. 

On the other hand, PHP lacks the necessary security features but makes up for it by supporting third-party integrations. As a result, developers have to implement proper coding practices and provide regular updates to maintain the security of your application.

5.7 Speed

When it comes to the speed of the platforms, ASP.NET is a bit slow and the reason behind it is that this platform is developed on a COM-based system which means that it needs different storage space for the programs. On the other hand, PHP allows programs to run on their own memory space. In other words, PHP doesn’t require any other resources to execute the programs efficiently.

5.8 Customization

When it comes to customization, ASP.NET is less flexible. But PHP, unlike many other programming languages, enables easy customization of the app development process in the middle of the development process.

6. Conclusion

As seen in this blog post, ASP.NET has an amazing set of libraries that come with many different features. Some of them are Polly, Fluent Validation, and SignalR used for web app development. When the developers are working with ASP.NET, they can write code in languages like VB, C#, and F#. On the other hand, the PHP framework is known as one of the best and most widely used programming languages that help developers create unique applications for different types of businesses. PHP comes with a large community of developers who can start working with PHP in very little time as it is an easy-to-learn language.

When it comes to choosing between ASP.NET and PHP performance, both technologies are efficient for creating web applications. The right choice depends on the type of project, its budget, business requirements, and required functionality. This means that both PHP and ASP.NET come with their advantages and disadvantages, but using any one of these is completely up to the developer’s skills and other factors.