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Is Node.js better than PHP

Is Node.js better than PHP

Lets find out !

souvik roy's photo
souvik roy
·May 25, 2021·

4 min read

The question is more like "Is a spoon better than fork ?". Well it depends on the food you are having, you can have noodles with spoon too, but not in a efficient way. Also you can have rice with fork but surely that will cause you enough trouble. Similarly, pretty much anything which you can do in PHP can be done in Node.js, you need to choose them depending on the task you want to do.

Overview of Node.js and PHP

Node.js was launched in 2009, and has quickly gained the popularity among developers for its asynchronous architecture which gives it the efficiency and speed for handling queries. Node.js is a runtime environment built on Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine (don't confuse with car's V8 engine😅) that includes everything that is needed to execute a program written in JavaScript. By asynchronous architecture of Node.js I meant it does not run the code in sequence, if one function of the code takes time to execute it will move to the next one and send former function to the queue. Thus improving the user experience and the speed. No doubt Node.js is the fastest growing backend technology.

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Whereas PHP was launched around 1995 and served the purpose of it quite well and is still among one of the reliable server-side scripting languages. The compatibility of PHP with content management systems like WordPress, Shopify and WooCommerce has helped PHP survive the downfall of the language. PHP is synchronous , the problem with being synchronous is if there is a function which takes time to execute then the lines of code below that function has to wait for that function to execute, thus making the user to wait.

Coding in Node.js and PHP

Here Node.js shines out by just using JavaScript to write the code, hence increasing efficiency by reduced switching between different environment, languages and their syntax.

PHP is part of something called LAMP stack i.e., Linux operating system, Apache HTTP server, MySQL database, PHP programming language. which makes developer switch between syntax and languages, decreasing efficiency.

Frameworks and Libraries in Node.js an PHP

In Node.js there is growing number of frameworks with its growing community but options are not as varied as PHP. Some of the well known frameworks are Express, Meteor.js, Derby.js, Sails.js. Also as its frameworks are developed using JavaScript It makes easier for the developer to maintain their frontend and backend logic while building web apps.

PHP has came a long way and so with time there have been long list of frameworks and libraries coming up like Laravel, CodeIgniter, Phalcon and many more which helps in secure and robust backend development . Also content management systems like WordPress, WooCommerce and Shopify allow any rookie to manage any blogs or eCommerce websites.

Databases in Node.js and PHP

Node.js works seamlessly with NoSQL (Not only SQL) databases like MongoDB, CouchDB and graph database system like Neo4j. which are a bit robust to injection attack (malicious code).

Whereas PHP works mostly with relational databases like MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL etc. Use of NoSQL is limited and not very popular. which makes it prone to SQL injection attacks. and Cross-side scripting.

Web servers in Node.js and PHP

In Node.js own webservers can be coded on which applications can run. These servers have potential of high scalability.

In PHP web server was provided to aid application development and can't e used efficiently as a full fledged web server.

When to use What ?

Node.js

  • Real time applications and collaborative applications.
  • When using frontend technologies like ReactJS, NextJS, AngularJS etc.
  • When building a dynamic Single Page Applications ( SPAs).
  • When using MERN or MEAN stack.
  • When applications require a lot of interaction between client and server.

PHP

  • Simple blog or e-commerce website with CMS(Content Management System).
  • When using LAMP stack.
  • Build website with multiple pages, a page for different functionality.
  • When client does not have to interact with server again and again.

Conclusion

image.png Though both have similar purpose yet they are quite different, Node.js has edge over PHP in any aspects these can be seen in the rising curve of Node.js demand over drowning curve of PHP. Node.js can do much more outside the scope of web development. It has been branded as "server-side JavaScript". Node.js is everywhere in frameworks for making phone apps to Internet of Things (IoT). While choosing the technology, your question should not be which is better, rather it should be which one can serve your project requirements in a better way.