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CodeIgniter VS FuelPHP

Compare CodeIgniter VS FuelPHP and see what are their differences

CodeIgniter logo CodeIgniter

A Fully Baked PHP Framework

FuelPHP logo FuelPHP

A fast, lightweight, community driven PHP5 framework
  • CodeIgniter Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-21
  • FuelPHP Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-17

CodeIgniter features and specs

  • Performance
    CodeIgniter is known for its exceptional performance and fast execution, which is beneficial for applications requiring quick load times.
  • Documentation
    CodeIgniter offers comprehensive and clear documentation, making it easier for developers to understand and use the framework effectively.
  • Easy to Learn
    CodeIgniter's simple and straightforward syntax makes it relatively easy for beginners to learn and start developing applications quickly.
  • Lightweight
    The framework is lightweight and does not impose many dependencies or require a specific server environment, providing flexibility to developers.
  • Community Support
    CodeIgniter has a strong and active community, which means plenty of resources, forums, and add-ons are available for developers.
  • Built-in Security Features
    CodeIgniter comes with built-in security features like XSS filtering and CSRF protection, helping developers to secure their applications with minimal effort.
  • MVC Architecture
    The framework follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture, promoting clean code separation and better organization of the project.

Possible disadvantages of CodeIgniter

  • Lack of Modern Features
    CodeIgniter does not include many modern features found in other frameworks, such as built-in ORM or out-of-the-box RESTful API support.
  • Limited Modular Extensions
    It has fewer modular extensions compared to other frameworks like Laravel or Symfony, which can limit code reusability and scalability.
  • Manual Routing
    Routing in CodeIgniter is somewhat manual and less intuitive compared to other frameworks that offer more automatic and flexible routing mechanisms.
  • Outdated PHP Practices
    Some of the practices and conventions in CodeIgniter are considered outdated with respect to modern PHP development trends.
  • No Built-in Authentication
    CodeIgniter does not come with a built-in authentication system, requiring developers to implement their own or use third-party libraries.
  • Less Emphasis on Testing
    CodeIgniter has less built-in support and emphasis on unit testing compared to other frameworks like Laravel, making it harder to implement TDD or BDD.
  • Lack of Native Composer Support
    The framework's native support for Composer, PHP's dependency manager, is not as robust as other modern frameworks, which can complicate dependency management.

FuelPHP features and specs

  • Modular Design
    FuelPHP follows HMVC (Hierarchical Model-View-Controller), which promotes modular development and enables developers to reuse code efficiently.
  • Lightweight
    FuelPHP is designed to be lightweight, which can lead to faster load times and better performance for your web applications.
  • Security Features
    Built-in security features like input filtering and output encoding help protect against common web vulnerabilities such as SQL injection and XSS.
  • Flexible ORM
    FuelPHP includes a flexible ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) which simplifies database interactions and provides a cleaner, more intuitive way to interact with data.
  • Comprehensive Documentation
    FuelPHP provides thorough and well-organized documentation, making it easier for developers to learn and utilize the framework effectively.

Possible disadvantages of FuelPHP

  • Smaller Community
    The community around FuelPHP is relatively smaller compared to more popular frameworks like Laravel or Symfony, which can lead to fewer resources and third-party packages.
  • Limited Tutorials and Examples
    While the official documentation is comprehensive, the limited number of tutorials and examples available online can make learning and troubleshooting more challenging.
  • Updates and Maintenance
    The framework does not receive updates as frequently as more widely adopted frameworks, which can potentially pose security risks and limit access to the latest features.
  • Learning Curve
    FuelPHP's HMVC architecture and unique conventions can be challenging for beginners or those coming from other frameworks, resulting in a steeper learning curve.
  • Dependency Management
    Although FuelPHP supports Composer for dependency management, it is not as seamlessly integrated as it is in more modern PHP frameworks, which might complicate package management.

Analysis of CodeIgniter

Overall verdict

  • Yes, CodeIgniter is a good choice for developers looking for a simple and efficient PHP framework. It's particularly well-suited for projects where performance is a priority, and extensive feature sets found in larger frameworks are not necessary.

Why this product is good

  • CodeIgniter is considered a good PHP framework because it is lightweight, easy to set up, and requires minimal server resources. It offers a straightforward approach to building web applications, especially for developers who appreciate simplicity and performance. Its comprehensive documentation and active community support are additional positives.

Recommended for

  • Developers who need a lightweight and fast framework
  • Projects with straightforward requirements and simplistic architectures
  • Developers who prefer a framework with easy installation and minimal configuration
  • Smaller projects or prototypes that require rapid development
  • Projects with limited server resources

Analysis of FuelPHP

Overall verdict

  • FuelPHP is generally considered good for various web development projects, particularly if you prefer a framework that is easy to configure and extend. It may not be as popular as Laravel or Symfony, but it continues to have a dedicated user base and can be a solid choice depending on your project's requirements.

Why this product is good

  • FuelPHP is known for being a flexible and powerful PHP framework that suits both beginners and experienced developers. It adopts the HMVC (Hierarchical Model-View-Controller) architecture which encourages modularity and reusability of code. Developers appreciate its lightweight nature, built-in security features, and extensive documentation.

Recommended for

  • Projects requiring a lightweight framework
  • Developers looking for HMVC architecture
  • Teams prioritizing security features
  • Developers who value flexibility and modularity
  • Projects where documentation and community support are sufficient

CodeIgniter videos

PHP CodeIgniter tutorial: What is CodeIgniter and why should I use it? | lynda.com

More videos:

  • Review - Laravel vs Codeigniter - A quick comparison for you to decide
  • Review - Review Codeigniter 4

FuelPHP videos

FuelPHP - Download, Install and Create

More videos:

  • Review - Review 3 framework php (codelgniter, yii dan fuelphp)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to CodeIgniter and FuelPHP)
Web Frameworks
87 87%
13% 13
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0
PHP MVC Framework
73 73%
27% 27
PHP Framework
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare CodeIgniter and FuelPHP

CodeIgniter Reviews

  1. A PSR-compliant framework with diverse set of facilities and capabilities

    You can build any kinds of web apps and sites with this framework without consuming substantial server resources.

    šŸ Competitors: Lumen Framework

CakePHP vs CodeIgniter: Which PHP Framework is Best for Development?
CodeIgniter: CodeIgniter was developed by EllisLab and released in February 2006. It is known for its simplicity and speed, designed to help developers create full-featured web applications quickly. CodeIgniter emphasizes a lean and minimalistic approach, providing just enough to get the job done without imposing too many restrictions.
Top 5 Laravel Alternatives
CodeIgniter is simpler to use for the majority of developers. Laravel’s convenience is matched only by its adherence to a small set of standards and guidelines. CodeIgniter also offers improved error handling and more leeway in terms of customization. Overall, in comparison of Laravel and CodeIgniter, CodeIgniter might be the simpler choice for most web programmers.
Framework review: Laravel vs CodeIgniter
Let's start with CodeIgniter first. It focuses on performance and speed. It offers a simple, easy-to-learn syntax, making it ideal for beginners. CodeIgniter uses its own proprietary Active Record implementation for database operations, which provides a simple and intuitive way to interact with data. Unlike Laravel, CodeIgniter does not enforce a specific architectural...
Source: infinyhost.com
10 Ruby on Rails Alternatives For Web Development in 2022
Laravel is a PHP web framework that was built by Taylor Otwell in 2011 as an attempt to replace the older framework CodeIgniter that lacked some important features, like built-in customer authentication and user authorization. The current version of the framework, Laravel 8.16 has a great infrastructure of web development tools that facilitate queue monitoring, server...
The Most Popular PHP Frameworks to Use in 2021
Laravel is billed as ā€œThe PHP Framework for Web Artisans.ā€ It was developed by Taylor Otwell, who wanted a framework with elements that CodeIgniter didn’t have, such as user authentication.
Source: kinsta.com

FuelPHP Reviews

The Most Popular PHP Frameworks to Use in 2021
You can choose the file and folder structure you want for your project as there are few constraints. FuelPHP takes security seriously, with the following features:
Source: kinsta.com
The 10 Best PHP Frameworks To Use in 2021
Security in FuelPHP is also notoriously superb with features that encompass cross-site request forgery (CSRF) protection, output encoding, and filtering for inputs. uniform resource identifiers (URIs), and cross-site scripting (XSS).
Source: trio.dev
Top 4 PHP Frameworks to use in 2019
This flexible PHP framework uses URI filtering for advanced security. FuelPHP is great for developing web applications of diverse sizes and complexities.
10 PHP MVC Frameworks in 2019 for Modern Web Developers
Unlike other frameworks, FuelPHP gives great importance in security. They created a secure and stable framework that can keep VSS and CSRF attacks away. Its command line is also commendable. The framework’s team has developed a utility called OIL that can help speed up development, increase efficiency, and assist in testing and debugging. Even though FuelPHP was created to...
Source: fullscale.io

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, CodeIgniter seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 10 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

CodeIgniter mentions (10)

  • 19+ Laravel Best Practices for Developers in 2024
    For history's sake, you should know that Laravel was built in place of the CodeIgniter framework as a modern replacement because the CodeIgniter framework missing important core features such as built-in support for user authentication and authorization. Since its initial launch in 2011, Laravel has implemented built-in support for localization, views, dealing with sessions, routing the request to the specific... - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • How to Install Codeigniter on a Local Server in 2025?
    Visit the CodeIgniter official download page and download the latest version. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Top 12 PHP Frameworks For Web Development in 2024
    CodeIgniter is an open-source PHP framework with 18k+ stars and 7.8K forks on GitHub. It follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture and provides a structured way to create and organize code. It provides a set of libraries and an intuitive interface to accelerate PHP web app development. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Why I selected Elixir and Phoenix as my main stack
    Over the years I have tried different frameworks, mostly in PHP, like Code Igniter (2010), ProcessWire (2014) and Laravel (2015). - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • In One Minute : CodeIgniter
    CodeIgniter is an open-source php web application framework created by EllisLab Inc and it is now a project of British Columbia Institute of Technology. The framework implements a modified version of the Model-View-Controller design pattern. It is praised for its performance and the quality of its documentation. It's currently licensed under the MIT License, although the previous version was released under the... - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
View more

FuelPHP mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of FuelPHP yet. Tracking of FuelPHP recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing CodeIgniter and FuelPHP, you can also consider the following products

Laravel - A PHP Framework For Web Artisans

CakePHP - The Rapid Development Framework for PHP

Symfony - A PHP full-stack web framework

Django - The Web framework for perfectionists with deadlines

Ruby on Rails - Ruby on Rails is an open source full-stack web application framework for the Ruby programming...

Yii Framework - Yii is a high-performance component-based PHP framework best for Web 2.0 development.