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PHP Fat-Free Framework VS CodeIgniter

Compare PHP Fat-Free Framework VS CodeIgniter and see what are their differences

PHP Fat-Free Framework logo PHP Fat-Free Framework

FAT-FREE is a powerful yet lightweight PHP 5.

CodeIgniter logo CodeIgniter

A Fully Baked PHP Framework
  • PHP Fat-Free Framework Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-25
  • CodeIgniter Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-21

PHP Fat-Free Framework features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Fat-Free Framework is known for its lightweight design, making it a good choice for developers who need a simple and efficient framework without unnecessary bloat.
  • Ease of Use
    It offers an easy-to-learn syntax and straightforward setup, which speeds up the development process and is suitable for both beginners and experienced developers.
  • Performance
    Due to its minimalistic approach, Fat-Free Framework tends to perform well, providing fast processing times that are beneficial for resource-constrained environments.
  • Built-in Features
    The framework includes a number of built-in features like a URL router, cache engine, and support for SQL and NoSQL databases which facilitate rapid development.
  • Modular Design
    Its modular architecture allows developers to load only the components they need, providing flexibility and reducing unnecessary overhead.

Possible disadvantages of PHP Fat-Free Framework

  • Community and Documentation
    While the framework is relatively simple, it lacks the extensive community support and documentation that larger frameworks like Laravel offer, which may be a drawback for complex projects.
  • Limited Ecosystem
    Fat-Free Framework does not have as extensive an ecosystem of third-party packages and extensions compared to more popular frameworks, which can limit functionality and require more custom development.
  • Scalability
    Although suitable for small and medium-sized projects, Fat-Free Framework might not be the best choice for highly complex or large-scale enterprise applications where more robust frameworks could be beneficial.
  • Less Popularity
    Being less popular than other frameworks like Laravel or Symfony, finding developers with Fat-Free Framework experience can be more challenging, and resources like tutorials can be limited.

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.

PHP Fat-Free Framework videos

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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

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to PHP Fat-Free Framework and CodeIgniter)
Web Frameworks
6 6%
94% 94
PHP MVC Framework
12 12%
88% 88
Developer Tools
4 4%
96% 96
PHP Framework
100 100%
0% 0

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Reviews

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

PHP Fat-Free Framework Reviews

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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.

    🏁 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 “The PHP Framework for Web Artisans.” It was developed by Taylor Otwell, who wanted a framework with elements that CodeIgniter didn’t have, such as user authentication.
Source: kinsta.com

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.

PHP Fat-Free Framework mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of PHP Fat-Free Framework yet. Tracking of PHP Fat-Free Framework recommendations started around Mar 2021.

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 / about 2 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 / about 2 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 / about 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
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing PHP Fat-Free Framework and CodeIgniter, you can also consider the following products

Laravel - A PHP Framework For Web Artisans

Symfony - A PHP full-stack web framework

Django - The Web framework for perfectionists with deadlines

Agile Toolkit - Agile Toolkit is a PHP framework for developing Web User Interfaces.

CakePHP - The Rapid Development Framework for PHP

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