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Spark Framework VS CodeIgniter

Compare Spark Framework VS CodeIgniter and see what are their differences

Spark Framework logo Spark Framework

Spark Framework is a simple and lightweight Java web framework built for rapid development.

CodeIgniter logo CodeIgniter

A Fully Baked PHP Framework
  • Spark Framework Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-11-24
  • CodeIgniter Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-21

Spark Framework features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Spark Framework provides a simple and intuitive API, making it easy to set up and run a web application with minimal configuration.
  • Lightweight
    Spark is very lightweight, which makes it well-suited for small applications and microservices where resource consumption is a concern.
  • Java 8 Lambda Support
    It supports Java 8 lambdas, allowing developers to write clean, readable, and more concise code.
  • Rapid Development
    The framework facilitates rapid development and prototyping, enabling developers to quickly build and iterate on ideas.
  • Minimal Configuration
    With less boilerplate code required, Spark allows developers to focus on business logic rather than intricate configurations.

Possible disadvantages of Spark Framework

  • Limited Ecosystem
    Compared to more established frameworks, Spark has a smaller ecosystem of plugins and extensions, which might limit functionality for larger projects.
  • Performance Overhead
    While suitable for small applications, the simplicity of Spark might introduce performance overhead when scaling up to larger, complex applications.
  • Concurrency Limitations
    Its concurrency model may not be robust enough for high-concurrency applications, potentially leading to scalability issues.
  • Less Community Support
    Spark's smaller user base means that community support and resources such as tutorials and forums are more limited compared to larger frameworks.
  • Basic Feature Set
    The framework offers a basic feature set, which may require additional coding or third-party libraries to achieve advanced functionalities.

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.

Spark 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 Spark Framework and CodeIgniter)
Web Frameworks
14 14%
86% 86
Developer Tools
14 14%
86% 86
Python Web Framework
12 12%
88% 88
PHP MVC Framework
9 9%
91% 91

User comments

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Reviews

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

Spark Framework Reviews

17 Popular Java Frameworks for 2023: Pros, cons, and more
You can get the Spark Framework up and running in just a few minutes. By default, it runs on the Jetty web server that is embedded into the framework. However, you can use it with other Java web servers as well. According to Spark’s own survey, more than 50% of their users used the framework to create REST APIs, which is its most popular use case. Spark also powers...
Source: raygun.com

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, Spark Framework should be more popular than CodeIgniter. It has been mentiond 29 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.

Spark Framework mentions (29)

  • Indexing All of Wikipedia on a Laptop
    The code for serving queries is found in the WebSearch class. We’re using Spark (the web framework, not the big data engine) to serve a simple search form:. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
  • [ Servlet + JSP + JDBC ]
    Get a solid grasp of building web applications with Java either using Spring (using Spring Boot) or Spark (if you're also new to Java learning Java and Spring can be a mouthful). Instead of JSP use something Thymeleaf or build the frontend with HTML and JavaScript (and serve the bundles). Source: over 1 year ago
  • What's the language of the startup?
    So most of the "tech" stack goes out. In our first startup we created our own web-container by using https://sparkjava.com - and then built a JSR-223 scripting support. Source: over 1 year ago
  • What side-projects did you work on during your university years?
    Stack: Java, Spark (not the Apache Spark but this), Kafka, several other libraries like FasterXML's Jackson. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Full Time
    The blog is just hugo so it's 100% static files over nginx. The search engine is serverside-rendered mustache templates via handlebars[1], via served via spark[2]. It's basically all vanilla Java. I do raw SQL queries instead of ORM, which makes it quite a bit snappier than most Java applications. The sheer size of the database also mandates that basically every query is a primary key lookup. The code is written... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
View more

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 / 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
View more

What are some alternatives?

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

Javalin - Simple REST APIs for Java and Kotlin

Laravel - A PHP Framework For Web Artisans

vert.x - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Django - The Web framework for perfectionists with deadlines

Micronaut Framework - Build modular easily testable microservice & serverless apps

CakePHP - The Rapid Development Framework for PHP