Frameworks offer quick and dirty ways to get your code done. Though hardcore programmers still shun them, they are God sent for lazy/beginner programmers who need to get lot of work done quickly. Having looked at all the major heavyweights(literally) of PHP frameworks, I wanted to look for alternatives.
My requirements:
- Small footprint
- Simple
- Easy to use (For a beginner like me)
So here are the nominees:
1. ELF-PHP (Extra Light PHP Framework)
This framework is built on the MVC architecture for software engineering buffs, has good documentation, and will get you started in a jiffy. It probably has the most features compared to the others in this list, and the developer plans to add some more in the future release.
P.S: Grab the latest code from the repository.
It simple, its PHP and its a framework. Has comprehensive logging features, offers various modes for the server (local, production, staging, shell) and is actually being run in 40 different sites by the developer. Should be dependable. Needs documentation on various features though.
Other than having a unusual name, its a micro php framework for separating application logic from presentation. Development has been stopped by the developer, so don’t expect support or documentation. For a more recent version micro paging framework, check out Sticks by the same developer.
4. Write your own micro framework!
This excellent post by Anant Garg gets you started on MVC framework basics, and tells you how you can design your own mini framework, and then implement your application using it! Expect a more comprehensive review of each framework in the furure.