If you have chatted to us recently, I am sure you would have heard the word 'framework' come up. Is this something you need to know about? When your primary focus is getting your shiny new website up and running, worrying about exactly how it is put together probably isn't top of your agenda.
First though, perhaps we should cover off what a web framework is. The basic principle of a framework is not having to reinvent the wheel. It tries to remove all of the repetitive tasks associated with building a website, which saves time, and importantly your money. Long term, it ensures the longevity of a project and its sustainability.
Common Frameworks
- Symfony
- Zend
- CakePHP
- Code Igniter
The differences between these frameworks are often how well documented they are and the level of control they exert over the user. For example, Zend framework is slightly more relaxed than Symfony in allowing the programmer to make choices. The down side to this is that not all programmers think the same, and should a previous programmer not be about, time must be undertaken to understand how the application was put together. While this is not entirely mitigated by using Symfony, the frameworks organisation goes a long way to ensuring everyone is singing form the same hymn sheet, so to speak.
We chose to use Symfony here at Corvita because it is modular, incredibly well documented and has a fantastic community. We also want our clients to be assured we are using an enterprise level framework that will ensure the scalability of our projects over their lifespan.
We will always talk zealously of Symfony, it is a truly remarkable framework put together by truly remarkable people and is redefining the way we code and use PHP. It also provides some fantastic tools that ensure our applications are running as efficiently as possible and allow us to debug as we go, avoiding common pitfalls. On top of all that, the security levels built into Symfony are enterprise level (we have built applications for Diageo that have passed their very rigorous security tests).
What does this mean for our clients?
We want our clients to be assured that we use industry standard (and in Symfony, leading) software to produce their web applications, without tying them in to a proprietary system that only we can provide. We want a solid base for our web builds to work from, as well as a solid base of trust on which our relationship is built.