Straightforward question, thanks.
What resources do you have access to?
I’m guessing LAMP stack on a shared host, haha.
CodeIgniter is a great choice. Super powerful for such a lightweight framework. It works everywhere without hassle and is easy to pick up.
@Dare
Absolutely! CodeIgniter has been easy to use for around 15 years. On the other hand, PHP has been user-friendly for about 30 years.
One of the biggest benefits is how easy deployment is. Just drop your files onto any shared host, and if you run into trouble, just reach out to their support.
Wren said:
@Dare
I wasn’t aware CodeIgniter was still being used.
How does it stack up against Laravel?
From my experience, it’s simpler. CodeIgniter focuses on ease and simplicity instead of aiming for the ‘enterprise’ level.
Wren said:
@Dare
I wasn’t aware CodeIgniter was still being used.
How does it stack up against Laravel?
It has all the power of any full-stack framework, but it’s much lighter and simpler. Best fit for a shared host LAMP stack.
I’ve worked with Symfony, Cake, Craft, and Laravel, and I can confidently say CodeIgniter is ideal for shared hosting.
It really depends on what languages you’re familiar with:
If it’s Python, try Flask or Django (Flask is better for smaller projects; Django shines for larger ones and has robust documentation).
For PHP, Laravel (the most popular PHP-based full-stack framework with many ready-to-use solutions).
And in Ruby, Rails has been around for two decades and remains highly sought after among employers.
I can’t comment much on the various JavaScript frameworks.
@Wren
That’s a solid answer. I think Ruby on Rails might be the easiest (though its popularity has dipped somewhat).
Django is a fantastic choice.
PrimateJS is worth mentioning too.
Laravel Inertia is a good option.
A lot of people prefer Laravel, but many lean toward Next. However, React can be a bit tricky for beginners. I’ve heard Vue is more user-friendly, so Nuxt might be an excellent option. Generally, you’re looking at PHP or JS frameworks as others are still developing, and honestly, unless you’re starting fresh, Rust isn’t a great entry point unless you’re coming from a static language background.
I’d recommend sticking with a JavaScript framework. This way, you’ll only need to learn a single language along with HTML and CSS.
Otherwise, you’ll have to learn a backend language in addition to JavaScript.
Among the frameworks, I find Svelte to be the easiest yet well-featured, while React remains the industry standard (albeit sadly).
Ultimately, the framework you enjoy most will be the one you find easiest to master.
For PHP, Laravel and Slim are great choices; simply run a composer command and you’re ready to go. A little server setup is needed to route requests to the right directory if it goes live, but for development, PHP’s built-in server works fine.
For JavaScript, the MERN stack is a good pick, but you can use MariaDB/Postgres if you prefer relational databases. Both options have their strengths. Personally, I find MongoDB less suitable for my work, which often involves heavy datasets (think petabytes of genomic data).
In Python, Flask is user-friendly for routing but you’ll have to implement authentication yourself. On the other hand, Django takes a ‘batteries included’ approach, guiding you through certain tasks using specific tools. I remember struggling a bit with setting up WSGI on Nginx and Apache.
It depends on the programming language you’re using.
I suggest CodeIgniter, Slim, or Laravel. Avoid learning single-page applications until you have a solid grasp of the basics.
Choose the one for the language you’re already familiar with.
After that, find one in a language you want to learn.
Easiness varies greatly, so it’s really up to your current knowledge and learning speed.
How about Next.js? Combine it with AWS Amplify. No problem at all!