What's your framework of choice?

[Dani]

I've been using CodeIgniter 3 for many years now, and have yet to migrate over to CodeIgniter4. Anyone here using Yii, Laravel, Symphony, CakePHP, or any others?

CodeIgniter was my first foray with MVC and I liked that it was a lightweight framework that let me use what I wanted to use, and not use what I didn't want to, so it made the learning curve very simple and provided a low barrier to entry. Now, all these years later, I have a lot more confidence in my PHP skills. I've heard realllllly good things about Laravel. The main thing holding me back from switching off of what is essentially an archaic framework that is no longer being maintaned (CI3) is that there's not really a strong business or financial incentive to recode all of DaniWeb on a new framework with little, if any, direct benefit.

[pritaeas]

When I was still using PHP (years ago) I used Laravel. IMO it's a well designed framework. If I had to do serious PHP programming I'd choose it again.

That being said, I have no idea if changing from CI3 to Laravel is straightforward as I have never used CI.

[Dani]

CI2 to CI3 was an upgrade in the sense that you simply needed to overwrite the framework’s files, and all of your models, controllers, and views could exist largely the same, with some things being backwards incompatible, and some things needing mass find-replace. The complexity was similar to upgrading from PHP 5.x to PHP 8, for example.

CI 4, on the other hand, is a completely new architecture. It’s not so much upgrading your project to it as much as it is porting it, and it would probably be just as much of a pain as porting an existing project to Laravel. (Although I have experience doing neither, but that’s my best guess, from what I’ve researched so far.) That’s why I am still using CI3.

[pritaeas]

Try both. Port a small (but essential) part of what you need to both Laravel and CI4. You'll find out soon enough which one better suits you.