PHP vs JavaScript – Is There Any Comparison?

Analyzing the differences between PHP and Java script might seem a little weird because these two technologies are used for completely separate purposes, but it was only for a while. Yes, earlier PHP was majorly used for server-side applications whereas JavaScript was used for only client side. However now, due to the advent of Node.js, Angular and React.js, JS is being widely used for server side too. This makes it important to compare PHP and JavaScript as to know which suits the best for your next big project.

To begin differentiating and analyzing which technology goes the best with which type of project, first let us understand the basic definition of these two.

PHP-Hypertext Preprocessor

PHP is a server side open source language mainly used for web development and embedding in HTML. PHP offers a lot many outstanding features that have made the developers just fall for this language. It allows the development of dynamic websites which is the need of the hour, database driven sites, feature rich web pages etc. As PHP development is open source it can be easily used on all the operating systems like Windows, MAC OS, Linux, Unix etc. This feature has increased the value of PHP multiple times.

JavaScript

JavaScript on the other hand is a lightweight language often used as a client-side scripting language for developing dynamic web pages. JavaScript is not only chased in web development it is also a phenomenal language for non-web projects like game development, mobile apps, PDF and much more. It has advanced server-side versions such as Node.js, and Angular.js, that enable designing websites with more functionalities.

Comparison between JavaScript and PHP

1. Trends in web development

According to the report by W3tech.com, 79% of all websites use PHP as the server-side programming language, whereas only 0.7% of websites use JavaScript as the server-side language. However, when accounting the usage of client-side scripting language for websites, JavaScript is on the top.

2. In terms of availability

If we talk about availability then PHP is quite easy to access and work upon because it is open source. It is completely owned by the internet community and can be easily modified as per your application requirements. Whereas JavaScript is a non-free and an open standard program maintained by the W3C and Ecma International.

3. When it comes to concurrency

PHP is a multi-threaded language. It blocks Input/output to perform multiple tasks simultaneously with a simple and clean approach. While in JavaScript, a single threaded functional script achieves an event-driven model with non-blocking Input/output execution, which ensures everything runs concurrently.

4. Integrating with codes

Here PHP might not sound reasonable because it can only be combined with HTML codes. JavaScript has the capability of getting combined with Html, xml and even Ajax.

5. Simplicity in coding

When it is about simplicity, PHP has all the eyes because it offers function for each operation you have. Big internet companies like Facebook use PHP because it’s easier and faster. JavaScript on the other hand, is harder to use. Its programming is complex and more advanced. JavaScript offers a lot of features but is considered tricky by many programmers.

6. Type of comments

PHP supports:	JavaScript supports:
<?php // PHP single line comment 1 # PHP single line comment 2 /* PHP multi-line comment */ echo “<p> Hello! </p>”; ?>	// JavaScript single line comment /* JavaScript multi-line comment */ alert(“Invalid user name.”);

7. Variables in PHP and JavaScript

Another aspect which can be compared in these two languages is the type of variable used by both the languages. PHP and JavaScript use different ways to declare their variables. PHP considers all variables as local unless it is declared as Global. In JavaScript, you have to declare a variable local by using the keyword “var”, otherwise it would be taken as Global by default.

PHP Variables	JavaScript Variables
function bar() { $variable_a = ‘value’; // Local variable declaration. } function bar() { global $variable_b; // Global variable declaration. $variable_b = ‘value’; }	function bar() { var variableA = ‘value’; // Local variable with use of “var”. } function bar() { variableB = ‘value’; // Global variable, no “var” declaration. }

When to use PHP and JavaScript?

Knowing the differences, one thing is clear that both PHP and JavaScript have importance of their own. If one is good at one place, the other will be better at the other. To avoid the confusion, it is recommended to use both in combination for your next web development project.

To make the distinction more clear:

Choose PHP as your back-end language when your project covers:

• Solution stacks like LAMP (Apache, Linux, MySQL, PHP)
• CMS like Drupal, WordPress, Joomla, etc
• Servers like PostgreSQL, MariaDB, Oracle, Sybase, etc.

Choose JavaScript when your project covers:

• Front-end technologies like Angular js, Reactjs, Backbone.js, Ember.js, etc.
• SPAs (Dynamic Single Page Applications)
• Server Technologies like MongoDB, Express.js, Node.js, etc.
• Solutions Stacks like MEAN (Express js, Angular js, MongoDB, etc.)

In comparison, PHP sounds easier, less complex, faster and more dynamic. But you cannot ignore several benefits of JavaScript too. You can even take help from various software development companies for proper assistance and expert developers to make your project a big hit.