In the confusing world of web development, where the choices are too many, It is hard to decide which is the best development language to use. Among them the two popular choices are Microsoft ASP.Net and the open source PHP. There are several criterias which could help you decide the best language for you.
ASP.Net
ASP.Net is the next version of the legendary Active Server Pages which has long been widely used to create dynamic web pages. ASP provides the ability to used powerful databases like Access, SQL and many others to create dynamic content and feature rich websites.
ASP.Net is a member of .Net family of programming languages on which Microsoft is spending a lot of time and resources promote and encourage programmers to use their technology. Though the required Microsoft Visual Studio Programming Suite is very expensive, It is a priceless asset for programmers due to its limitless features and capability to handle complex databases with ease.
Microsoft provides constant support, updates and learning materials for ASP.Net extensively. Based on Microsoft Technology, ASP.Net requires and limits to Microsoft based Windows servers which are costlier than the Linux servers available cheaper online. With the amount of features included in the package of ASP.Net, Microsoft has made a suite which is not only attractive, but also a required element for any corporation’s Web requirements. It would be a great tool for you if you can pay the huge onetime costs involved with it.
PHP
PHP is an Open Source development language. Open Source means that it is not owned by anybody, it is developed and supported by its community of developers. PHP is extremely useful for web developers as its free and offers quality features at no cost.
Being free, a lot of resources are available online for expanding the usability of PHP and you might just need to look up a search engine. Being free, it is unbound and not dependent on Microsoft or Windows servers, which increases its compatibility and use on any kind of server. It is one of the main reason for its growing popularity and more and more companies opting for PHP based development on low cost Linux servers.
Now let’s study the advantage of using these both Technologies.
Advantages of PHP.
- PHP is Free! There are no licensing cost which makes it easier for smaller sites to acquire.
- Easy to learn. A lot of learning resources and documentation are available by independent coders and communities.
- PHP is efficient, it eats less memory and has faster execution time than ASP.Net, but much of it depends on the specific requirements of the coders.
- Development tools are available at much lesser prices and many times even free!
- PHP is run on APACHE which too is open source and have a very good security track record.
Advantages of ASP.Net
- ASP.Net supports a variety of different programming languages for development which you can choose from to suit best your requirements. You may code in VB.Net if you come from a Visual Basic background or you may like C# if you are among C/C++ fraternity.
- Framework. Dot Net Framework is a powerful platform designed from scratch based on modern updated principles. Its development tools are fully object oriented, clean and more logical. C# is popular for its correct programming rules.
- Error handling. ASP.net provides standard TRY and CATCH blocks for error handling hence the applications are more mistake-free.
- ASP.Net allows for more easily maintainable coding structure with its Classes and routines.
It still is not easy to decide on what language shall you choose for your development. It depends more on the kind of task on your hand, its requirements, complexities and the kind of budget you can spend for it. Choose PHP for general fast-execution projects while choose ASP.Net for bigger projects required by corporate or rich budget companies. A lot of time you may not have a choice as the employer may already be using a technology and you have to develop on it.