Comparing Symfony and Laravel: A Comprehensive Guide
Tags: laravel, symfony
Published: 2023-06-06 10:26:44

When beginning a new project in PHP, one key question must be asked: which framework should to use? Two of the most sought-after frameworks, [Laravel and Symfony](https://www.laravelwizard.com/blog/laravel-vs-symfony/), are in a constant struggle to secure the top spot. 

This article will help shed light on the strengths and weaknesses of each framework and help developers decide which framework is best suited for their web development projects: Laravel or Symfony.

## Laravel & Symfony – basics

**Laravel
**
Leveraging existing components of renowned frameworks like Yii, CodeIgniter, or Ruby on Rails, Laravel is an open-source model-view-controller framework designed to facilitate web application development. Those with expertise in Core and Advanced PHP will find the framework incredibly user-friendly and able to reduce development time drastically. Laravel is renowned for its easy coding process, making it the perfect choice for creating powerful PHP applications.

**Symfony 
**
Developed in 2005, Symfony has grown to become a reliable framework, often used for more complex enterprise projects. This framework's foundation is open-source PHP projects, such as Propel, Doctrine, PHPUnit, Twig, and Swift Mailer. It also features its own components like Symfony YAML, Symfony Event Dispatcher, Symfony Dependency Injector, and Symfony Templating.

## Pros & Cons of Laravel and Symfony


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/r0rqborfk4xytmnxjfku.png)

**Laravel
**
**Pros:
**It consistently keeps up with the latest PHP features.
APIs facilitate the integration of the most popular email services and applications.
Capable of operating on multiple third-party platforms and libraries.
The platform offers a plethora of supplemental tools and resources.

**Cons:
**Mobile users may experience slower loading speeds when utilizing apps created with Laravel.

**Symfony

**Pros:
Symfony boasts a great many active developers and its userbase is one of the largest in the industry.
Symfony is frequently updated to ensure that it meets the evolving needs of web developers.

**Cons:
**Learning Symfony is more challenging compared to other PHP frameworks.
Some applications may load slower due to lacking origin elements, which rely on different technologies.

## **Comparison: Symfony vs. Laravel

**In the following section, we will thoroughly compare the two.

**Basic Performance
**Laravel's utilization of Symfony components and its average loading time of 60 milliseconds makes it a beneficial choice for time-sensitive projects. 

On the other hand, Symfony takes more effort and 250 milliseconds to achieve its maximum performance, leaving Laravel as an ideal option.

**Database support
**Both Laravel and Symfony Framework employ object-relational mapping (ORM) to facilitate data access. Eloquent, Laravel's in-house database, provides a manual system of migrations. This is used to perform all the CRUD operations and allows the usage of multiple database languages such as MySQL, SQLite, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server. 

Symfony Doctrine automatically manipulates and migrates the data. However, developers must still design the respiratory functions necessary for database access. Some of the database support options are MySQL, SAPsy base SQL, Drizzle, and Oracle.

**Scaffolding
**Although no scaffolding tool is native to Laravel, multiple third-party integrations are available. Symfony's Sensio generator bundle pack contains all necessary commands for scaffolding purposes.

**Modularity and Scalability
**Laravel allows for easy scalability with its modular structure and ability to reuse code, providing the means to quickly add features and functionalities to your application. 

Symfony provides the added benefit of being able to use reusable components, allowing you to build an application that is both scalable and can adjust to changes in your business requirements.

**Learning curve
**Laravel is relatively simple for developers to learn, while Symfony presents a more significant challenge due to its limited community support.

**Template engine
**Laravel utilizes Blade, an efficient template engine, allowing for code to be reused. This also permits developers to compose clear and cached PHP code, boosting performance. Furthermore, the Lumen sub-framework is utilized to construct APIs.

The Symfony framework uses the Twig template engine. It has a different syntax compared to Blade, permitting developers to develop more aesthetically pleasing templates while writing in simple PHP.

## When is Laravel better than Symfony?

When it comes to swiftly developing your application and being mindful of your budget, a Laravel Development Company is the ideal solution. By downloading Laravel, you are granted a variety of helpful, pre-configured features that streamline the development process.

If this is your first foray into frameworks, Laravel is the better option, as its syntax is straightforward, and the available educational resources are more comprehensive. Furthermore, it is also an excellent choice for building and testing your startup product due to its proficiency with rapid application development. Laravel developers are relatively easy to come by.

## When is Symfony better than Laravel?

Symfony is an excellent choice for creating a complicated enterprise software solution due to its scalability, manageability, and organization. Moreover, Symfony's planned releases for the next six years make it an even more reliable option for big long-term projects, reducing the chance of unexpected issues arising.

## Which framework wins: Symfony or Laravel

After learning about them, it is clear that both frameworks provide users with impressive capabilities for efficient and advanced web development with PHP. When weighing up the different options, Laravel is the preferred option. 

Nonetheless, when it comes to picking between the two frameworks, it all depends on the individual requirements and functions you intend to include in your app. For tasks that must be completed on time, it is beneficial to [hire Laravel developer](https://www.laravelwizard.com/laravel-developers) who comprehends your goals. In contrast, Symfony is well-fitted for sustained projects in commercial settings.