PHP vs Java for eCommerce Projects
Tags: php, java, ecommerce
Published: 2022-03-14 07:27:48

When starting a new software development project one of the basic, yet most important things is to choose the right tech stack. A well-chosen tech stack is the cornerstone of a robust and performant app. Among a wide range of popular programming languages, many software developers opt for PHP or Java. There is a large set of successful examples based on the two programming languages, including e-Commerce solutions.

In this article, we’ll compare the two programming languages, find out the key differences between Java and PHP, and learn when to use each for building e-Commerce platforms. 

## What Is Java?

Java is one of the open-source, general-purpose object-oriented programming languages that have a long history of implementation for building cross-platform digital solutions. It was released in 1995 and since then has been used for building practically any kind of app.

One of the main features so many developers choose this programming language is its logic “Write Once, Run Anywhere”. It means that software developers need to write an app code just once and it'll work on any computer or mobile platform. This becomes possible as the Java compiler translates source code into bytecode and then passes it over to JVM (Java Virtual Machine). JVM, in its turn, converts the code for the device it launches on. This way, software developers can build applications for desktop computers, data centers, game consoles, mobile phones, and many more devices. 

## What is PHP?

PHP is an open-source, server-side scripting programming language. Just like Java, it’s a veteran of software development used for building general-purpose applications. It was built in 1994 and since then most web apps have been created with it. Over 78% of websites worldwide are developed on [PHP] (https://w3techs.com/technologies/details/pl-php). 

PHP is an interpreted language which means that it runs only where it’s installed. Though, there is a wide range of systems that support PHP. Another PHP feature is that it can be easily integrated into HTML code. Therefore, PHP developers can effortlessly add various functionalities to their web pages without the necessity to call external files to retrieve data.

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/bt2uqhs7syuay7bkkccg.jpg)
 
## PHP and Java Comparison

Both languages are modern and regularly updated programming languages. PHP had its latest Version 8.0 release in November 2020 and Java was upgraded to its Java SE 17 version in September 2021. Both languages are widely used for building business digital solutions, though the choice of each depends on a company's business needs. 

Let’s have a closer look at the two and compare them from various sides. 

## Speed of Coding 

When it comes to code writing, PHP is a bit faster than Java. The reason is that Java requires software developers to write a longer code which ensures more stability of the apps. Meanwhile, PHP offers much faster coding though the resulting code will need more optimization. Therefore, creating applications in PHP takes much less time.

### Performance

When comparing Java vs PHP performance, many programmers notice that Java is faster than PHP. This happens because they carry out different operations for code translation. While Java pre-compiles its code into bytecode, PHP will parse the file and output the stream for each call. As a result, PHP takes a bit longer than Java. 

Creators of both languages have invested much time and effort in their optimization, though Java shows better results than PHP. While in its latest version, PHP greatly optimizes code and significantly reduces memory consumption, JVM is well-streamlined with speed and it effectively manages just in time-compilation. 

### Stability

Java requires software developers to write longer code for the benefit of stability. A thoroughly-written code ensures that its applications are much more stable than PHP, minimizing any chances of their crashing. This makes Java a more preferable programming language for building digital solutions that require much stability in their work such as FinTech apps for banks or enterprise-level apps. 

### Documentation

Both programming languages have well-developed and detailed documentation. Software developers can find the official documentation for Java on its creator’s website – Oracle with all the language specifications carefully described in their complexity. Meanwhile, PHP provides its documentation on its website in several languages, including Portuguese, Chinese, Russian, and many others. 

### Popularity

Java generates more demand among professional software developers. According to the latest [Stack Overflow report] (https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2021) 2021, 47.15% of respondents opt for Java, whereas 40.24% of them expressed their preference for PHP. Moreover, [CodingDojo in its research] (https://www.codingdojo.com/blog/the-7-most-in-demand-programming-languages-of-2019) found out that in January 2019 Java was one of the most demanded languages on Indeed, a job search platform with over 65,986 job positions, whereas PHP was ranked 6th most demanded with 16,890 job positions available.
 
### Talent Pool

Stack Overflow in the same report of 2021 states that Java is the 5th most used language among professional software developers with 35.35%, whereas 21.98% of programmers have PHP in their tech stacks. 

### Easiness to Learn

It’s not easy to say which language is easier to learn as it depends on the previous programmers' background knowledge and skills. Some programmers say that Java is simpler due to its syntax, though its libraries are rather deep. PHP is faster for beginners to start with but its syntax has less resemblance to the English language.

### Security

Security aspect is the reason why many enterprises and FinTech companies will choose to [hire a Java developer] (https://scand.com/hire-java-developers/) for their software development project. Java is considered to be highly secure. The security level is achieved through the JVM. It ensures memory safety, making the system protected from the most widespread hacker attacks and bugs. 

To provide a consistent level of security on PHP, many software developers turn to other frameworks. This helps [PHP developers] (https://scand.com/hire-php-developers/) to achieve decent security, though Java still has a wider range of built-in security features. 

### Cost of Development

Many businesses prefer PHP to other programming languages as it provides great functionality for minimum cost. Java is a bit more expensive but companies realize that they pay for excellent performance and top security. 
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/3mvx0y196af0ovgflv06.jpg)

## When Java and PHP Are Used?

The two programming languages are highly popular and have proved their efficiency in diverse software development projects. Let’s have a look at which projects to use the two to gain maximum benefit from them.

## What Is Java Used For?

Java works great for building both simple and complex enterprise-level applications that require increased stability and data protection. It can be used for developing:

* apps for Android;
* web applications (Twitter, Spotify, TripAdvisor, and others);
* mobile apps (Nimbuzz Messenger, CashApp, Signal);
* desktop applications (ThinkFree Office);
* enterprise apps (Murex, NASA WorldWind, FinTech banking and finance solutions, healthcare, energy & utilities, logistics, and many others);
* [e-commerce] (https://scand.com/industries/e-commerce/) platforms (Hybris, Broadleaf, Elastic Path, Shopizer, and many others);
* web servers (ApacheTomcat, RWS, Apache HTTP server, PRsin, Adobe JRun);
* software tools (Eclipse, IntelliJ Idea, NetBeans IDE).

## What Is PHP Used for?

PHP is a perfect tool for building any kind of web solution. It is utilized for developing dynamic web pages and most of the websites are written with this programming language. The most popular solutions built with PHP are:

* web applications (Facebook, Yahoo!, Wikipedia, and many others);
* marketing tools ( Tumblr, MailChimp, Flickr, and others);
* eCommerce apps and CMS (Wordpress, OpenCart, ZenCart, UberCart, and others);
* DevOps and automation tools.

## Conclusion

Java and PHP are modern programming languages used for building diverse digital tools. When choosing one of them for your software project, you need to proceed from the business needs and the needs of the users who are going to use the developed solution.

Java is the best choice for complex apps that require increased stability and much protection. PHP coding is cheaper and faster than Java and would perfectly match for building web solutions of any kind.