Django vs Laravel: Two Prominent Web Frameworks Being Evaluated
Web development has been embraced with open arms, all over the globe, irrespective of the organization’s size or business domain. Web frameworks are being leveraged to create innovative web applications and ease out software development. With salient features such as URL mapping, high-end security, efficacy, cost, and broad community support, there is no looking back.
Two such popular web frameworks that are popular globally are Django vs Laravel. There is a constant comparison between the two. There are certain similarities between the two and certain differences that sets them apart. Both have innovative features and competencies that cater to user requirements in a perfect way, amongst different business domains. Choosing between the two – Laravel vs Django is a vital decision in web development.
What is Django?
Django is a high-level Python web framework that encourages rapid development and clean, pragmatic design. Built by experienced developers, it takes care of much of the hassle of web development, so you can focus on writing your app without needing to reinvent the wheel. It’s free and open source.
Django supports the Model-View-Template (MVT) architecture for its development. It is heavyweight offering a tad lesser flexibility to developers. Its readymade boilerplate code offers faster and secure software development. It is ideal for novices since it supports clean and crisp coding.
Because of its salient features like user authentication, RSS feeds, site maps, content administration, etc., Django has been adapted by popular enterprises worldwide. It is licensed by a three-clause license and has an inbuilt database that supports SQLite. Maintained by the Django Software Foundation, it is battery-included and hence creates applications in shorter duration.
Django encourages the creation of web applications with lesser code and a clean design with readable syntax. It is flexible to adjust to various types of projects in different industries and is considered ideal for the creation of complex applications. It helps organizations create applications for data science, AI, ML, computation, etc.
What is Laravel?
Laravel is a versatile open-source PHP web framework that Laravel developers can leverage for developing beautiful web applications with elegant syntax and faster development processes owing to simpler coding. There is more to this framework which not only makes it easier for the developer but also the business as it is highly cost and time effective.
Laravel is an easy-to-understand framework with a clean syntax that supports the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture. It offers a great deal of scalability with its distributed cache system like Redis. There are different features such as job scheduling, dependency injection, queues, and database abstraction layer that speed up development and make it easy to create complicated apps.
Being a PHP-based web framework, it is based on Symfony and its source code is hosted on its dedicated GitHub page, with which it can create a variety of sites, software applications, news sites, CMS, and simple networking platforms. It creates pre-defined architectures, full-stack applications, backend logic, and web applications with routing sessions, caching, etc.
Laravel makes developer’s life easier even when developing secure, scalable, and high-performing web applications with built-in functionalities which are a result of it being an MVC-based PHP framework. Laravel developers can leverage security encryption combined with strong authentication to aid the protection of your web application against all online threats.
Django vs Laravel Features
Key Features of Django:
- Flexibility and versatility
- Free and open source
- Scalability and simplicity
- Fully featured
- Amazingly fast
- Middleware for filters
- Effective and easy management
- Extensibility and compatibility
- Inbuilt Object Relational Mapper (ORM)
- Inbuilt tools like emailing systems etc
- MVT architecture
- URL routing
- Template engine
- Complete documentation
- Powerful form-handling system
- SEO optimization
- Security features such as cross-site request forgery protection etc.
Key Features of Laravel
- Template engine
- Free and open source
- Database seeding
- Artisan CLI and powerful routing system
- Object-relational mapping (ORM)
- MVC architecture support
- Libraries and modular functionalities
- Application logic and coding authorization
- Localization validation
- Modular packaging
- Elegant and expressive syntax
- Query builder and pre-packaged tools
- Restful controllers
- Class autoloading
- Migrations and high-level security
- Expressive syntax and flexibility
- Easy unit testing with enhanced performance
- Excellent traffic handling
Django vs Laravel: Companies Using Them
Organizations Using Django:
Bitbucket, Mozilla, Instagram, Pinterest, Accenture, Spotify, Dropbox, NASA, Mozilla, Coding Ninjas, Reddit, Udemy, Washington Post, Sauce Labs, National Geographic, Disqus, Eventbrite, etc.
Organizations Using Laravel:
BBC, About You, Pfizer, Crowdcube, Ratio, Pedidosya, 9GAG, UNION, Razorpay, Packet a, Swat.io, Toyota Hall of Fame, Lenovo, Wikipedia, Laracasts, Asgard CMS, FedEx, TourRadar, etc.
Laravel vs Django: The Similarities
Though both popular web frameworks have a lot of differences, there are certain basic facts that remain similar between both, here are they:
- Web frameworks for software development
- Free and open source
- Focus on scalability and code readability with file distribution
- Flexibility and portability
- Auto queries for databases
- Easy to manage
- Own template system with enriched filters and predefined functionalities
- Automatic synchronization of tables from models
- Support a variety of databases
- Good developer community support
- Easy testing and debugging
- Promising career opportunities
Django vs Laravel: An Insightful Comparison
| Parameters | Laravel | Django |
| Overview | A PHP-based open-source system for web development that uses MVC Framework built with PHP | A Python-based open-source system for web development that uses MVT framework built with Python |
| Initial Release | June 2011 | July 2005 |
| Popularity | Laravel has been a well-known framework for various website categories like business, arts, industry, entertainment, etc. in countries like the USA, Brazil, UK, etc. | Django has been a popular framework for different website categories like science, electronics, food, drinks, etc. in countries like Spain, the USA, France, and many more |
| Database Support | Supports MySQL, SQLite, PostgreSQL, SQL | Supports MariaDB, Oracle, MySQL, SQLite, PostgreSQL |
| Security | Usage of salted and hashed passwords never saved as plain text. Implements basic level of security measures to solve cybersecurity issues like SQL injection, XSS, harmful cookies, etc. | User authentication system for user management helps developers in avoiding errors. Implements effective security measures to solve cybersecurity issues like XSS, cross-site requests, forgery, clickjacking, etc. |
| Speed and Performance | Strong and robust but with many inbuilt features. Hence, speed is a little slow as compared to other PHP frameworks. But developers can find other ways to speed up the entire process. | Based on Python, hence quite fast execution. It speeds up the development of web applications by developers, due to fast code execution compilation and quick analysis of errors. |
| Use Cases | Robust and large apps, custom and on-demand streaming web apps based on PHP, social networking platforms, eLearning apps, SaaS apps, multilingual CMS platforms and blog sites, static and dynamic apps, stock trading-based web apps, eCommerce sites, enterprise-level apps, job portals, self-hosted performance monitoring apps, news, forums, etc. | iOS and Android mobile apps, Custom/B2B CRM solutions, document management solutions, financial solutions, emailing systems, data analysis tools, verifications systems, scalable apps, API backend, web apps with ORM support, data-driven applications, ML integration solutions, legal management solution, algorithm-based generators, admin dashboards, etc. |
| Template | Based on the Blade template which is a powerful and fully featured template | Based on the Jinja template which empowers users to customize goals, filters, tests, etc. |
| Routing | Easy for routing with methods such as patch, delete, get, etc. | Harder for routing since it has no API and needs to work around |
| App Management | Cannot manage multiple apps but is ideal for midscale projects where the requirement for multiple apps is not there | Can easily manage multiple apps since there is a separate parent directory for each app under the main project |
| Programming Language | A full-stack web framework written in PHP | A battery included web framework written in Python |
| Application Architecture | Supports Model View Controller (MVC) architecture that empowers developers for division of responsibilities | Supports Model View Template (MVT) architecture which is ideally fit for all types of applications that need frequent changes |
| Community Support | Vast community support offering documentation and other relevant help | Large community support is offered by the Django Software Foundation with useful packages |
| Code | Easy for novices to learn coding and syntax | Complex for novices as compared to Laravel |
| Development Environment | Laravel framework works well with event, queues, and command bus utilized for running cron jobs | Django framework works as a lightweight web server with faster and simpler development |
| Methodology | Object Relational Mapping (ORM) and query builder to support active record implementation | Object Relational Mapping (ORM) to support the interface between application and database |
| API Support | Comes with a routing system with inbuilt support for API and hence no need to have any other library for the creation of REST API. It is easy to generate backend solutions for frontend and mobile development. | Does not come with inbuilt support for API and hence there is a need to include libraries for the creation of APIs. Routing becomes challenging and hence needs an experienced Django development experience while creating apps |
| GitHub Stars | 34,292 stars | 43,384 stars |
| Learning Curve | Steep learning curve with exceptions and code complexities | Easy to learn for novices and developer friendly |
| Running Websites | Hosts around 121,173 websites | Hosts around 205,106 websites |
| Design Interface | Laravel makes use of Authenticate and template engine | Django makes use of a ready-to-use Administrative graphical interface |
| License | MIT | 3-Clause BSD |
| Scalability | Good scaling competencies from PHP supports horizontal scaling also | Good scaling competencies from Python goes well with AI and ML-based apps |
| Inbuilt Tools | Contains inbuilt tools like method injection | Contains inbuilt tools like decorators |
| Ease of Testing | Testing PHP-based apps is a little time-consuming and hence can turn out a little difficult | Testing Python-based apps is easier and does not need much of effort and time |
| Middleware Support | Only support for HTTP middleware | Supports different middleware also |
Django vs Laravel: When to Use What?
When it looks confusing as to which tool to choose, the following parameters can help in choosing the ideal one. There are certain situations and characteristics that call for a particular option, preferably.
Select Django when you need to create –
- Dynamic, SEO-friendly, and customizable social media websites
- ML-integrated apps with better personalization
- CRM for an eCommerce platform
- Large and secure apps for B2B communication
- Data analytical apps with visualization
- Data-driven apps for food and hospitality, science, and education
- Data-science-based applications
- Applications depending on a large amount of data
Select Laravel when you need to create –
- Applications with a complete documented framework with community support
- Interactive website layouts with attractive content
- Applications without any overhead components by leveraging Blade Template Engine
- Customized, SEO-friendly, and reliable web applications in a faster and more effective way with object-oriented libraries
- Apps with inbuilt PHP Data Objects-based security protection
- A small-scale application like a blog
- Projects linked to entertainment, technology, arts, etc.
- Web applications with CSS and JavaScript
Summing It Up
Django vs Laravel is a powerful comparison of backend frameworks for the world of web applications. Django supports Python and is fast, scalable, and maintainable. Laravel supports PHP and is easy to use with simpler features.
As you evaluate the characteristics of Laravel vs Django, it is finally your choice that depends on various parameters like industry verticals, business size, easy development, project requirements, budget estimates, scalability, maintenance, etc.
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