For companies working with PHP, understanding the PHP technology landscape, and which PHP technologies are most popular, is crucial to creating and maintaining successful long-term projects.
So which PHP technologies do teams rely on most, and why are they so well-adopted? In this blog, we look at the most popular PHP technologies as reported by our 2021 PHP Landscape Report, including the most popular PHP frameworks, web servers, testing tools, and more. After the results, we give insight into the results and how they relate to greater trends in the PHP landscape.
Top PHP Technologies for 2021
In our 2021 PHP Landscape Survey, we asked teams to weigh in with the technologies they use in their PHP projects. Alongside the findings, we asked Zend Product Manager (and Laminas Development Lead) Matthew Weier O'Phinney to give his thoughts on the results.
Ready to see the results? Click a link below to jump to a specific section, or click the button below to download a copy of the full 2021 PHP Landscape Report.
- Most Popular PHP Framework
- Most Popular Async PHP Framework
- Most Popular PHP Web Server
- Most Popular PHP Testing Tools
- Download Free Copy of Report
Get a Free Copy of the 2023 PHP Landscape Report
From technologies to development trends and analysis, the 2023 PHP Landscape Report gives an inside glimpse into the shifting world of PHP development. Download your free copy today.
Want to see how the results have changed since publication of this blog? Check out our 2022 PHP Landscape Report.
Most Popular PHP Framework
Our survey found the most popular PHP framework to be Laravel, at 28%. Zend Framework / Laminas were the next most popular choice at 24%. The third most popular PHP framework was Symfony at 11% of respondents, trailed by CodeIgniter at 7%, and Yii at 4%. 22% of respondents reported using a framework not included in our choices, with Slim and Drupal being the most popular answers provided.
Notes From Matthew Weier O'Phinney:
PHPUnit is a fundamental testing tool, allowing users to unit test applications, and provides limited integration and functional testing capabilities that can assist with overall application quality; we are not surprised to see it as the top selection. The next three most popular tools are each behavior and/or acceptance testing tools; these are used to help determine overall application correctness and are powerful tools to have in your suite, particularly if you plan to perform PHP upgrades.
Final Thoughts
While there were no real surprises in which frameworks, web servers, and testing tools ended up on top this year, it's interesting to see how the market share shifts according to the greater trends within the PHP landscape.
If you haven't had a chance to read the 2021 PHP Landscape Report yet, be sure to check it out. It gives a lot more information that helps to frame these results, especially in terms of how these respondents are using PHP, what size companies they're working with, and etc.. It also gives a glimpse into how adoption in these categories may continue to shift according to the trends that shape PHP development.
Download the Full 2021 PHP Landscape Report
See the full results of our recent PHP Landscape Survey when you download your free copy of the Zend 2021 PHP Landscape Report.
Download Free Report Get 2022 Report
Additional Resources
- Webinar - 2021 PHP Landscape Report: Key Findings and Analysis
- White Paper - 2019 PHP Landscape Report
- Webinar - New Features and Improvements in PHP 8
- Webinar - Planning for Enterprise PHP Upgrades