24th Jun 2009

Choosing A Web Development Framework For Programming In

Learning a new method of web development isn’t something the average web developer has time for. Or at least, that is what they think. In reality web development frameworks allow web developers to cut down on the overall time spent in creating web applications.

Ruby on Rails is an example of a web framework that has a lot of support, but also requires special server requirements in order to run. Odds are finding a web host would be harder for a website produced in Ruby on Rails, although obtaining your own server would relinquish this problem if you had the know-how to set up the environment by yourself.

If you go with a framework based around PHP, odds are you will find a web host more friendly to the idea of adding a server module. PHP frameworks are plentiful. Some of the most notable would include CakePHP, CodeIgniter, and Symfony. Each framework has different syntax and learning curves to consider, as well as options they come standard with. Most of all, you should consider the amount of documentation or support available with the framework.

Older web developers are likely more familiar with Python. Python is a language that has spawned Django, a framework that is one of the oldest in its class. Django is good for a developer that might not have experience in Python-based systems, since it gives them more experience and improves their resume. Django was originally created to meet deadlines, so it is of course a time-saver.

In your search for a framework, don’t forget that you will want a development platform that can support new technologies, and not just older ones. New technologies would include java-based platforms such as AJAX. It would be a bad thing to invest your time in making the perfect website, only to find that it won’t scale very well with newer technologies as time goes on. Generally every open source and widely supported framework stays up to date.

As a note of caution, don’t be discouraged from learning a new framework because of the amount of time it takes to learn and use the system. The learning curve is easy to grow accustomed to if you look at the right tutorials. The time saved in production time will quickly pay off as you have need for newer applications in the future. A bit of hardship now will have a good return.

Closing Comments

Try out a few different frameworks, whether you are familiar with the parent language or not. Don’t be biased this early on in the learning process, or else you could miss out on a great framework that you didn’t think was worth your time.

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