Almost every day, there is a new technology that is emerging that changes the web landscape. On the server wide of web development, heavyweights such as Java, C and Perl used to occupy the space but now the likes have shifted towards more web-focused tools such as Go, Ruby and Clojure.
In this article, we will compare two of the most popular programming languages used to develop robust and scalable websites or single page applications (SPA) from the server side. The PHP vs Node.js comparison will help you decide which one is better suited for your application or website.
PHP vs Node.js: Main Differences
PHP is an open-source server-side programming language designed specifically for web development whereas Node.js is an open-source server-side run-time environment that runs Javascript outside of a browser.
Simply put, PHP runs on the server and generates resultant HTML that is sent to a browser on a client. Node.js also runs on the server but applications built with it can run outside of a browser.
Syntax and CLI: PHP vs Node.js
PHP can be written in a separate file or embedded in a HTML file. The start and end of a PHP script is signified by:
<?php
…
?>
Eg. In a HTML file, the following is valid:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<?php
$color = "red";
echo "My car is " . $color . "<br>";
echo "My house is " . $COLOR . "<br>";
echo "My boat is " . $coLOR . "<br>";
?>
</body>
</html>
The above PHP script will substitute the $color variable to text then the resultant HTML will be sent to the client browser.
Unlike PHP where you can write HTML alongside PHP, Node.js is written separately in its own files.
eg.
var fs = require('fs');
http.createServer(function (req, res) {
fs.readFile('demofile1.html', function(err, data) {
res.writeHead(200, {'Content-Type': 'text/html'});
res.write(data);
res.end();
});
}).listen(8080);
Synchronous or Asynchronous: PHP vs Node.js
One of the key differences between PHP and Node.js is the way they process code. PHP has been known for synchronous execution of code. It means it must complete a function before the next one begins. The execution is sequential.
Node.js is opposite of that. It is asynchronous which means it does not execute code in sequence. If one function takes too long to execute, it will send it to the queue and move on to the next function. The user does not have to wait for a delayed function to complete before the next function begins.
Modules: PHP and Node.js Comparison
With PHP, developers have to download modules because standard PHP does not include any modules. Node.js on the other hand, comes bundled with core modules such as HTTP, file system and DNS.
The PHP module is actually a servlet that allows to run embedded PHP scripts. The servlet calls a native embedded PHP engine with library extensions.PHP modules are extensions written in C.
Node.js comes with a HTTP module that provides a set of functions and classes for building a HTTP server that can handle requests asynchronously. For the basic HTTP server, the file system can be accessed too with a native Node.js module.
Frameworks: PHP vs Node.js
Frameworks help accelerate development when working with programming languages such as PHP and Node.js. They add structure to the code and save the coder from having to investigate, research and experiment techniques because frameworks provide the necessary code that is proven to work and takes care of all the exceptions.
One of the reasons why PHP has retained its position as the top server-side language to use is the number of advanced and comprehensive frameworks available. Some of the more popular ones include Symfony, Zend, FuelPHP and Slim.
Express.js is one of the most popular frameworks when using Node.js. It provides blueprints so that coders don’t have to dream up their own code. And it is proven code that adds speed and flexibility to applications too.
Databases: PHP vs Node.js
Most often, PHP uses traditional or relational databases such as MySQL or MariaDB. This doesn’t mean NoSQL databases cannot be used. There are facilities to do so but it’s not favored in the industry.
Node.js on the other hand works efficiently with all databases, both traditional and NoSQL. The trend today is leaning towards CouchDB and MongoDB.
Web Servers Comparison Between Node.js and PHP
Node.js and PHP are both used to serve web requests. They run on the server and handle client requests that are routed to them via the HTTP protocol.
Node.js is powered by Google’s V8 JS engine which is the same engine that is used in Google Chrome web browser. This JS runtime environment doesn’t need a separate web server.
Starting PHP is done by:
// starting php server
$ php -S localhost:8000
// index.js file code
<?php
echo 'Hello! This is GeeksForGeeks';
?>
Starting Node.js by:
// starting Node.js server
$ node app.js
// app.js source code
var http
= require('http');
http.createServer(function(req, res) {
res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type' : 'text/plain' });
res.end('Hi Programmer\n');
})
.listen(8080, '127.0.0.1');
console.log('CodeConquest Server running at http://127.0.0.1:8080/');
Uses of PHP vs Node.js
Some of the best applications built using PHP involves CPU-intensive routines such as meterology or scientific applications. The reason is because PHP is a server-side language and runs on a server rather than in a browser on the client machine. PHP is also used to build content management systems or centralized platforms such as WordPress.
Node.js is used to build single page applications (SPA) including websites and galleries. Because it runs on the server like PHP, Node.js can service real-time applications such as chats and video streaming applications.
Node.js uses an asynchronous event-driven model which makes it perfect for writing scalable internet applications, namely web servers. Also it uses an event loop instead of threads which means it can scale to millions of concurrent connections.
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