Framework Comparison

Chapter 19: Framework Comparison

Intermediate 90-120 min

Overview

Choosing the right PHP framework is crucial for building maintainable, scalable applications. Just as Java developers choose between Spring Boot, Quarkus, and Micronaut based on project requirements, PHP developers select from Laravel, Symfony, and Slim. Each framework has distinct strengths, learning curves, and use cases.

This chapter provides a comprehensive comparison of PHP's three most popular frameworks, helping you understand their architectures, ecosystems, and when to use each one. We'll explore routing, ORM capabilities, dependency injection, templating, and more, always drawing parallels to Java frameworks you already know.

What You'll Learn:

Framework architecture and design philosophies
Routing systems and request handling
ORM capabilities (Eloquent vs Doctrine vs custom)
Dependency injection and service containers
Templating engines and view rendering
Middleware and request processing pipelines
Validation systems and input handling
Queue and background job processing
CLI tools and developer experience
Performance characteristics and scalability
Ecosystem and community support
Decision criteria for framework selection

Prerequisites

Time Estimate

⏱️ 90-120 minutes to complete this chapter

Before starting this chapter, you should be comfortable with:

PHP namespaces and autoloading (Chapter 6)
Object-oriented programming in PHP (Chapter 3)
Dependency injection concepts (Chapter 11)
Working with databases and PDO (Chapter 9)
REST API development (Chapter 10)
Security best practices (Chapter 18)

Familiarity with Java frameworks helps:

Spring Boot (for Laravel comparisons)
Spring Framework (for Symfony comparisons)
Micronaut/Quarkus (for Slim comparisons)

What You'll Build

In this chapter, you'll create:

A simple user management API in each framework
Routing examples demonstrating each framework's approach
Database models using each framework's ORM
Dependency injection examples
A comparison matrix to guide framework selection

Quick Start

Let's see a simple "Hello World" API endpoint in each framework to understand their basic structure:

Laravel - routes/api.phpSymfony - src/Controller/HelloController.phpSlim - public/index.php

php

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Route;

Route::get('/hello', function () {
    return response()->json(['message' => 'Hello from Laravel!']);
});

php

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Controller;

use Symfony\Bundle\FrameworkBundle\Controller\AbstractController;
use Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\JsonResponse;
use Symfony\Component\Routing\Annotation\Route;

class HelloController extends AbstractController
{
    #[Route('/hello', methods: ['GET'])]
    public function hello(): JsonResponse
    {
        return $this->json(['message' => 'Hello from Symfony!']);
    }
}

php

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

use Slim\Factory\AppFactory;
use Psr\Http\Message\ResponseInterface as Response;
use Psr\Http\Message\ServerRequestInterface as Request;

require __DIR__ . '/../vendor/autoload.php';

$app = AppFactory::create();

$app->get('/hello', function (Request $request, Response $response) {
    $response->getBody()->write(json_encode(['message' => 'Hello from Slim!']));
    return $response->withHeader('Content-Type', 'application/json');
});

$app->run();

Expected Result: All three return {"message": "Hello from [Framework]!"} when accessing /hello.

Key Differences:

Laravel: Route closure, automatic JSON response helper
Symfony: Controller class with attribute routing, explicit return type
Slim: Closure with PSR-7 request/response, manual JSON encoding

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

Compare framework architectures and understand their design philosophies
Evaluate routing systems and choose the right approach for your project
Assess ORM capabilities and understand when to use each framework's database layer
Implement dependency injection using each framework's service container
Choose the right framework based on project requirements, team size, and constraints
Understand performance trade-offs between convenience and speed
Navigate framework ecosystems and leverage community resources

Section 1: Framework Overview and Philosophy

Goal

Understand the core philosophies and target use cases for each framework.

Framework Comparison Matrix

Framework	Type	Philosophy	Best For	Java Equivalent
Laravel	Full-stack	Convention over configuration, rapid development	Web apps, APIs, startups	Spring Boot
Symfony	Full-stack	Flexibility, enterprise-grade, reusable components	Enterprise apps, complex systems	Spring Framework
Slim	Micro	Minimal, lightweight, fast	APIs, microservices, learning	Micronaut/Quarkus

Laravel Philosophy

Laravel follows "convention over configuration" - similar to Spring Boot:

Opinionated defaults: Sensible conventions reduce decision fatigue
Rapid development: Built-in features for common tasks
Developer happiness: Elegant syntax and excellent documentation
Batteries included: Authentication, queues, caching, testing out of the box

php

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

// Laravel: Simple, expressive syntax
Route::get('/users', [UserController::class, 'index']);
User::where('active', true)->get();

Symfony Philosophy

Symfony emphasizes flexibility and component reusability:

Modular architecture: Use only what you need
Enterprise-ready: Battle-tested components
Framework-agnostic: Components work standalone
Configuration-driven: Explicit configuration over magic

php

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

// Symfony: Explicit, flexible
#[Route('/users', methods: ['GET'])]
public function index(): Response
{
    $users = $this->userRepository->findAll();
    return $this->json($users);
}

Slim Philosophy

Slim prioritizes minimalism and performance:

Lightweight: Minimal dependencies (~2MB)
Fast: Low overhead, high performance
Flexible: Build exactly what you need
Learning-friendly: Understand HTTP fundamentals

php

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

// Slim: Minimal, explicit
$app->get('/users', function (Request $request, Response $response) {
    $users = $userService->getAll();
    return $response->withJson($users);
});

Why It Works

Each framework serves different needs:

Laravel accelerates development with conventions and built-in features, perfect for rapid prototyping and standard web applications
Symfony provides flexibility for complex enterprise applications where you need fine-grained control
Slim offers minimal overhead for APIs and microservices where performance and simplicity matter most

Section 2: Installation and Project Setup

Goal

Set up a new project in each framework to understand their installation processes.

Laravel Installation

Laravel uses Composer and provides a convenient installer:

Actions:

Install Laravel globally (optional but recommended):

bash

# Install Laravel installer globally
composer global require laravel/installer

# Ensure Composer global bin directory is in PATH
# Add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc:
# export PATH="$HOME/.composer/vendor/bin:$PATH"

Create new Laravel project:

bash

# Using Laravel installer
laravel new my-app

# OR using Composer directly
composer create-project laravel/laravel my-app

# Navigate to project
cd my-app

Start development server:

bash

# Start Laravel development server
php artisan serve

# Server runs on http://localhost:8000
# Visit http://localhost:8000 to see Laravel welcome page

Project Structure:

my-app/
├── app/              # Application code
│   ├── Http/
│   │   ├── Controllers/
│   │   └── Middleware/
│   ├── Models/
│   └── Services/
├── config/           # Configuration files
├── database/        # Migrations, seeders
├── routes/          # Route definitions
│   ├── web.php
│   └── api.php
├── resources/       # Views, assets
└── public/         # Web root

Symfony Installation

Symfony uses the Symfony CLI or Composer:

Actions:

Install Symfony CLI (recommended):

bash

# macOS (using Homebrew)
brew install symfony-cli/tap/symfony

# Or download from https://symfony.com/download
# Or use Composer directly (no CLI needed)

Create new Symfony project:

bash

# Using Symfony CLI
symfony new my-app

# OR using Composer directly
composer create-project symfony/skeleton my-app

# Navigate to project
cd my-app

Start development server:

bash

# Using Symfony CLI
symfony server:start

# OR using PHP built-in server
php -S localhost:8000 -t public

# Server runs on http://localhost:8000
# Visit http://localhost:8000 to see Symfony welcome page

Project Structure:

my-app/
├── src/
│   └── Controller/  # Controllers
├── config/          # Configuration (YAML/XML/PHP)
├── migrations/      # Database migrations
├── public/         # Web root
├── templates/      # Twig templates
└── var/           # Cache, logs

Slim Installation

Slim is installed via Composer as a dependency:

Actions:

Create project directory and initialize Composer:

bash

# Create project directory
mkdir my-app && cd my-app

# Initialize Composer (interactive)
composer init

# OR create composer.json manually

Install Slim dependencies:

bash

# Install Slim framework
composer require slim/slim:"^4.0"

# Install PSR-7 implementation
composer require slim/psr7

# Install error handling middleware (recommended)
composer require slim/error-handler

Create entry point (public/index.php):

php

# filename: public/index.php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

use Slim\Factory\AppFactory;
use Psr\Http\Message\ResponseInterface as Response;
use Psr\Http\Message\ServerRequestInterface as Request;

require __DIR__ . '/../vendor/autoload.php';

$app = AppFactory::create();

$app->get('/', function (Request $request, Response $response) {
    $response->getBody()->write('Hello from Slim!');
    return $response;
});

$app->run();

Start PHP built-in server:

bash

# Start PHP development server
php -S localhost:8000 -t public

# Server runs on http://localhost:8000
# Visit http://localhost:8000 to see your Slim app

Project Structure:

my-app/
├── src/
│   └── Controllers/
├── public/
│   └── index.php   # Entry point
├── config/
└── vendor/         # Dependencies

Expected Result

After installation, each framework provides:

Laravel: Welcome page at http://localhost:8000 with Laravel branding
Symfony: Welcome page with Symfony logo and environment info
Slim: Blank page (you build everything from scratch)

Why It Works

Installation reflects each framework's philosophy:

Laravel provides a complete application skeleton with many features pre-configured
Symfony offers a minimal skeleton that you customize based on your needs
Slim requires manual setup, giving you full control over project structure

Section 3: Routing Comparison

Goal

Compare routing systems across frameworks and understand their approaches.

Laravel Routing

Laravel uses expressive, fluent routing similar to Spring Boot:

Actions:

Define routes in routes/api.php:

php

# filename: routes/api.php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Route;
use App\Http\Controllers\UserController;

// Simple route
Route::get('/users', [UserController::class, 'index']);

// Route with parameters
Route::get('/users/{id}', [UserController::class, 'show']);

// Route groups with middleware
Route::middleware('auth')->group(function () {
    Route::post('/users', [UserController::class, 'store']);
    Route::put('/users/{id}', [UserController::class, 'update']);
    Route::delete('/users/{id}', [UserController::class, 'destroy']);
});

// Route model binding (automatic!)
Route::get('/users/{user}', [UserController::class, 'show']);
// Laravel automatically resolves User model from ID

Create controller:

php

# filename: app/Http/Controllers/UserController.php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Http\Controllers;

use App\Models\User;
use Illuminate\Http\JsonResponse;

class UserController extends Controller
{
    public function index(): JsonResponse
    {
        $users = User::all();
        return response()->json($users);
    }

    public function show(User $user): JsonResponse
    {
        // $user is automatically resolved from route parameter
        return response()->json($user);
    }
}

java

@RestController
@RequestMapping("/users")
public class UserController {
    
    @GetMapping
    public List<User> index() { }
    
    @GetMapping("/{id}")
    public User show(@PathVariable Long id) { }
    
    @PostMapping
    @PreAuthorize("hasRole('USER')")
    public User store(@RequestBody User user) { }
}

:::

Laravel Route Features:

Route model binding (automatic model resolution)
Route caching for performance
Route groups for organization
Middleware assignment per route
Named routes for URL generation

Symfony Routing

Symfony uses attributes (annotations) or YAML configuration:

Actions:

Create controller with route attributes:

php

# filename: src/Controller/UserController.php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Controller;

use App\Repository\UserRepository;
use Symfony\Bundle\FrameworkBundle\Controller\AbstractController;
use Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\JsonResponse;
use Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Request;
use Symfony\Component\Routing\Annotation\Route;

class UserController extends AbstractController
{
    #[Route('/users', methods: ['GET'])]
    public function index(UserRepository $userRepository): JsonResponse
    {
        $users = $userRepository->findAll();
        return $this->json($users);
    }

    #[Route('/users/{id}', methods: ['GET'], requirements: ['id' => '\d+'])]
    public function show(int $id, UserRepository $userRepository): JsonResponse
    {
        $user = $userRepository->find($id);
        
        if (!$user) {
            return $this->json(['error' => 'User not found'], 404);
        }
        
        return $this->json($user);
    }

    #[Route('/users', methods: ['POST'])]
    public function store(Request $request): JsonResponse
    {
        $data = json_decode($request->getContent(), true);
        // Process and save user
        return $this->json(['created' => true], 201);
    }
}

yaml

# config/routes.yaml
user_index:
    path: /users
    controller: App\Controller\UserController::index
    methods: [GET]

user_show:
    path: /users/{id}
    controller: App\Controller\UserController::show
    methods: [GET]
    requirements:
        id: '\d+'

java

@RestController
@RequestMapping("/users")
public class UserController {
    
    @GetMapping
    public ResponseEntity<List<User>> index() { }
    
    @GetMapping("/{id}")
    public ResponseEntity<User> show(@PathVariable @Min(1) Long id) { }
}

:::

Symfony Route Features:

Multiple configuration formats (attributes, YAML, XML, PHP)
Route requirements and constraints
Route parameters with type conversion
Route caching for production
Flexible route organization

Slim Routing

Slim uses a simple, closure-based routing system:

Actions:

Define routes in public/index.php:

php

# filename: public/index.php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

use Slim\Factory\AppFactory;
use Psr\Http\Message\ResponseInterface as Response;
use Psr\Http\Message\ServerRequestInterface as Request;

require __DIR__ . '/../vendor/autoload.php';

$app = AppFactory::create();

// Simple GET route
$app->get('/users', function (Request $request, Response $response) {
    $users = [
        ['id' => 1, 'name' => 'John Doe'],
        ['id' => 2, 'name' => 'Jane Smith']
    ];
    $response->getBody()->write(json_encode($users));
    return $response->withHeader('Content-Type', 'application/json');
});

// Route with parameters
$app->get('/users/{id}', function (Request $request, Response $response, array $args) {
    $id = (int) $args['id'];
    $user = ['id' => $id, 'name' => 'User ' . $id];
    $response->getBody()->write(json_encode($user));
    return $response->withHeader('Content-Type', 'application/json');
});

// Route groups with middleware
$app->group('/api', function ($group) {
    $group->post('/users', function (Request $request, Response $response) {
        $data = json_decode($request->getBody()->getContents(), true);
        // Create user logic here
        return $response->withStatus(201)
            ->withHeader('Content-Type', 'application/json')
            ->withJson(['created' => true]);
    });
    
    $group->put('/users/{id}', function (Request $request, Response $response, array $args) {
        $id = (int) $args['id'];
        $data = json_decode($request->getBody()->getContents(), true);
        // Update user logic here
        return $response->withHeader('Content-Type', 'application/json')
            ->withJson(['updated' => true]);
    });
})->add(new AuthMiddleware());

$app->run();

java

@Controller("/users")
public class UserController {
    
    @Get
    public List<User> index() { }
    
    @Get("/{id}")
    public User show(Long id) { }
    
    @Post
    @Secured("ROLE_USER")
    public User store(@Body User user) { }
}

:::

Slim Route Features:

Minimal, closure-based routing
PSR-7 request/response objects
Route groups for organization
Middleware support
Fast route resolution

Comparison Table

Feature	Laravel	Symfony	Slim
Route Definition	Fluent API	Attributes/YAML	Closures
Route Model Binding	✅ Automatic	❌ Manual	❌ Manual
Route Caching	✅	✅	✅
Route Groups	✅	✅	✅
Middleware	✅ Per route	✅ Per route	✅ Per route
Performance	Medium	Fast	Fastest

Why It Works

Each routing approach serves different needs:

Laravel prioritizes developer experience with expressive syntax and automatic model binding
Symfony offers flexibility with multiple configuration formats and explicit control
Slim focuses on simplicity and performance with minimal abstraction

Section 4: ORM Comparison

Goal

Compare database abstraction layers: Eloquent (Laravel), Doctrine (Symfony), and PDO (Slim).

Laravel Eloquent ORM

Eloquent provides an ActiveRecord-style ORM similar to JPA/Hibernate:

Actions:

Create Eloquent model:

php

# filename: app/Models/User.php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Models;

use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Relations\HasMany;

class User extends Model
{
    // Table name (auto-detected: 'users')
    protected $table = 'users';
    
    // Mass assignment protection
    protected $fillable = ['name', 'email', 'password'];
    protected $hidden = ['password'];
    
    // Timestamps (created_at, updated_at)
    public $timestamps = true;
    
    // Relationships
    public function posts(): HasMany
    {
        return $this->hasMany(Post::class);
    }
    
    // Accessors (getters)
    public function getNameAttribute(string $value): string
    {
        return ucwords($value);
    }
    
    // Mutators (setters)
    public function setEmailAttribute(string $value): void
    {
        $this->attributes['email'] = strtolower($value);
    }
    
    // Query scopes
    public function scopeActive($query)
    {
        return $query->where('active', true);
    }
    
    public function scopeEmailDomain($query, string $domain)
    {
        return $query->where('email', 'like', "%@{$domain}");
    }
}

// Usage examples
$users = User::where('email', 'like', '%@example.com')
    ->active()
    ->orderBy('created_at', 'desc')
    ->get();

$user = User::find(1);
$user->name = 'John Doe';
$user->save();

// Mass assignment
$user = User::create([
    'name' => 'Jane Doe',
    'email' => 'jane@example.com',
    'password' => bcrypt('secret')
]);

// Using scopes
$activeUsers = User::active()->get();
$gmailUsers = User::emailDomain('gmail.com')->get();

java

@Entity
@Table(name = "users")
public class User {
    @Id
    @GeneratedValue
    private Long id;
    
    private String name;
    private String email;
    
    @OneToMany(mappedBy = "user")
    private List<Post> posts;
    
    // Getters and setters
}

// Usage
List<User> users = entityManager
    .createQuery("SELECT u FROM User u WHERE u.email LIKE :email", User.class)
    .setParameter("email", "%@example.com")
    .getResultList();

:::

Eloquent Features:

ActiveRecord pattern (models extend Model)
Fluent query builder
Automatic timestamps
Relationship definitions
Model events and observers
Eager loading to prevent N+1 queries

Symfony Doctrine ORM

Doctrine uses Data Mapper pattern (like JPA):

Actions:

Create Doctrine entity:

php

# filename: src/Entity/User.php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Entity;

use Doctrine\Common\Collections\ArrayCollection;
use Doctrine\Common\Collections\Collection;
use Doctrine\ORM\Mapping as ORM;

#[ORM\Entity]
#[ORM\Table(name: 'users')]
class User
{
    #[ORM\Id]
    #[ORM\GeneratedValue]
    #[ORM\Column(type: 'integer')]
    private ?int $id = null;
    
    #[ORM\Column(type: 'string', length: 255)]
    private string $name;
    
    #[ORM\Column(type: 'string', length: 255, unique: true)]
    private string $email;
    
    #[ORM\Column(type: 'boolean')]
    private bool $active = true;
    
    #[ORM\Column(type: 'datetime_immutable')]
    private \DateTimeImmutable $createdAt;
    
    #[ORM\OneToMany(targetEntity: Post::class, mappedBy: 'user')]
    private Collection $posts;
    
    public function __construct()
    {
        $this->posts = new ArrayCollection();
        $this->createdAt = new \DateTimeImmutable();
    }
    
    // Getters and setters
    public function getId(): ?int
    {
        return $this->id;
    }
    
    public function getName(): string
    {
        return $this->name;
    }
    
    public function setName(string $name): self
    {
        $this->name = $name;
        return $this;
    }
    
    public function getEmail(): string
    {
        return $this->email;
    }
    
    public function setEmail(string $email): self
    {
        $this->email = $email;
        return $this;
    }
    
    public function isActive(): bool
    {
        return $this->active;
    }
    
    public function setActive(bool $active): self
    {
        $this->active = $active;
        return $this;
    }
    
    public function getPosts(): Collection
    {
        return $this->posts;
    }
}

Create repository with custom queries:

php

# filename: src/Repository/UserRepository.php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Repository;

use App\Entity\User;
use Doctrine\Bundle\DoctrineBundle\Repository\ServiceEntityRepository;
use Doctrine\Persistence\ManagerRegistry;

class UserRepository extends ServiceEntityRepository
{
    public function __construct(ManagerRegistry $registry)
    {
        parent::__construct($registry, User::class);
    }
    
    public function findActiveUsers(): array
    {
        return $this->createQueryBuilder('u')
            ->where('u.active = :active')
            ->setParameter('active', true)
            ->orderBy('u.createdAt', 'DESC')
            ->getQuery()
            ->getResult();
    }
    
    public function findByEmailDomain(string $domain): array
    {
        return $this->createQueryBuilder('u')
            ->where('u.email LIKE :domain')
            ->setParameter('domain', "%@{$domain}")
            ->getQuery()
            ->getResult();
    }
}

// Usage in Controller
public function index(UserRepository $userRepository): JsonResponse
{
    $users = $userRepository->findActiveUsers();
    return $this->json($users);
}

java

@Entity
@Table(name = "users")
public class User {
    @Id
    @GeneratedValue
    private Long id;
    
    private String name;
    private String email;
    
    @OneToMany(mappedBy = "user")
    private List<Post> posts;
}

@Repository
public interface UserRepository extends JpaRepository<User, Long> {
    List<User> findByActiveTrueOrderByCreatedAtDesc();
}

:::

Doctrine Features:

Data Mapper pattern (entities are plain PHP classes)
DQL (Doctrine Query Language) - like JPQL
Repository pattern
Migrations from entity definitions
Event listeners and lifecycle callbacks
Second-level cache support

Slim with PDO

Slim doesn't include an ORM - you use PDO directly or choose your own:

Slim with PDOJDBC Equivalent

php

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Repositories;

use PDO;

class UserRepository
{
    public function __construct(private PDO $pdo) {}
    
    public function findAll(): array
    {
        $stmt = $this->pdo->query('SELECT * FROM users WHERE active = 1');
        return $stmt->fetchAll(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC);
    }
    
    public function findById(int $id): ?array
    {
        $stmt = $this->pdo->prepare('SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ?');
        $stmt->execute([$id]);
        $result = $stmt->fetch(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC);
        return $result ?: null;
    }
    
    public function create(array $data): int
    {
        $stmt = $this->pdo->prepare(
            'INSERT INTO users (name, email, password) VALUES (?, ?, ?)'
        );
        $stmt->execute([
            $data['name'],
            $data['email'],
            password_hash($data['password'], PASSWORD_DEFAULT)
        ]);
        return (int) $this->pdo->lastInsertId();
    }
}

// In route
$app->get('/users', function (Request $request, Response $response) use ($container) {
    $userRepo = $container->get(UserRepository::class);
    $users = $userRepo->findAll();
    $response->getBody()->write(json_encode($users));
    return $response->withHeader('Content-Type', 'application/json');
});

java

@Repository
public class UserRepository {
    @Autowired
    private JdbcTemplate jdbcTemplate;
    
    public List<User> findAll() {
        return jdbcTemplate.query(
            "SELECT * FROM users WHERE active = 1",
            new UserRowMapper()
        );
    }
}

Slim Database Options:

Use PDO directly (full control)
Install Doctrine DBAL (lightweight query builder)
Use Eloquent standalone (if you want Eloquent without Laravel)
Choose any ORM you prefer

Comparison Table

Feature	Eloquent (Laravel)	Doctrine (Symfony)	PDO (Slim)
Pattern	ActiveRecord	Data Mapper	Raw SQL
Learning Curve	Easy	Medium	Easy
Performance	Good	Excellent	Best
Relationships	✅ Fluent	✅ Explicit	❌ Manual
Migrations	✅ Built-in	✅ Built-in	❌ Manual
Query Builder	✅ Fluent	✅ DQL	❌ Raw SQL

Why It Works

Each ORM approach has trade-offs:

Eloquent prioritizes developer productivity with intuitive syntax and automatic features
Doctrine offers enterprise-grade features with explicit control and better performance
PDO provides maximum performance and control, perfect for simple APIs or when you need raw SQL

Section 5: Dependency Injection Comparison

Goal

Compare dependency injection containers and service resolution across frameworks.

Laravel Service Container

Laravel's container is similar to Spring's ApplicationContext:

Laravel DISpring Boot Equivalent

php

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Services;

use App\Repositories\UserRepository;

class UserService
{
    public function __construct(
        private UserRepository $userRepository,
        private EmailService $emailService
    ) {}
    
    public function createUser(array $data): User
    {
        $user = $this->userRepository->create($data);
        $this->emailService->sendWelcomeEmail($user);
        return $user;
    }
}

// Automatic resolution (no configuration needed!)
// Laravel resolves dependencies automatically

// Manual binding in ServiceProvider
class AppServiceProvider extends ServiceProvider
{
    public function register(): void
    {
        $this->app->singleton(UserRepository::class, function ($app) {
            return new UserRepository($app->make(Database::class));
        });
        
        // Interface binding
        $this->app->bind(
            PaymentGatewayInterface::class,
            StripePaymentGateway::class
        );
    }
}

java

@Service
public class UserService {
    private final UserRepository userRepository;
    private final EmailService emailService;
    
    public UserService(UserRepository userRepository, EmailService emailService) {
        this.userRepository = userRepository;
        this.emailService = emailService;
    }
}

@Configuration
public class AppConfig {
    @Bean
    public UserRepository userRepository() {
        return new UserRepository();
    }
}

Laravel Container Features:

Automatic dependency resolution
Service providers for registration
Singleton and transient bindings
Interface binding
Contextual binding
Service location (app()->make())

Symfony Service Container

Symfony uses explicit configuration (YAML/XML/PHP) or autowiring:

Symfony AutowiringSymfony YAML ConfigSpring Framework Equivalent

php

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Service;

use App\Repository\UserRepository;

class UserService
{
    public function __construct(
        private UserRepository $userRepository,
        private EmailService $emailService
    ) {}
    
    // Symfony automatically resolves dependencies
    // No configuration needed if types are clear
}

// services.yaml
services:
    _defaults:
        autowire: true
        autoconfigure: true
    
    App\:
        resource: '../src/*'
        exclude:
            - '../src/DependencyInjection/'
            - '../src/Entity/'
            - '../src/Kernel.php'
    
    # Explicit service definition
    App\Service\PaymentGatewayInterface:
        class: App\Service\StripePaymentGateway

yaml

# config/services.yaml
services:
    App\Repository\UserRepository:
        arguments:
            $entityManager: '@doctrine.orm.entity_manager'
    
    App\Service\UserService:
        arguments:
            $userRepository: '@App\Repository\UserRepository'
            $emailService: '@App\Service\EmailService'

java

@Service
public class UserService {
    @Autowired
    private UserRepository userRepository;
    
    @Autowired
    private EmailService emailService;
}

@Configuration
public class AppConfig {
    @Bean
    public UserRepository userRepository() {
        return new UserRepository();
    }
}

Symfony Container Features:

Autowiring (automatic resolution)
Explicit configuration (YAML/XML/PHP)
Service tags for organization
Lazy loading services
Service decoration
Compiler passes for advanced configuration

Slim Dependency Injection

Slim uses PSR-11 container (like Pimple or PHP-DI):

Slim with PHP-DISlim with Pimple

php

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

use DI\ContainerBuilder;
use Slim\Factory\AppFactory;

// Create container
$containerBuilder = new ContainerBuilder();
$containerBuilder->addDefinitions([
    UserRepository::class => function ($container) {
        return new UserRepository($container->get(PDO::class));
    },
    
    PDO::class => function () {
        return new PDO(
            'mysql:host=localhost;dbname=myapp',
            'user',
            'password'
        );
    },
    
    UserService::class => \DI\autowire(UserService::class),
]);

$container = $containerBuilder->build();

// Create app with container
AppFactory::setContainer($container);
$app = AppFactory::create();

// Usage in routes
$app->get('/users', function (Request $request, Response $response) use ($container) {
    $userService = $container->get(UserService::class);
    $users = $userService->getAll();
    $response->getBody()->write(json_encode($users));
    return $response->withHeader('Content-Type', 'application/json');
});

php

<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

use Pimple\Container;
use Slim\Factory\AppFactory;

$container = new Container();

$container['pdo'] = function ($c) {
    return new PDO('mysql:host=localhost;dbname=myapp', 'user', 'password');
};

$container['userRepository'] = function ($c) {
    return new UserRepository($c['pdo']);
};

$container['userService'] = function ($c) {
    return new UserService($c['userRepository']);
};

AppFactory::setContainer($container);
$app = AppFactory::create();

Slim Container Options:

Use any PSR-11 container
PHP-DI (recommended, supports autowiring)
Pimple (simple, lightweight)
Custom container implementation
Full control over dependency resolution

Comparison Table

Feature	Laravel	Symfony	Slim
Autowiring	✅	✅	✅ (with PHP-DI)
Configuration	Service Providers	YAML/XML/PHP	PHP array/DI config
Interface Binding	✅	✅	✅
Lazy Loading	✅	✅	✅
Service Tags	❌	✅	❌
PSR-11	❌	✅	✅

Why It Works

Each DI approach reflects framework philosophy:

Laravel provides automatic resolution with sensible defaults, reducing configuration
Symfony offers flexibility with multiple configuration formats and explicit control
Slim lets you choose your container, giving maximum flexibility

Section 6: Templating Engines

Goal

Compare view rendering systems: Blade (Laravel), Twig (Symfony), and plain PHP (Slim).

Laravel Blade

Blade is Laravel's templating engine with elegant syntax:

php

{{-- resources/views/users/index.blade.php --}}
@extends('layouts.app')

@section('content')
    <h1>Users</h1>
    
    @if($users->isEmpty())
        <p>No users found.</p>
    @else
        <table>
            <thead>
                <tr>
                    <th>Name</th>
                    <th>Email</th>
                    <th>Actions</th>
                </tr>
            </thead>
            <tbody>
                @foreach($users as $user)
                    <tr>
                        <td>{{ $user->name }}</td>
                        <td>{{ $user->email }}</td>
                        <td>
                            <a href="{{ route('users.show', $user->id) }}">View</a>
                        </td>
                    </tr>
                @endforeach
            </tbody>
        </table>
        
        {{ $users->links() }}
    @endif
@endsection

Blade Features:

Template inheritance (@extends, @section)
Component system (@component, <x-component>)
Directives (@if, @foreach, @auth)
Automatic XSS protection ( escapes, {!! !!} raw)
Compiled to plain PHP (fast)

Symfony Twig

Twig is Symfony's templating engine (similar to Jinja2):

twig

{# templates/users/index.html.twig #}
{% extends 'base.html.twig' %}

{% block content %}
    <h1>Users</h1>
    
    {% if users is empty %}
        <p>No users found.</p>
    {% else %}
        <table>
            <thead>
                <tr>
                    <th>Name</th>
                    <th>Email</th>
                    <th>Actions</th>
                </tr>
            </thead>
            <tbody>
                {% for user in users %}
                    <tr>
                        <td>{{ user.name }}</td>
                        <td>{{ user.email }}</td>
                        <td>
                            <a href="{{ path('user_show', {id: user.id}) }}">View</a>
                        </td>
                    </tr>
                {% endfor %}
            </tbody>
        </table>
    {% endif %}
{% endblock %}

Twig Features:

Template inheritance ({% extends %})
Blocks and includes
Filters (|upper, |date, |escape)
Functions (path(), url())
Automatic escaping (safe by default)
Extensible (custom filters/functions)

Slim Templates

Slim doesn't include a templating engine - use PHP or install one:

php

<?php

// Option 1: Plain PHP templates
// templates/users/index.php
?>
<h1>Users</h1>
<?php if (empty($users)): ?>
    <p>No users found.</p>
<?php else: ?>
    <table>
        <thead>
            <tr>
                <th>Name</th>
                <th>Email</th>
            </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
            <?php foreach ($users as $user): ?>
                <tr>
                    <td><?= htmlspecialchars($user['name']) ?></td>
                    <td><?= htmlspecialchars($user['email']) ?></td>
                </tr>
            <?php endforeach; ?>
        </tbody>
    </table>
<?php endif; ?>

<?php
// Option 2: Install Twig
composer require twig/twig

// In route
$app->get('/users', function (Request $request, Response $response) {
    $loader = new \Twig\Loader\FilesystemLoader('../templates');
    $twig = new \Twig\Environment($loader);
    $html = $twig->render('users/index.html.twig', ['users' => $users]);
    $response->getBody()->write($html);
    return $response;
});

Slim Template Options:

Plain PHP (simple, no dependencies)
Twig (install separately)
Blade (install separately)
Any templating engine you prefer

Comparison Table

Feature	Blade (Laravel)	Twig (Symfony)	Plain PHP (Slim)
Syntax	`@directive`	`{% tag %}`	PHP tags
Auto-escaping	✅	✅	❌ Manual
Template Inheritance	✅	✅	❌ Manual
Components	✅	✅	❌
Performance	Fast (compiled)	Fast (compiled)	Fastest (native)
Learning Curve	Easy	Easy	Easy

Why It Works

Templating choices reflect framework philosophy:

Blade integrates seamlessly with Laravel, providing elegant syntax and built-in features
Twig offers a powerful, secure templating engine with extensive features
Slim lets you choose your templating solution or use plain PHP for maximum control

Section 7: CLI Tools and Developer Experience

Goal

Compare command-line tools and developer productivity features.

Laravel Artisan

Artisan is Laravel's CLI tool (like Spring Boot CLI):

bash

# List all commands
php artisan list

# Create controller
php artisan make:controller UserController

# Create model with migration
php artisan make:model User -m

# Create migration
php artisan make:migration create_users_table

# Run migrations
php artisan migrate

# Create seeder
php artisan make:seeder UserSeeder

# Run seeders
php artisan db:seed

# Generate key
php artisan key:generate

# Clear cache
php artisan cache:clear
php artisan config:clear
php artisan route:clear
php artisan view:clear

# Tinker (REPL)
php artisan tinker
>>> User::count()
=> 42

# Queue workers
php artisan queue:work

# Schedule tasks
php artisan schedule:run

Artisan Features:

Code generation (controllers, models, migrations)
Database management (migrations, seeders)
Cache management
Queue processing
Task scheduling
REPL (Tinker)
Custom commands

Symfony Console

Symfony provides a powerful console component:

bash

# List commands
php bin/console list

# Create controller
php bin/console make:controller UserController

# Create entity
php bin/console make:entity User

# Create migration
php bin/console make:migration

# Run migrations
php bin/console doctrine:migrations:migrate

# Create form
php bin/console make:form UserType

# Clear cache
php bin/console cache:clear

# Debug routes
php bin/console debug:router

# Debug container
php bin/console debug:container

# Debug autowiring
php bin/console debug:autowiring UserService

Symfony Console Features:

Code generation (entities, controllers, forms)
Database management (Doctrine migrations)
Debug commands (routes, container, autowiring)
Cache management
Custom commands
Interactive commands

Slim CLI

Slim doesn't include CLI tools - you build your own:

php

<?php

// Create custom CLI script: cli.php
#!/usr/bin/env php
<?php

require __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';

use Symfony\Component\Console\Application;
use Symfony\Component\Console\Command\Command;
use Symfony\Component\Console\Input\InputInterface;
use Symfony\Component\Console\Output\OutputInterface;

$application = new Application();

$application->add(new class extends Command {
    protected static $defaultName = 'migrate';
    
    protected function execute(InputInterface $input, OutputInterface $output): int
    {
        // Run migrations
        $output->writeln('Running migrations...');
        return Command::SUCCESS;
    }
});

$application->run();

Slim CLI Options:

Build custom CLI scripts
Use Symfony Console component
Use Laravel Zero (micro-framework with Artisan)
Use any CLI library you prefer

Comparison Table

Feature	Laravel Artisan	Symfony Console	Slim
Code Generation	✅ Extensive	✅ Extensive	❌ Custom
Database Tools	✅ Built-in	✅ Built-in	❌ Custom
Debug Commands	✅	✅ Extensive	❌
REPL	✅ Tinker	❌	❌
Queue Workers	✅ Built-in	❌	❌
Task Scheduling	✅ Built-in	❌	❌

Why It Works

CLI tools reflect framework completeness:

Laravel provides comprehensive CLI tools for rapid development
Symfony offers powerful debugging and code generation tools
Slim requires you to build custom tools, giving full control

Section 8: Performance and Scalability

Goal

Understand performance characteristics and scalability considerations.

Performance Benchmarks

Metric	Laravel	Symfony	Slim
Request/Response Time	~50-100ms	~30-60ms	~10-30ms
Memory Usage	~20-30MB	~15-25MB	~5-10MB
Throughput (req/s)	~500-1000	~1000-2000	~2000-5000
Cold Start	Slower	Medium	Fastest
Warm Performance	Good	Excellent	Excellent

Benchmark Disclaimer

These are rough estimates. Actual performance depends on:

Application complexity
Database queries
Caching strategy
Server configuration
PHP version and opcache settings

Laravel Performance

Optimization Strategies:

bash

# Cache configuration
php artisan config:cache

# Cache routes
php artisan route:cache

# Cache views
php artisan view:cache

# Optimize autoloader
composer install --optimize-autoloader --no-dev

# Use queue for heavy tasks
dispatch(new ProcessLargeFile($file));

# Use Redis for caching
CACHE_DRIVER=redis

Laravel Performance Tips:

Enable opcache
Use route caching in production
Use view caching
Queue heavy operations
Use Redis for sessions/cache
Optimize database queries (eager loading)
Use CDN for static assets

Symfony Performance

Optimization Strategies:

bash

# Production environment
APP_ENV=prod APP_DEBUG=false

# Clear and warm cache
php bin/console cache:clear --env=prod
php bin/console cache:warmup --env=prod

# Optimize autoloader
composer install --optimize-autoloader --no-dev

# Use HTTP cache
#[Cache(expires: 3600)]
public function index(): Response { }

Symfony Performance Tips:

Use production environment
Enable opcache
Warm up cache
Use HTTP cache
Optimize autoloader
Use Redis for sessions
Enable second-level Doctrine cache
Use reverse proxy (Varnish)

Slim Performance

Optimization Strategies:

php

<?php

// Use opcache
// Enable in php.ini: opcache.enable=1

// Use fast PSR-11 container
$container = new \DI\ContainerBuilder();
$container->enableCompilation(__DIR__ . '/var/cache');

// Use connection pooling for database
$pdo = new PDO($dsn, $user, $pass, [
    PDO::ATTR_PERSISTENT => true
]);

// Cache responses
$app->get('/users', function ($request, $response) {
    $cache = new SimpleCache();
    $key = 'users_list';
    
    if ($data = $cache->get($key)) {
        return $response->withJson(json_decode($data));
    }
    
    $users = $userService->getAll();
    $cache->set($key, json_encode($users), 3600);
    return $response->withJson($users);
});

Slim Performance Tips:

Minimal overhead (fastest)
Use opcache
Enable container compilation (PHP-DI)
Use connection pooling
Implement response caching
Use fast PSR-11 container
Optimize database queries
Use reverse proxy

Scalability Considerations

Laravel Scalability:

✅ Horizontal scaling (stateless)
✅ Queue workers for background jobs
✅ Redis for shared state
✅ Database connection pooling
⚠️ Session storage (use Redis/database, not file)

Symfony Scalability:

✅ Horizontal scaling (stateless)
✅ HTTP cache with reverse proxy
✅ Doctrine second-level cache
✅ Redis for sessions
✅ Message queue integration

Slim Scalability:

✅ Horizontal scaling (stateless)
✅ Minimal resource usage
✅ Fast request handling
✅ Easy to containerize
✅ Perfect for microservices

Why It Works

Performance reflects framework complexity:

Laravel trades some performance for developer productivity and built-in features
Symfony balances performance with flexibility and enterprise features
Slim prioritizes performance and minimal overhead, perfect for high-throughput APIs

Section 9: Middleware and Request Processing

Goal

Compare middleware systems and request/response processing pipelines.

Laravel Middleware

Laravel middleware is similar to Spring interceptors:

php

# filename: app/Http/Middleware/Authenticate.php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Http\Middleware;

use Closure;
use Illuminate\Http\Request;
use Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Response;

class Authenticate
{
    public function handle(Request $request, Closure $next): Response
    {
        if (!$request->user()) {
            return response()->json(['error' => 'Unauthorized'], 401);
        }
        
        return $next($request);
    }
}

// Register in routes
Route::middleware('auth')->group(function () {
    Route::get('/profile', [UserController::class, 'profile']);
});

// Or in controller
class UserController extends Controller
{
    public function __construct()
    {
        $this->middleware('auth')->except(['index', 'show']);
    }
}

Laravel Middleware Features:

Global middleware (runs on every request)
Route middleware (specific routes)
Middleware groups (web, api, etc.)
Terminable middleware (runs after response)
Middleware parameters

Symfony Event Listeners

Symfony uses event listeners/subscribers (like Spring AOP):

php

# filename: src/EventListener/AuthenticationListener.php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\EventListener;

use Symfony\Component\HttpKernel\Event\RequestEvent;
use Symfony\Component\HttpKernel\KernelEvents;
use Symfony\Component\EventDispatcher\EventSubscriberInterface;

class AuthenticationListener implements EventSubscriberInterface
{
    public static function getSubscribedEvents(): array
    {
        return [
            KernelEvents::REQUEST => ['onKernelRequest', 10],
        ];
    }
    
    public function onKernelRequest(RequestEvent $event): void
    {
        $request = $event->getRequest();
        
        if (!$request->headers->has('Authorization')) {
            $response = new JsonResponse(['error' => 'Unauthorized'], 401);
            $event->setResponse($response);
        }
    }
}

Symfony Event Features:

Event dispatcher (PSR-14)
Event listeners and subscribers
Event priorities
Multiple events per listener
Kernel events (request, response, exception, etc.)

Slim Middleware

Slim uses PSR-15 middleware:

php

# filename: src/Middleware/AuthMiddleware.php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Middleware;

use Psr\Http\Message\ResponseInterface;
use Psr\Http\Message\ServerRequestInterface;
use Psr\Http\Server\MiddlewareInterface;
use Psr\Http\Server\RequestHandlerInterface;

class AuthMiddleware implements MiddlewareInterface
{
    public function process(
        ServerRequestInterface $request,
        RequestHandlerInterface $handler
    ): ResponseInterface {
        if (!$request->hasHeader('Authorization')) {
            $response = new \Slim\Psr7\Response();
            $response->getBody()->write(json_encode(['error' => 'Unauthorized']));
            return $response->withStatus(401)
                ->withHeader('Content-Type', 'application/json');
        }
        
        return $handler->handle($request);
    }
}

// Usage
$app->add(new AuthMiddleware());
$app->group('/api', function ($group) {
    $group->get('/users', function ($request, $response) {
        // Protected route
    });
})->add(new AuthMiddleware());

Slim Middleware Features:

PSR-15 compliant
Per-route or global middleware
Middleware stack execution
Request/response manipulation
Simple and explicit

Comparison Table

Feature	Laravel	Symfony	Slim
Pattern	Middleware	Event Listeners	PSR-15 Middleware
Global Middleware	✅	✅	✅
Route Middleware	✅	✅	✅
Priority/Order	✅	✅	✅
PSR Standards	❌	✅ (PSR-14)	✅ (PSR-15)
Learning Curve	Easy	Medium	Easy

Why It Works

Each approach reflects framework philosophy:

Laravel provides simple, intuitive middleware with built-in helpers
Symfony offers powerful event-driven architecture with fine-grained control
Slim uses PSR standards for interoperability and simplicity

Section 10: Validation Systems

Goal

Compare input validation approaches across frameworks.

Laravel Validation

Laravel provides fluent validation similar to Bean Validation:

php

# filename: app/Http/Controllers/UserController.php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Http\Controllers;

use Illuminate\Http\Request;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Validator;

class UserController extends Controller
{
    public function store(Request $request)
    {
        $validator = Validator::make($request->all(), [
            'name' => 'required|string|max:255',
            'email' => 'required|email|unique:users,email',
            'password' => 'required|string|min:8|confirmed',
            'age' => 'nullable|integer|min:18|max:120',
        ]);
        
        if ($validator->fails()) {
            return response()->json($validator->errors(), 422);
        }
        
        // Validation passed
        $validated = $validator->validated();
    }
    
    // Or use Form Request classes
    public function update(UpdateUserRequest $request, User $user)
    {
        // $request->validated() is already available
    }
}

// Form Request class
# filename: app/Http/Requests/UpdateUserRequest.php
class UpdateUserRequest extends FormRequest
{
    public function rules(): array
    {
        return [
            'name' => 'sometimes|required|string|max:255',
            'email' => 'sometimes|required|email|unique:users,email,' . $this->user->id,
        ];
    }
}

Laravel Validation Features:

Fluent rule chaining
Form Request classes (reusable)
Custom validation rules
Conditional validation
Database-aware rules (unique, exists)

Symfony Validator

Symfony uses annotations/attributes (like Bean Validation):

php

# filename: src/Entity/User.php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Entity;

use Symfony\Component\Validator\Constraints as Assert;

class User
{
    #[Assert\NotBlank]
    #[Assert\Length(min: 2, max: 255)]
    private string $name;
    
    #[Assert\NotBlank]
    #[Assert\Email]
    #[Assert\UniqueEntity(fields: ['email'])]
    private string $email;
    
    #[Assert\NotBlank]
    #[Assert\Length(min: 8)]
    private string $password;
    
    #[Assert\Type('integer')]
    #[Assert\Range(min: 18, max: 120)]
    private ?int $age = null;
}

// In Controller
# filename: src/Controller/UserController.php
use Symfony\Component\Validator\Validator\ValidatorInterface;

public function store(Request $request, ValidatorInterface $validator): JsonResponse
{
    $user = new User();
    $user->setName($request->request->get('name'));
    $user->setEmail($request->request->get('email'));
    
    $errors = $validator->validate($user);
    
    if (count($errors) > 0) {
        return $this->json($errors, 422);
    }
    
    // Save user
}

Symfony Validator Features:

Attribute-based validation (like JSR-303)
Constraint classes
Custom constraints
Validation groups
Property-level and class-level validation

Slim Validation

Slim doesn't include validation - use libraries:

php

# filename: src/Middleware/ValidationMiddleware.php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

use Respect\Validation\Validator as v;

class ValidationMiddleware
{
    public function __invoke($request, $response, $next)
    {
        $data = json_decode($request->getBody()->getContents(), true);
        
        $validator = v::key('name', v::stringType()->length(2, 255))
            ->key('email', v::email())
            ->key('password', v::stringType()->length(8, null));
        
        try {
            $validator->assert($data);
            $request = $request->withAttribute('validated', $data);
            return $next($request, $response);
        } catch (\Respect\Validation\Exceptions\ValidationException $e) {
            return $response->withJson(['errors' => $e->getMessages()], 422);
        }
    }
}

Slim Validation Options:

Respect/Validation (popular)
Symfony Validator (standalone)
Custom validation
Any PSR-compliant library

Comparison Table

Feature	Laravel	Symfony	Slim
Built-in	✅	✅	❌
Rule Syntax	Fluent	Attributes	Library-dependent
Form Requests	✅	❌	❌
Custom Rules	✅	✅	✅
Database Rules	✅	✅	❌
Error Messages	Automatic	Automatic	Manual

Why It Works

Validation approaches reflect framework design:

Laravel provides convenient fluent validation with built-in database rules
Symfony offers annotation-based validation similar to Java Bean Validation
Slim lets you choose your validation library for maximum flexibility

Section 11: Queue and Job Systems

Goal

Compare background job processing capabilities.

Laravel Queues

Laravel has built-in queue system (like Spring @Async):

php

# filename: app/Jobs/SendWelcomeEmail.php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Jobs;

use Illuminate\Bus\Queueable;
use Illuminate\Contracts\Queue\ShouldQueue;
use Illuminate\Foundation\Bus\Dispatchable;
use Illuminate\Queue\InteractsWithQueue;
use Illuminate\Queue\SerializesModels;

class SendWelcomeEmail implements ShouldQueue
{
    use Dispatchable, InteractsWithQueue, Queueable, SerializesModels;
    
    public function __construct(
        public User $user
    ) {}
    
    public function handle(): void
    {
        // Send welcome email
        Mail::to($this->user->email)->send(new WelcomeMail($this->user));
    }
}

// Dispatch job
SendWelcomeEmail::dispatch($user);

// Or with delay
SendWelcomeEmail::dispatch($user)->delay(now()->addMinutes(5));

// Queue configuration (config/queue.php)
'connections' => [
    'database' => [
        'driver' => 'database',
        'table' => 'jobs',
    ],
    'redis' => [
        'driver' => 'redis',
        'connection' => 'default',
    ],
    'sqs' => [
        'driver' => 'sqs',
        // AWS SQS configuration
    ],
]

Laravel Queue Features:

Multiple queue drivers (database, Redis, SQS, Beanstalkd)
Job batching and chaining
Failed job handling
Queue priorities
Rate limiting
Horizon dashboard (monitoring)

Symfony Messenger

Symfony Messenger component (like Spring Integration):

php

# filename: src/Message/SendWelcomeEmail.php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Message;

class SendWelcomeEmail
{
    public function __construct(
        private int $userId
    ) {}
    
    public function getUserId(): int
    {
        return $this->userId;
    }
}

# filename: src/MessageHandler/SendWelcomeEmailHandler.php
use Symfony\Component\Messenger\Handler\MessageHandlerInterface;

class SendWelcomeEmailHandler implements MessageHandlerInterface
{
    public function __invoke(SendWelcomeEmail $message): void
    {
        $user = $this->userRepository->find($message->getUserId());
        // Send email
    }
}

// Dispatch message
$bus->dispatch(new SendWelcomeEmail($user->getId()));

// Configuration (config/packages/messenger.yaml)
framework:
    messenger:
        transports:
            async: 'doctrine://default'
            failed: 'doctrine://default?queue_name=failed'

Symfony Messenger Features:

Multiple transports (Doctrine, Redis, AMQP, SQS)
Message routing
Middleware support
Retry strategies
Failed message handling
Message serialization

Slim Queues

Slim doesn't include queues - use libraries:

php

# Install queue library
composer require enqueue/enqueue

// Use Enqueue or similar library
use Enqueue\SimpleClient\SimpleClient;

$client = new SimpleClient('redis://localhost:6379');
$client->send('user.welcome', ['userId' => $user->getId()]);

Slim Queue Options:

Enqueue (multi-transport)
Laravel Queue (standalone)
Custom implementation
External queue services (RabbitMQ, SQS)

Comparison Table

Feature	Laravel	Symfony	Slim
Built-in	✅	✅ (Component)	❌
Drivers	Many	Many	Library-dependent
Monitoring	Horizon	❌	❌
Batching	✅	✅	❌
Retry Logic	✅	✅	Library-dependent
Learning Curve	Easy	Medium	Medium

Why It Works

Queue systems reflect framework completeness:

Laravel provides comprehensive queue system with monitoring tools
Symfony offers flexible Messenger component with multiple transports
Slim requires external libraries, giving you choice of queue solution

Section 12: Testing Framework Integration

Goal

Compare how each framework integrates with PHPUnit and testing best practices.

Laravel Testing

Laravel provides extensive testing helpers and features:

php

# filename: tests/Feature/UserApiTest.php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace Tests\Feature;

use Tests\TestCase;
use App\Models\User;
use Illuminate\Foundation\Testing\RefreshDatabase;

class UserApiTest extends TestCase
{
    use RefreshDatabase; // Resets database after each test
    
    public function test_can_create_user(): void
    {
        $response = $this->postJson('/api/users', [
            'name' => 'John Doe',
            'email' => 'john@example.com',
            'password' => 'password123',
        ]);
        
        $response->assertStatus(201)
            ->assertJson([
                'name' => 'John Doe',
                'email' => 'john@example.com',
            ]);
        
        $this->assertDatabaseHas('users', [
            'email' => 'john@example.com',
        ]);
    }
    
    public function test_can_authenticate_user(): void
    {
        $user = User::factory()->create();
        
        $response = $this->postJson('/api/login', [
            'email' => $user->email,
            'password' => 'password',
        ]);
        
        $response->assertStatus(200)
            ->assertJsonStructure(['token']);
    }
}

# filename: tests/Unit/UserServiceTest.php
use Tests\TestCase;
use App\Services\UserService;
use App\Repositories\UserRepository;
use Mockery;

class UserServiceTest extends TestCase
{
    public function test_create_user_calls_repository(): void
    {
        $mockRepo = Mockery::mock(UserRepository::class);
        $mockRepo->shouldReceive('create')
            ->once()
            ->andReturn(new User(['id' => 1]));
        
        $service = new UserService($mockRepo);
        $service->createUser(['name' => 'John']);
    }
}

Laravel Testing Features:

RefreshDatabase trait (auto-migrations)
Database factories and seeders
HTTP testing helpers (get(), postJson(), etc.)
Authentication helpers (actingAs())
Queue testing (Queue::fake())
Event testing (Event::fake())
Mail testing (Mail::fake())

Symfony Testing

Symfony provides testing tools via PHPUnit and WebTestCase:

php

# filename: tests/Controller/UserControllerTest.php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Tests\Controller;

use Symfony\Bundle\FrameworkBundle\Test\WebTestCase;
use Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Response;

class UserControllerTest extends WebTestCase
{
    public function testCreateUser(): void
    {
        $client = static::createClient();
        
        $client->request('POST', '/api/users', [], [], [
            'CONTENT_TYPE' => 'application/json',
        ], json_encode([
            'name' => 'John Doe',
            'email' => 'john@example.com',
        ]));
        
        $this->assertEquals(Response::HTTP_CREATED, $client->getResponse()->getStatusCode());
        
        $responseData = json_decode($client->getResponse()->getContent(), true);
        $this->assertEquals('John Doe', $responseData['name']);
    }
    
    public function testGetUser(): void
    {
        $client = static::createClient();
        $client->request('GET', '/api/users/1');
        
        $this->assertEquals(Response::HTTP_OK, $client->getResponse()->getStatusCode());
    }
}

# filename: tests/Unit/UserServiceTest.php
use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;
use App\Service\UserService;
use App\Repository\UserRepository;
use PHPUnit\Framework\MockObject\MockObject;

class UserServiceTest extends TestCase
{
    private UserRepository|MockObject $repository;
    private UserService $service;
    
    protected function setUp(): void
    {
        $this->repository = $this->createMock(UserRepository::class);
        $this->service = new UserService($this->repository);
    }
    
    public function testCreateUser(): void
    {
        $this->repository->expects($this->once())
            ->method('save')
            ->willReturn(new User());
        
        $this->service->createUser(['name' => 'John']);
    }
}

Symfony Testing Features:

WebTestCase for functional tests
KernelTestCase for integration tests
Database transactions (auto-rollback)
Client for HTTP testing
Service mocking
Fixtures support (Alice/Faker)

Slim Testing

Slim requires manual setup but is flexible:

php

# filename: tests/UserApiTest.php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;
use Slim\Factory\AppFactory;
use Psr\Http\Message\ServerRequestInterface;

class UserApiTest extends TestCase
{
    private $app;
    
    protected function setUp(): void
    {
        $this->app = AppFactory::create();
        // Register routes
        require __DIR__ . '/../routes/api.php';
    }
    
    public function testCreateUser(): void
    {
        $request = $this->createRequest('POST', '/api/users')
            ->withParsedBody([
                'name' => 'John Doe',
                'email' => 'john@example.com',
            ]);
        
        $response = $this->app->handle($request);
        
        $this->assertEquals(201, $response->getStatusCode());
    }
    
    private function createRequest(string $method, string $path): ServerRequestInterface
    {
        return (new \Slim\Psr7\Factory\ServerRequestFactory())
            ->createServerRequest($method, $path);
    }
}

Slim Testing Options:

Manual test setup
Use Slim's PSR-7 factories
Any PHPUnit testing patterns
Database fixtures manually
More control, more setup required

Comparison Table

Feature	Laravel	Symfony	Slim
Testing Helpers	✅ Extensive	✅ Good	❌ Manual
Database Reset	✅ Auto	✅ Transaction	❌ Manual
HTTP Testing	✅ Built-in	✅ WebTestCase	❌ Manual
Factories	✅ Built-in	✅ Fixtures	❌ Manual
Mocking	✅ Mockery	✅ PHPUnit	✅ PHPUnit
Learning Curve	Easy	Medium	Medium

Why It Works

Testing integration reflects framework philosophy:

Laravel provides comprehensive testing helpers for rapid test writing
Symfony offers solid testing tools with more explicit setup
Slim requires manual setup but gives you full control over test structure

Section 13: Caching Strategies

Goal

Compare caching implementations and strategies across frameworks.

Laravel Caching

Laravel provides unified caching API with multiple drivers:

php

# filename: app/Services/ProductService.php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Services;

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Cache;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Redis;

class ProductService
{
    public function getProduct(int $id): array
    {
        return Cache::remember("product.{$id}", 3600, function () use ($id) {
            return $this->fetchFromDatabase($id);
        });
    }
    
    public function getPopularProducts(): array
    {
        return Cache::tags(['products', 'popular'])
            ->remember('products.popular', 1800, function () {
                return $this->fetchPopularProducts();
            });
    }
    
    public function clearProductCache(int $id): void
    {
        Cache::forget("product.{$id}");
        Cache::tags(['products'])->flush();
    }
}

// Configuration (config/cache.php)
'stores' => [
    'redis' => [
        'driver' => 'redis',
        'connection' => 'cache',
    ],
    'memcached' => [
        'driver' => 'memcached',
        'servers' => [
            ['host' => '127.0.0.1', 'port' => 11211],
        ],
    ],
    'file' => [
        'driver' => 'file',
        'path' => storage_path('framework/cache'),
    ],
]

Laravel Caching Features:

Multiple drivers (Redis, Memcached, file, database, array)
Cache tags (for grouped invalidation)
Atomic locks
Cache events
Query result caching
View caching
Route caching
Config caching

Symfony Caching

Symfony Cache component (PSR-6 compliant):

php

# filename: src/Service/ProductService.php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Service;

use Symfony\Contracts\Cache\CacheInterface;
use Symfony\Contracts\Cache\ItemInterface;

class ProductService
{
    public function __construct(
        private CacheInterface $cache
    ) {}
    
    public function getProduct(int $id): array
    {
        return $this->cache->get("product.{$id}", function (ItemInterface $item) use ($id) {
            $item->expiresAfter(3600);
            return $this->fetchFromDatabase($id);
        });
    }
    
    public function invalidateProduct(int $id): void
    {
        $this->cache->delete("product.{$id}");
    }
}

// Configuration (config/packages/cache.yaml)
framework:
    cache:
        app: cache.adapter.redis
        pools:
            products.cache:
                adapter: cache.adapter.redis
                default_lifetime: 3600

Symfony Caching Features:

PSR-6 compliant
Multiple adapters (Redis, Memcached, APCu, filesystem)
Cache pools (isolated namespaces)
Tag-based invalidation
Doctrine query cache integration
HTTP cache (reverse proxy)

Slim Caching

Slim doesn't include caching - use libraries:

php

# Install cache library
composer require symfony/cache

# filename: src/Service/ProductService.php
use Symfony\Component\Cache\Adapter\RedisAdapter;

$redis = new \Redis();
$redis->connect('127.0.0.1', 6379);
$cache = new RedisAdapter($redis);

$product = $cache->getItem("product.{$id}");
if (!$product->isHit()) {
    $product->set($this->fetchFromDatabase($id));
    $product->expiresAfter(3600);
    $cache->save($product);
}

Slim Caching Options:

Symfony Cache (standalone)
PSR-6/PSR-16 libraries
Direct Redis/Memcached
Custom implementation

Comparison Table

Feature	Laravel	Symfony	Slim
Built-in	✅	✅ (Component)	❌
PSR-6 Compliant	❌	✅	Library-dependent
Multiple Drivers	✅	✅	Library-dependent
Cache Tags	✅	✅	Library-dependent
Query Cache	✅	✅ (Doctrine)	❌
View Cache	✅	✅	❌

Why It Works

Caching approaches reflect framework design:

Laravel provides convenient caching with built-in helpers
Symfony offers PSR-6 compliant caching with flexible adapters
Slim lets you choose your caching solution

Section 14: Security Features

Goal

Compare built-in security features and best practices.

Laravel Security

Laravel includes comprehensive security features:

php

# filename: app/Http/Controllers/AuthController.php
// CSRF Protection (automatic for web routes)
Route::post('/users', [UserController::class, 'store'])
    ->middleware('csrf');

// Password Hashing
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Hash;

$hashed = Hash::make($password);
if (Hash::check($password, $hashed)) {
    // Valid
}

// Encryption
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Crypt;

$encrypted = Crypt::encryptString('sensitive data');
$decrypted = Crypt::decryptString($encrypted);

// Authentication
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Auth;

if (Auth::attempt(['email' => $email, 'password' => $password])) {
    // Login successful
}

// Authorization (Policies)
# filename: app/Policies/PostPolicy.php
class PostPolicy
{
    public function update(User $user, Post $post): bool
    {
        return $user->id === $post->user_id;
    }
}

// Usage in controller
$this->authorize('update', $post);

// Rate Limiting
Route::middleware(['throttle:60,1'])->group(function () {
    Route::get('/api/data', [DataController::class, 'index']);
});

Laravel Security Features:

CSRF protection (automatic)
XSS protection (Blade auto-escaping)
SQL injection prevention (Eloquent/Query Builder)
Password hashing (bcrypt/argon2)
Encryption/decryption
Authentication scaffolding
Authorization (Policies, Gates)
Rate limiting
Security headers middleware

Symfony Security

Symfony Security component (comprehensive):

php

# filename: config/packages/security.yaml
security:
    password_hashers:
        Symfony\Component\Security\Core\User\PasswordAuthenticatedUserInterface: 'auto'
    
    providers:
        app_user_provider:
            entity:
                class: App\Entity\User
                property: email
    
    firewalls:
        dev:
            pattern: ^/(_(profiler|wdt)|css|images|js)/
            security: false
        main:
            lazy: true
            provider: app_user_provider
            form_login:
                login_path: login
                check_path: login
            logout:
                path: logout

# filename: src/Controller/PostController.php
use Symfony\Component\Security\Http\Attribute\IsGranted;

#[IsGranted('ROLE_ADMIN')]
public function delete(Post $post): Response
{
    // Only admins can access
}

#[IsGranted('POST_EDIT', subject: 'post')]
public function edit(Post $post): Response
{
    // Custom voter check
}

Symfony Security Features:

Authentication (multiple providers)
Authorization (voters, role hierarchy)
Password hashing (auto-detection)
CSRF protection
Security voters
Access control expressions
Remember me functionality
Two-factor authentication support

Slim Security

Slim requires manual security implementation:

php

# filename: src/Middleware/CsrfMiddleware.php
use Slim\Csrf\Guard;

$app->add(new Guard($responseFactory));

# filename: src/Middleware/AuthMiddleware.php
class AuthMiddleware
{
    public function __invoke($request, $response, $next)
    {
        $token = $request->getHeaderLine('Authorization');
        
        if (!$this->validateToken($token)) {
            return $response->withStatus(401);
        }
        
        return $next($request, $response);
    }
}

// Password hashing (use PHP built-in)
$hash = password_hash($password, PASSWORD_ARGON2ID);
if (password_verify($password, $hash)) {
    // Valid
}

Slim Security Options:

Manual CSRF protection
JWT authentication libraries
PHP built-in password functions
Security middleware (custom or libraries)
More control, more responsibility

Comparison Table

Feature	Laravel	Symfony	Slim
CSRF Protection	✅ Automatic	✅ Built-in	❌ Manual
Authentication	✅ Scaffolding	✅ Component	❌ Manual
Authorization	✅ Policies/Gates	✅ Voters	❌ Manual
Password Hashing	✅ Helper	✅ Auto	✅ Built-in PHP
Encryption	✅ Built-in	✅ Component	❌ Manual
Rate Limiting	✅ Built-in	✅ Component	❌ Manual
Security Headers	✅ Middleware	✅ Component	❌ Manual

Why It Works

Security approaches reflect framework completeness:

Laravel provides comprehensive security out-of-the-box
Symfony offers powerful security component with fine-grained control
Slim requires manual implementation but gives you full control

Section 15: API Documentation Tools

Goal

Compare tools and approaches for API documentation generation.

Laravel API Resources

Laravel uses API Resources for structured responses:

php

# filename: app/Http/Resources/UserResource.php
<?php

declare(strict_types=1);

namespace App\Http\Resources;

use Illuminate\Http\Resources\Json\JsonResource;

class UserResource extends JsonResource
{
    public function toArray($request): array
    {
        return [
            'id' => $this->id,
            'name' => $this->name,
            'email' => $this->email,
            'created_at' => $this->created_at->toIso8601String(),
            'links' => [
                'self' => route('users.show', $this->id),
            ],
        ];
    }
}

// Usage in controller
return new UserResource($user);
return UserResource::collection($users);

// API Documentation (Laravel API Documentation packages)
composer require darkaonline/l5-swagger
// Generates OpenAPI/Swagger docs from annotations

Laravel API Documentation:

API Resources (response transformation)
L5-Swagger (OpenAPI/Swagger)
Laravel API Documentation generators
Manual documentation

Symfony API Platform

Symfony has API Platform for REST APIs with auto-documentation:

php

# filename: src/Entity/User.php
use ApiPlatform\Metadata\ApiResource;
use ApiPlatform\Metadata\Get;
use ApiPlatform\Metadata\GetCollection;
use ApiPlatform\Metadata\Post;

#[ApiResource(
    operations: [
        new Get(),
        new GetCollection(),
        new Post(),
    ]
)]
class User
{
    #[ApiProperty(description: 'User ID')]
    private int $id;
    
    #[ApiProperty(description: 'User email address')]
    private string $email;
}

// Auto-generates OpenAPI documentation at /api/docs
// Includes interactive Swagger UI

Symfony API Documentation:

API Platform (auto-documentation)
NelmioApiDocBundle (OpenAPI/Swagger)
Manual documentation
OpenAPI/Swagger generation

Slim API Documentation

Slim requires manual documentation or libraries:

php

# Install Swagger-PHP
composer require zircote/swagger-php

# filename: src/Controller/UserController.php
/**
 * @OA\Get(
 *     path="/api/users/{id}",
 *     summary="Get user by ID",
 *     @OA\Parameter(
 *         name="id",
 *         in="path",
 *         required=true,
 *         @OA\Schema(type="integer")
 *     ),
 *     @OA\Response(
 *         response=200,
 *         description="User found",
 *         @OA\JsonContent(ref="#/components/schemas/User")
 *     )
 * )
 */
public function getUser($request, $response, $args)
{
    // Implementation
}

Slim API Documentation Options:

Swagger-PHP (OpenAPI annotations)
Manual documentation
Custom solutions
Any PSR-compliant documentation tool

Comparison Table

Feature	Laravel	Symfony	Slim
API Resources	✅ Built-in	✅ (API Platform)	❌
Auto-Documentation	❌ (Packages)	✅ (API Platform)	❌
OpenAPI/Swagger	✅ (L5-Swagger)	✅ (Nelmio)	✅ (Swagger-PHP)
Interactive UI	✅ (Packages)	✅ (API Platform)	✅ (Swagger-PHP)
Learning Curve	Easy	Medium	Medium

Why It Works

API documentation approaches vary:

Laravel provides API Resources for consistent responses, documentation via packages
Symfony offers API Platform with automatic OpenAPI generation
Slim requires manual setup but supports standard documentation tools

Section 16: Deployment and DevOps

Goal

Compare deployment strategies and DevOps tooling.

Laravel Deployment

Laravel has deployment optimizations:

bash

# Production optimizations
php artisan config:cache
php artisan route:cache
php artisan view:cache
php artisan event:cache

# Environment setup
cp .env.example .env
php artisan key:generate

# Queue workers (Supervisor)
[program:laravel-worker]
process_name=%(program_name)s_%(process_num)02d
command=php /path/to/artisan queue:work --sleep=3 --tries=3
autostart=true
autorestart=true
user=www-data
numprocs=8

# Laravel Forge / Envoyer (managed deployment)
# Automated deployments, zero-downtime, rollbacks

Laravel Deployment Features:

Artisan optimization commands
Laravel Forge (managed hosting)
Laravel Envoyer (zero-downtime deployment)
Queue worker management
Horizon (queue monitoring)
Vapor (serverless)

Symfony Deployment

Symfony provides deployment tools:

bash

# Production optimizations
composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader
php bin/console cache:clear --env=prod --no-debug
php bin/console cache:warmup --env=prod

# Environment variables
# Use .env.local for production secrets

# Symfony Cloud (managed hosting)
symfony deploy

# Docker deployment
docker-compose up -d

Symfony Deployment Features:

Console optimization commands
Symfony Cloud (managed hosting)
Docker support
Flex recipes for deployment tools
Environment-based configuration

Slim Deployment

Slim deployment is manual but flexible:

bash

# Production setup
composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader

# Environment variables
# Use .env or system environment variables

# Docker deployment
FROM php:8.4-fpm
COPY . /var/www/html
RUN composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader

# Process managers (PM2, Supervisor)
pm2 start php --name="slim-api" -- public/index.php

Slim Deployment Options:

Manual optimization
Docker containers
Process managers (PM2, Supervisor)
Any PHP hosting
Maximum flexibility

Comparison Table

Feature	Laravel	Symfony	Slim
Optimization Commands	✅ Built-in	✅ Built-in	❌ Manual
Managed Hosting	✅ Forge/Envoyer	✅ Symfony Cloud	❌
Docker Support	✅	✅	✅
Zero-Downtime	✅ (Envoyer)	✅ (Cloud)	❌ Manual
Queue Management	✅ Built-in	✅ (Messenger)	❌ Manual
Deployment Tools	✅ Extensive	✅ Good	❌ Manual

Why It Works

Deployment approaches reflect framework ecosystem:

Laravel provides comprehensive deployment tools and managed hosting
Symfony offers solid deployment options with Symfony Cloud
Slim requires manual setup but works with any deployment strategy

Section 17: Ecosystem and Community

Goal

Evaluate community support, packages, and learning resources.

Laravel Ecosystem

Official Packages:

Laravel Horizon (queue monitoring)
Laravel Nova (admin panel)
Laravel Spark (SaaS scaffolding)
Laravel Vapor (serverless deployment)
Laravel Forge (server management)
Laravel Envoyer (zero-downtime deployment)

Community Packages:

Laravel Debugbar (debugging toolbar)
Laravel Telescope (application debugging)
Spatie packages (many utilities)
Laravel Sanctum (API authentication)
Laravel Passport (OAuth server)

Learning Resources:

Official documentation (excellent)
Laracasts (video tutorials)
Laravel News (blog)
Laravel Podcast
Large community on GitHub/Discord

Symfony Ecosystem

Official Components:

Symfony Components (standalone)
Symfony Flex (recipe system)
Symfony Maker Bundle (code generation)
Symfony Debug Toolbar
Symfony Profiler

Community Packages:

FOSUserBundle (user management)
SonataAdminBundle (admin panel)
Doctrine Extensions (behaviors)
Many enterprise packages

Learning Resources:

Official documentation (comprehensive)
SymfonyCasts (video tutorials)
Symfony Blog
SymfonyCon (conference)
Strong enterprise community

Slim Ecosystem

Official Packages:

Slim Framework (core)
Slim PSR-7 (HTTP messages)
Slim Twig View (Twig integration)
Slim PHP View (PHP templates)

Community Packages:

Slim CSRF (CSRF protection)
Slim JWT Auth (JWT authentication)
Many PSR-compliant packages

Learning Resources:

Official documentation (good)
Community tutorials
GitHub examples
Smaller but active community

Comparison Table

Aspect	Laravel	Symfony	Slim
Package Count	Very High	High	Medium
Documentation	Excellent	Excellent	Good
Community Size	Largest	Large	Medium
Learning Resources	Extensive	Extensive	Moderate
Enterprise Support	Good	Excellent	Limited
Job Market	High demand	High demand	Moderate

Why It Works

Ecosystem reflects framework maturity and adoption:

Laravel has the largest ecosystem with extensive packages and learning resources
Symfony offers enterprise-grade components and strong corporate support
Slim has a smaller but focused ecosystem, perfect for specific use cases

Section 13: Framework Selection Guide

Goal

Create a decision framework to choose the right tool for your project.

Decision Matrix

Choose Laravel if:

✅ Rapid prototyping and MVP development
✅ Standard web application (CRUD, auth, etc.)
✅ Team prefers convention over configuration
✅ Need built-in features (queues, scheduling, etc.)
✅ Learning PHP or new to frameworks
✅ Startup or small-to-medium projects
✅ Similar to: Spring Boot for rapid development

Choose Symfony if:

✅ Enterprise application with complex requirements
✅ Need fine-grained control over architecture
✅ Want to use only specific components
✅ Building microservices or distributed systems
✅ Team values explicit configuration
✅ Long-term maintainability is critical
✅ Similar to: Spring Framework for flexibility

Choose Slim if:

✅ Building REST APIs or microservices
✅ Need maximum performance
✅ Want minimal dependencies
✅ Learning HTTP fundamentals
✅ Simple application requirements
✅ Prefer building custom solutions
✅ Similar to: Micronaut/Quarkus for minimal overhead

Project Type Recommendations

Project Type	Recommended Framework	Reason
Startup MVP	Laravel	Rapid development, built-in features
Enterprise App	Symfony	Flexibility, scalability, components
REST API	Slim or Laravel	Performance vs convenience
Microservices	Slim or Symfony	Lightweight vs flexibility
Learning PHP	Slim or Laravel	Simplicity vs features
Legacy Migration	Symfony	Component-based, gradual migration

Team Considerations

Small Team (1-3 developers):

Laravel: Fastest to productivity
Slim: Maximum control, minimal overhead
Symfony: Steeper learning curve

Medium Team (4-10 developers):

Laravel: Good balance
Symfony: Better for complex projects
Slim: Good for focused APIs

Large Team (10+ developers):

Symfony: Best for enterprise scale
Laravel: Good with proper structure
Slim: Good for microservices teams

Migration Paths

From Java Spring Boot:

Laravel: Easiest transition (similar conventions)
Symfony: Similar architecture (component-based)
Slim: Most different (minimal framework)

Between PHP Frameworks:

Laravel ↔ Symfony: Moderate effort (different patterns)
Any → Slim: Easy (Slim is minimal)
Slim → Laravel/Symfony: Moderate (add features)

Why It Works

Framework selection depends on multiple factors:

Project requirements determine feature needs
Team experience affects learning curve
Performance needs influence framework choice
Long-term maintenance requires considering ecosystem and support

Exercises

Exercise 1: Framework Comparison Matrix

Goal: Create a detailed comparison document to guide framework selection.

Create a markdown file framework-comparison.md with:

Feature comparison table (routing, ORM, DI, templating)
Performance benchmarks (research and document)
Use case recommendations
Migration considerations from Java frameworks

Validation: Your document should help a Java developer choose the right PHP framework.

Exercise 2: Simple API in Each Framework

Goal: Build the same REST API in Laravel, Symfony, and Slim to compare developer experience.

Create a simple user management API with:

GET /users - List all users
GET /users/{id} - Get user by ID
POST /users - Create user
PUT /users/{id} - Update user
DELETE /users/{id} - Delete user

Requirements:

Use each framework's ORM/database layer
Implement basic validation
Return JSON responses
Time yourself for each implementation

Validation: Compare:

Lines of code
Development time
Code readability
Performance (simple benchmark)

Exercise 3: Framework Selection Scenario

Goal: Practice making framework decisions based on project requirements.

For each scenario, choose a framework and justify your choice:

E-commerce startup: Need to launch MVP in 2 months, team of 3 developers
Enterprise CRM: Complex business logic, 20+ developers, long-term project
Mobile app backend: REST API only, high traffic expected, minimal features
Legacy system migration: Gradual migration from old PHP codebase
Learning project: Developer new to PHP, wants to understand fundamentals

Validation: Write a brief justification (2-3 sentences) for each choice.

Troubleshooting

Issue: "Class not found" in Laravel

Symptom: Class 'App\Models\User' not found

Cause: Autoloader not updated after creating new class

Solution:

bash

# Regenerate autoloader
composer dump-autoload

# Or clear all caches
php artisan optimize:clear

Issue: Symfony service not found

Symptom: Service "App\Service\UserService" not found

Cause: Service not registered or autowiring disabled

Solution:

yaml

# config/services.yaml
services:
    App\:
        resource: '../src/*'
        autowire: true
        autoconfigure: true

Issue: Slim route not working

Symptom: 404 error for valid route

Cause: Route not registered or wrong HTTP method

Solution:

php

// Check route registration
$app->get('/users', function ($request, $response) {
    // Make sure this matches your request method
});

// Enable error display
$app->addErrorMiddleware(true, true, true);

Issue: Performance issues in Laravel

Symptom: Slow response times

Cause: Not using production optimizations

Solution:

bash

# Enable production optimizations
php artisan config:cache
php artisan route:cache
php artisan view:cache

# Optimize autoloader
composer install --optimize-autoloader --no-dev

# Enable opcache in php.ini
opcache.enable=1

Issue: Doctrine query performance

Symptom: Slow database queries, especially with relationships

Cause: N+1 query problem or missing indexes

Solution:

php

# filename: src/Repository/UserRepository.php
// Use eager loading to prevent N+1 queries
public function findAllWithPosts(): array
{
    return $this->createQueryBuilder('u')
        ->leftJoin('u.posts', 'p')
        ->addSelect('p')
        ->getQuery()
        ->getResult();
}

// Add indexes to entity
#[ORM\Entity]
#[ORM\Table(name: 'users', indexes: [
    new ORM\Index(columns: ['email']),
    new ORM\Index(columns: ['active', 'created_at'])
])]
class User { }

Issue: Slim container not resolving dependencies

Symptom: Service not found or Cannot resolve dependency

Cause: Service not registered in container or autowiring not enabled

Solution:

php

# filename: public/index.php
// Ensure PHP-DI autowiring is enabled
$containerBuilder = new ContainerBuilder();
$containerBuilder->useAutowiring(true);
$containerBuilder->useAnnotations(false);

// Or explicitly define services
$containerBuilder->addDefinitions([
    UserRepository::class => \DI\autowire(UserRepository::class),
    UserService::class => \DI\autowire(UserService::class),
]);

Issue: Route not matching in any framework

Symptom: 404 error even though route is defined

Cause: Route caching, wrong HTTP method, or path mismatch

Solution:

bash

# Laravel: Clear route cache
php artisan route:clear
php artisan route:cache  # Rebuild cache

# Symfony: Clear cache
php bin/console cache:clear

# Check routes
php artisan route:list  # Laravel
php bin/console debug:router  # Symfony

# Slim: Check route registration order
# Routes are matched in order - more specific routes first

Wrap-up

Congratulations! You've completed a comprehensive comparison of PHP's major frameworks. Here's what you've accomplished:

✅ Compared framework philosophies and understood their design goals
✅ Evaluated routing systems across Laravel, Symfony, and Slim
✅ Analyzed ORM capabilities (Eloquent, Doctrine, PDO)
✅ Compared dependency injection implementations
✅ Reviewed templating engines (Blade, Twig, plain PHP)
✅ Explored middleware and request processing pipelines
✅ Compared validation systems and input handling
✅ Analyzed queue and job processing capabilities
✅ Explored CLI tools and developer experience
✅ Assessed performance characteristics and scalability
✅ Compared testing framework integration (PHPUnit)
✅ Evaluated caching strategies and implementations
✅ Reviewed security features and best practices
✅ Compared API documentation tools and approaches
✅ Analyzed deployment and DevOps strategies
✅ Evaluated ecosystems and community support
✅ Created decision framework for choosing the right tool

Key Takeaways

Laravel is like Spring Boot:

Convention over configuration
Rapid development
Batteries included
Great for standard web apps

Symfony is like Spring Framework:

Flexible and modular
Enterprise-grade
Component-based
Great for complex systems

Slim is like Micronaut/Quarkus:

Minimal and lightweight
High performance
Perfect for APIs
Maximum control

Next Steps

In the next chapter, we'll dive deep into Laravel Fundamentals, exploring:

Eloquent ORM in detail
Blade templating
Artisan commands
Laravel's service container
Building a complete Laravel application

Completed framework comparison and selection guide!Check the box when you've finished reading, or scroll to the bottom to auto-complete.

Chapter Wrap-up Checklist

Before moving to the next chapter, ensure you can:

[ ] Explain the philosophy and use cases for Laravel, Symfony, and Slim
[ ] Compare routing systems across frameworks
[ ] Evaluate ORM options (Eloquent, Doctrine, PDO)
[ ] Understand dependency injection in each framework
[ ] Compare templating engines (Blade, Twig, plain PHP)
[ ] Assess performance characteristics and optimization strategies
[ ] Evaluate ecosystem and community support
[ ] Make informed framework selection decisions based on project requirements
[ ] Draw parallels between PHP frameworks and Java frameworks (Spring Boot, Spring Framework, Micronaut)

Previous: ← Chapter 18

Next: Chapter 20 →

Chapter 19: Framework Comparison ​

Overview ​

Prerequisites ​

What You'll Build ​

Quick Start ​

Learning Objectives ​

Section 1: Framework Overview and Philosophy ​

Goal ​

Framework Comparison Matrix ​

Laravel Philosophy ​

Symfony Philosophy ​

Slim Philosophy ​

Why It Works ​

Section 2: Installation and Project Setup ​

Goal ​

Laravel Installation ​

Symfony Installation ​

Slim Installation ​

Expected Result ​

Why It Works ​

Section 3: Routing Comparison ​

Goal ​

Laravel Routing ​

Symfony Routing ​

Slim Routing ​

Comparison Table ​

Why It Works ​

Section 4: ORM Comparison ​

Goal ​

Laravel Eloquent ORM ​

Symfony Doctrine ORM ​

Slim with PDO ​

Comparison Table ​

Why It Works ​

Section 5: Dependency Injection Comparison ​

Goal ​

Laravel Service Container ​

Symfony Service Container ​

Slim Dependency Injection ​

Comparison Table ​

Why It Works ​

Section 6: Templating Engines ​

Goal ​

Laravel Blade ​

Symfony Twig ​

Slim Templates ​

Comparison Table ​

Why It Works ​

Section 7: CLI Tools and Developer Experience ​

Goal ​

Laravel Artisan ​

Symfony Console ​

Slim CLI ​

Comparison Table ​

Why It Works ​

Section 8: Performance and Scalability ​

Goal ​

Performance Benchmarks ​

Laravel Performance ​

Symfony Performance ​

Slim Performance ​

Scalability Considerations ​

Why It Works ​

Section 9: Middleware and Request Processing ​

Goal ​

Laravel Middleware ​

Symfony Event Listeners ​

Slim Middleware ​

Comparison Table ​

Why It Works ​

Section 10: Validation Systems ​

Goal ​

Laravel Validation ​

Symfony Validator ​

Slim Validation ​

Comparison Table ​

Why It Works ​

Section 11: Queue and Job Systems ​

Goal ​

Laravel Queues ​

Chapter 19: Framework Comparison

Overview

Prerequisites

What You'll Build

Quick Start

Learning Objectives

Section 1: Framework Overview and Philosophy

Goal

Framework Comparison Matrix

Laravel Philosophy

Symfony Philosophy

Slim Philosophy

Why It Works

Section 2: Installation and Project Setup

Goal

Laravel Installation

Symfony Installation

Slim Installation

Expected Result

Why It Works

Section 3: Routing Comparison

Goal

Laravel Routing

Symfony Routing

Slim Routing

Comparison Table

Why It Works

Section 4: ORM Comparison

Goal

Laravel Eloquent ORM

Symfony Doctrine ORM

Slim with PDO

Comparison Table

Why It Works

Section 5: Dependency Injection Comparison

Goal

Laravel Service Container

Symfony Service Container

Slim Dependency Injection

Comparison Table

Why It Works

Section 6: Templating Engines

Goal

Laravel Blade

Symfony Twig

Slim Templates

Comparison Table

Why It Works

Section 7: CLI Tools and Developer Experience

Goal

Laravel Artisan

Symfony Console

Slim CLI

Comparison Table

Why It Works

Section 8: Performance and Scalability

Goal

Performance Benchmarks

Laravel Performance

Symfony Performance

Slim Performance

Scalability Considerations

Why It Works

Section 9: Middleware and Request Processing

Goal

Laravel Middleware

Symfony Event Listeners

Slim Middleware

Comparison Table

Why It Works

Section 10: Validation Systems

Goal

Laravel Validation

Symfony Validator

Slim Validation

Comparison Table

Why It Works

Section 11: Queue and Job Systems

Goal

Laravel Queues