Phalcon vs Symfony

Frameworks are software that comes with many tools and services like web API, code libraries, compilers, support programs, packages, etc. to help the developers in building websites or web applications. This makes the development work easier and faster. A large number of web frameworks are available in the market which leads to confusion when choosing a framework so we will compare two frameworks on different parameters for finding the best one. So let’s compare Phalcon and Symphony.

What is Phalcon?

Phalcon is a BSD-licensed web framework of PHP. It is an open-source framework developed by a team of engineers headed by Andres Gutierrez. It is based on the Model View Controller pattern along with ORM implementation. It was built using different programming languages like Zephir, C, and PHP. It was first launched in 2012 and its stable version came in 2022.

Advantages of Phalcon

• It has a low maintenance cost.
• It comes with load-balancing functionality for high-load situations.
• It uses a handful of resources hence saving memory and storage.
• It provides Object Relational Mapping functionality through C.

Disadvantages of Phalcon

• It does not have any compiled plugins.
• It has a small community as compared to Symfony or Laravel.

What is Symfony?

Symfony is an MIT-licensed PHP framework used for a variety of purposes like building API, microservices, web applications, web services, etc. It was developed by SensioLabs SAS and first launched in 2005. It contains a set of libraries that can be used repetitively. It is a free-to-use framework that is written in PHP language.

Advantages of Symfony

• It provides regular updates to meet the industry specifications.
• It has internationalization functionality that supports multiple languages.
• Applications can be easily tested with inbuilt testing functionality.
• It can be scaled easily.

Disadvantages of Symfony

• It is dependent on other technologies so performance is affected.
• Testing tools provided in Symfony are slower.

Below is a table of differentiation between Phalcon and Symfony:

Category	Phalcon	Symfony
Definition	Phalcon is a PHP framework that is based on MVC patterns and implemented in C as a server extension.	Symfony is a free PHP framework that is used in making complex applications and projects
Root Access	It requires root access for its installation.	It does not require root access for its installation.
Official Website	Official website of Phalcon can be found at this URL https://phalcon.io/en-us	Official website of Symfony can be found at this URL https://symfony.com/
Maintenance Cost	Maintenance is low and easy.	The cost of maintenance is high as compared to Phalcon.
Migrations	Migrations are complex to implement as compared to Symfony.	A proper version control system is available and migration can be done easily.
Platform	It supports Unix, Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X	It is a cross-platform web framework.
Developer(s)	It was developed by Andres Gutierrez and other team members.	It was developed by the symphony community along with SensioLabs SAS.
Speed	It has a much high speed as compared to Symfony.	It is slower than Phalcon.

Conclusion/Summary

On comparing Phalcon and Symfony, it is clear that Symfony is a winner due to its security, version control, and other features. It is one of the most popular frameworks. On the other hand, Phalcon is good for advanced developers for making high-performing applications.