Since it’s founding in 1998, Informatics has prided itself on being tech-agnostic. We don’t believe any one technology is THE solution. Instead, we are devoted to finding solutions that are right for each individual client’s needs.
With that in mind, let’s dive into the world of programming languages: PHP and .NET. Which one will be right for you and your project?
What is PHP?
PHP is an open-source programming language, used primarily for developing applications. Most PHP apps run on a web server, like Apache. The accessibility of PHP has made it one of the most popular technical languages as hundreds of millions of websites utilize it.
Pros
- Completely compatible cross-platform
- Very popular for web apps
- Easily embedded into HTML
- Large community of programmer support
- Open-source
- Highly scalable
Cons
- Requires a basic understanding of HTML
- Not optimized for desktop apps
- Runs slightly slower than other programming languages
- The ease of customization makes it more error-prone and harder to find the errors
What is .NET?
.NET is more than just a language. It comprises a whole set of development tools, built specifically for the Microsoft platform. Just like PHP, a web server is required to run a .NET web app. .NET desktop apps, though built specifically for Windows systems, can often be operated on Linux systems using a free open source tool.
Pros
- Designed specifically for both web-based and desktop Windows applications
- Easy-to build forms and APIs (platforms to communicate between applications)
- Very useful for cloud-based applications
- Highly scalable
- Early notification system if a coder makes errors
- Full of pre-coded options
Cons
- Steeper learning curve
- Small support community (relative to PHP)
- Not optimized for UNIX systems (Linux, macOS)
- Requires Visual Studio Integrated Development Environment
- Requires Microsoft license (closed source)
Both languages have shown remarkable staying power considering that technology moves faster than dog years, and either can be a useful tool when applied to the right task.
If you are looking to optimize a website built with either the PHP language or the .NET platform, the development experts at Informatics are ready to help you. If you have a problem, we’re ready to solve it.
