{"id":20671,"date":"2021-09-16T12:11:40","date_gmt":"2021-09-16T12:11:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bacancytechnology.com\/blog\/?p=20671"},"modified":"2026-02-24T11:08:40","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T11:08:40","slug":"laravel-vs-codeigniter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bacancytechnology.com\/blog\/laravel-vs-codeigniter","title":{"rendered":"Laravel vs CodeIgniter: Clash of PHP Frameworks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Quick Summary:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

This blog is all you need if you are dicey about which PHP framework to choose between Laravel vs CodeIgniter. To make an informed decision that best suits your project requirements, you need to have a precise piece of knowledge on both Frameworks. This blog states a comprehensive and detailed comparison of the two classic frameworks CodeIgniter and Laravel. By the end of this guide, you will be aware of the underlying concept and difference between Laravel and Codeigniter on various factors. Additionally, you will also get knowledge on when to use which framework.<\/em> <\/strong><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/h2>\n

In the list of backend frameworks, it becomes challenging to choose one over others. A few of them are quite similar, while many have major differences. The two PHP frameworks that had my heart are Laravel and CodeIgniter. And the reason being its flexibility, scalability, rapid development, third-party integrations, security measures, and extensive feature set.<\/p>\n

Apart from the similarities, these two backend frameworks are still a point of debatable discussion. And to simplify the discussion of Laravel vs CodeIgniter, I have written a blog on it. At the end of the article, you will also know which PHP framework best suits what type of development. So, you are just a blog away from selecting the best of the two.<\/p>\n

Comparison Table: Laravel vs CodeIgniter<\/h2>\n

What is Laravel?<\/h3>\n

Built by Taylor Otwell, Laravel is known for its exceptional HTML authentication, server-side handling of routing, templating, and many more. <\/p>\n

Laravel is an open-sourced web framework based on Symfony and written in PHP that offers reusable PHP libraries\/components. <\/p>\n

So, whenever you want to build apps that have a pre-defined architecture, need a custom backend, or develop web portals, templates, or full-stack apps, Laravel is the ideal server-side framework to your rescue. Also, Laravel is best suited for managing SaaS products.<\/p>\n

What is CodeIgniter?<\/h3>\n

Created in 2006 by EllisLab, CodeIgniter is one such framework that helps build dynamic websites by using PHP. <\/p>\n

Codeigniter is a robust PHP framework with a minimal digital footprint created for developers seeking a rich yet simple toolkit to build full-featured web apps. <\/p>\n

Codeigniter offers no dependency and has absolute freedom on the Model View Controller(MVC) pattern. Alongside, CodeIgniter authorizes third-party plugins that further facilitates the implementation of complicated functionalities.<\/p>\n

Laravel vs CodeIgniter: Statistics<\/h2>\n

Below are the market usage statistics of both Laravel and Codeigniter under several studies. <\/p>\n

Statistics Of Laravel Market Usage<\/h3>\n

\u2022 Laravel holds around 0.32% of the entire market share among all the existing web frameworks currently.
\n\u2022 Laravel holds 68k Github stars along with 21.5k live projects. It has around 544 dedicated contributors that optimize the real-time framework.
\n\u2022 The count of live websites implementing Laravel has risen over 648,115, with more than 1.78% (around one million) US-based websites.<\/p>\n

Statistics Of CodeIgniter Market Usage<\/h3>\n

\u2022 CodeIgniter holds 0.22% of the entire market share among all the existing web frameworks today.
\n\u2022 Codeigniter boasts 18.2k stars along with 7.8k forks on Github.
\n\u2022 Almost 1,453,681 websites today are built on CodeIgniter from India, Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam, and 39 other countries.<\/p>\n

\"Statistics<\/p>\n

As per CodeIgniter vs Laravel<\/strong> Google Trends<\/a>, Laravel has been quite in the lead in all aspects for the last 5 years and even more.<\/p>\n

Made up your mind for Laravel web framework?<\/span>
\nOur salient Laravel developer<\/a> will materialize your idea<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

CodeIgniter vs Laravel: Divergence<\/h2>\n

Ideally, Laravel and Codeigniter are two distinct frameworks that intend to serve different purposes. While Laravel enables the web developer to enjoy the benefit of articulate object-relational mapping ORM, CodeIgniter lacks the ORM feature. Similarly, Laravel is assembled with inbuilt modularity properties, while CodeIgniter demands modules and modular extensions. <\/p>\n

Furthermore, while CodeIgniter is best described as a minimalistic microframework, Laravel is a complete full-stack framework.<\/p>\n

If you are a startup and want to put your foot strong in the market in the first move, you must know the Benefits of Laravel Development Services for New Businesses.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Considering this, there is a vast field of difference between the two frameworks: Laravel and Codeigniter, which have paved the path of CodeIgniter to laravel migration. That said, below is a comparison table stating the other field of differences among both the frameworks. Let’s look into it.<\/p>\n

Laravel vs CodeIgniter Learning Curve<\/h3>\n

Laravel possesses many extra traits that might not be easy to learn at the initial stage\/for beginners.<\/p>\n

Compared to Laravel, CodeIgniter offers a simple and easy learning curve.<\/p>\n

Laravel vs CodeIgniter Popularity And Latest Trends<\/h3>\n

Laravel is currently highly popular because of its coding pattern, which is communicative. Preferred by almost every experienced developer, Laravel has a higher popularity curve than CodeIgniter. <\/p>\n

CodeIgniter displays ease of usage in 2.x. Thus, many web developers put their hands on CodeIgniter popularity.<\/p>\n

Laravel vs CodeIgniter Template Language<\/h3>\n

Laravel: Blade template engine
\nCodeIgniter: PHP Proprietary template engine.<\/p>\n

Laravel vs CodeIgniter Database Model<\/h3>\n

Laravel: Relational object-oriented
\nCodeIgniter: Object-oriented <\/p>\n

Laravel vs CodeIgniter Programming Paradigm<\/h3>\n

Laravel: Component Oriented
\nCodeIgniter: Object oriented event driven functional<\/p>\n

Quick Read: 11 Tips to Improve the Performance of Your Laravel Application<\/a><\/p>\n

Laravel vs CodeIgniter Construction<\/h3>\n

Laravel generally follows the MVC (Model View Controller) pattern of filing. It holds a command-line tool called the ‘Artisan’.<\/p>\n

The structure of CodeIgniter is an MVC architectural pattern. It supplies easy and smooth onboarding. The pattern was initially based on object-oriented programming. However, developers used it according to their requirements.<\/p>\n

CodeIgniter Vs Laravel Inbuilt Modules<\/h3>\n

Laravel is created with inbuilt modularity features. It enables developers to break a certain project into tiny trivial modules via the bundle.<\/p>\n

CodeIgniter lacks this feature and does not deliver any inbuilt modularity. Hence, developers need to generate and store modules using Modular Extension.<\/p>\n

CodeIgniter Vs Laravel API Building And Template Engine<\/h3>\n

Laravel has an uncomplicated yet vigorous template engine, Blade. The Blade engine allows performance optimization of the web application by manipulating and elevating views.<\/p>\n

Codeigniter does not involve any in-built template engine. The developers need to incorporate it with a third-party templating engine tool- Smarty. This enables them to perform all common tasks besides enhancing the CodeIgniter website performance and benchmark. <\/p>\n

CodeIgniter Vs Laravel Unit Testing<\/h3>\n

Laravel enables developers to look into the application code keenly without any interruption with the help of the PHP Unit.<\/p>\n

CodeIgniter lacks the inbuilt unit testing tool. As a result, CodeIgniter professionals need to utilize additional unit testing support to assess the code and the value of the application. You can also hire CodeIgniter developer<\/a> to conduct thorough, rigorous testing and who can streamline the unit testing process for your project.<\/p>\n

CodeIgniter Vs Laravel HTTP Support<\/h3>\n

Laravel enables programmers to explain custom HTTP routes. In other words, Laravel developers can generate a separate URL for every HTTP route.<\/p>\n

Codeigniter does not facilitate HTTP entirely. Thus, CodeIgniter developers can implement URLs to manage the data transmission securely by generating paths.<\/p>\n

CodeIgniter Vs Laravel Authentication<\/h3>\n

Developers find it very easy to apply authentication and authorization rules in Laravel because of the authentication class trait.<\/p>\n

Does it take a hard time for you to trust when beginning with your web app development?<\/span>
\nLaravel Framework gives you the authentication to feel secure. Get in touch with the best Laravel development company<\/a> to resolve all your trust issues<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Codeigniter lacks the inbuilt authentication traits. Consequently, developers are required to authenticate and authorize the users by forming custom CodeIgniter extensions.<\/p>\n

CodeIgniter Vs Laravel DBMS Support<\/h3>\n

Laravel: Supports MySQL, ORACLE, PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server, IBM DB2, orientDB, and JDBC compatible. <\/p>\n

CodeIgniter: Supports MongoDB, PostgreSQL, Microsoft BI, and MySQL. Additionally, it offers integration support for several prevalent databases like Oracle, DB2, and Microsoft SQL Server. <\/p>\n

CodeIgniter Vs Laravel Facilitate RESTful API<\/h3>\n

RESTful Controller methods enable Laravel developers to generate a set of REST API without the need to invest additional time and effort. <\/p>\n

CodeIgniter does not clarify the streamlined development of the REST APIs.<\/p>\n

Comparison between Laravel and CodeIgniter: Features<\/h2>\n