Everything you need to know about PHP Symphony

The goal of software development is, in a way, to make our lives easier by satisfying real needs. 

Frameworks are working environments specially designed to facilitate the developer's task. And finally Symfony is that working environment created to develop websites and applications easily and quickly. 

The world of programming is vast, you already know that. And that’s why there are so many tools and methods that can facilitate the task or make it a more complex process but at the same time more practical, useful and customized. 

This time, it's time to talk about Symfony, an interesting PHP framework, which you will surely have heard about if you are part of the Tech world. 

If you are willing to learn a new programming language and PHP is in your target, sooner or later you will come across this framework. So, learn now everything you should know about Symfony, and all the benefits that this tool has to offer in the development world. 

A little bit about PHP 

Come on, if you want to learn about Symfony, it’s essential to know a little about the language from which it was born. 

PHP stands for Hypertext Preprocessor, and is a very popular programming language in the tech community. In fact, its use is so deeply rooted in the developer user, that it's difficult to think of any developer who doesn't have at least some basic notions about the use of this language, which can even be complemented with HTML. 

It’s an open source language, so anyone can learn it and use it, and it’s very useful for the development of websites. 

Some of the most outstanding features of this language are: 

• It’s an excellent learning option if you are new to the world of programming and this is due to its extensive documentation, which you can access thanks to a very active community that is always willing to help.

• If you are not fluent in English, it’s also a fairly intuitive language that doesn’t require you to be an expert to understand what you are programming. 

• You have a lot of development tools. From being able to create totally remote servers, to local ones. Some tools are even for academic use to facilitate your learning and development functions. 

• The labor demand for a PHP expert is long and extensive. It’s one of the most popular languages thanks to its great use in the development of highly complex websites, so if you decide to learn it, you will have a job for many years to come. 

• It’s an object-oriented programming language, which allows you to divide your scripts into classes and methods. This is essential, especially in data processing. 

• You can make use of PHP's own extensive library, where you’ll have access to useful tools and resources for the development of your applications. This is very useful for the time it takes to develop applications. 

• It’s quite clean code and will not require unnecessary lines of code thanks to the View/Controller model (MVC). 

• You can run PHP code on any operating system whose device can execute the necessary code. 

PHP is a language that came to revolutionize the world of software development, where companies like Facebook make use of this language for data processing and the stability of their sites, in addition to other major references such as Wordpress.

What is a Framework?

Before going directly to the topic at hand, in this case Symfony, it’s essential that you understand what a framework is, since we will be talking about one, precisely. 

Said in a clear and very precise way, a framework works as a working template. That is, it’s a structure or pre-programmed work environment that developers can use to facilitate their software development because it has the necessary features for the software in question. 

To exemplify, imagine that you have some objectives in mind that you want your application or program to do once completed. 

Well,taking into account these objectives and the characteristics of your application, you can make use of one or several frameworks that are oriented to what you need. 

There are several types of frameworks and with many possibilities for the developer. So in these cases, what is recommended is to know each framework of a type of language, and to be able to use the one that best suits your needs. 

Now we won't make you wait any longer, it's time to meet our star framework today...

What is Symfony? 

It can be said that Symfony is nothing more than a very specialized framework that is part of the PHP language and is intended to be Full-Stack. The reason? Simple, it offers a variety of tools and components of total independence and whose purposes will also have various benefits. 

You can program from really simple software, such as low-profile websites, as it’s also designed to develop a highly complex application, or with a very personalized service. 

It should be noted that Symfony is a free software framework, that is, free and accessible to the general public. So if you are interested in learning, you can do it at any time, having at the same time a large number of training tutorials ideal for you to develop as a professional. 

Imagine the following: 

You are a developer who is looking for active projects to test your skills. 

In that sense, if you learn PHP, and you know Symfony, you learn that it’s a framework that goes a lot further and has become a working environment that has built a huge community and a lot of workflow. 

You start to learn about its features and benefits, you start to operate Symfony, and you realize that you can even participate in annual conventions dedicated especially to this framework. 

Have you ever imagined something of such magnitude just by learning how to use this tool? 

Well, now you know! And Symfony is waiting for you. 

Symfony features 

This framework has many, many aspects that need to be highlighted to prove its usefulness and popularity. Here are some features that can be mentioned in this regard: 

1. Free use and documentation 

The use of the code and components of the environment are available for free use, so you can already get an idea of the great possibilities that this means. 

In addition, as if that were not enough, each project has the ability to be documented, being able to create special libraries with tutorials that will help other people with the development of their own applications, websites or projects in general. 

2. You will meet ambitious projects 

As it is an open source software, you’ll be surprised to know the whole list of ongoing and completed projects. 

Users who have created improved versions of Symfony, such as Symfony 2 and whose purpose is the development of highly complex applications, is one of the best examples. 

But we can already assure you that there will be more than a few projects that you will be aware of. 

3. A very active community 

If you are a developer or have a fondness for the tech world, we are more than sure that you will know GitHub. According to this platform, Symfony is one of the most active and functional PHP projects today. 

There’s a community that comes across many activities every day and are participants in multiple projects. If you want to be a witness of various projects in which the community is always aware and participating, Symfony is what you need. 

4. Useful components 

Symfony is built in such an efficient way that the components and tools that make it up are of an enviable quality. 

Projects like Grupal 8, are based on a framework like Symfony, so you can get an idea of the possibilities it offers. 

5. Periodic conferences 

If you want to level up, and be part of the Symfony community in person, then you can not miss the conferences dedicated to this framework that are held around the world. 

To imagine that the impact of this environment has reached such an extent that it has become one of the largest communities in the world has to say a lot about its efficient purposes and achievements. 

Who can use Symfony? 

Yes, we know, we have already clarified on previous occasions that it’s a totally free and open source software, so anyone can make use of it. 

However, it should be noted that the question is more directed towards a specific audience that can benefit from its utilities. And in this case, both system administrators, as well as technical engineers and of course, more casual user profiles.

• Security is a very important issue for Symfony. One more reason for large companies and the best programmers in the world to be aware of its importance. 

• Many useful tools have been developed thanks to Symfony, such as Composer and Capifony. On the one hand, Capifony seeks to reduce or simplify the deployment of applications created in Symfony, and with respect to Composer, it’s dedicated to the installation and management of PHP dependencies. 

• You will have graphical tools and code debugging consoles to solve errors that may arise during the development of an application or program. 

• Do you need applications for commercial use? It will also be possible with Symfony! Thanks to its MIT license. 

• Symfony is a project with a lot of experience behind it, since 2005. So this project is more than worked and studied, improving its capabilities and available tools. 

• There are hardly any companies in the world that do not make use of this language, so you can already get an idea of its labor demand. 

• Project development is genuine and efficient thanks to its active community. 

All this is what the technology community thinks about Symfony, different professionals in the tech world, such as systems engineers, technicians and even non-technical people, speak highly of the efficiency of the framework. 

Common uses of Symfony 

As you may already know, the most popular and well-known use of this framework is the development of web pages, both simple and complex. 

The reason for this is quite simple, and is due to its large number of working templates. 

Creating a website that meets your needs is really easy. But if you want to get creative and show what you are made of, you can either create one from scratch or upgrade the templates to a professional level. 

Another of its uses, and one that is gaining more and more ground nowadays, is the creation of APIs. And it’s not for less, compatibility today between devices and components is essential. 

And these are some of its most common uses, however, keep in mind that both the development of web pages and API's, the limit is placed by you, from its functions, to features, stability, updates, everything ...

What are you waiting for? It's time for you to prove that Symfony is made for you. 

If you have found the information useful, or consider it to be of great value, don't forget to share it with your tech-loving friends. 

Have you used Symfony in the past, how was your experience? See you in the comments!