PHP vs. Java: Which Is Right for Your App?

PHP and Java are both popular programming languages that were born out of the mid-1990s. As the internet and web apps have evolved, both languages have grown and adapted. In this blog, I compare PHP vs. Java for web development to help you decide which language is right for your web app. I give a brief overview and history of each, and then break down the similarities, outline the differences, and offer insights on when to choose PHP vs. Java.

PHP vs. Java: Overview

When deciding between PHP vs. Java for web development, it’s important to understand the basic offerings of each. While both are high-performing backend languages, they serve different purposes and deliver distinctive results for end users.

What Is PHP?

PHP is a server-side scripting language used across web applications, e-commerce sites, and within DevOps toolchains. One of the most popular scripting applications used by DevOps teams, PHP comes with an easy learning curve, a robust and active community, and can be quickly adopted by most developers.

First conceived of in 1994, PHP offers versatile and compatible functionality with a variety of content management systems, web servers, and other environments. It can run on most platforms, including Linux, Microsoft Windows, and proprietary platforms such as IBM i. 

Due to its fast learning curve and range of powerful frameworks, PHP is a go-to choice for both backend and full-stack developers. Additionally, as PHP is an open source language, ample resources and support are available to developers currently learning PHP or seeking to expand their PHP skillset.

What Is Java?

Java is a backend object-oriented programming language used for developing and building multi-platform and web applications. Java compiles its code into bytecode, which is then executed by the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). While it was originally conceived as a language to enable embedded applications in small devices such as microwaves and remote controls, it has since expanded beyond its roots.

The original version of the Java language, Oak, was conceived in 1992 as a follow-on to C++ with two very important improvements. The first was memory management. By taking memory allocation away from the developer and creating the “garbage collector,” programmers were freed from worrying about memory allocation – although memory usage would still be a concern. 

The second architectural revolution about Java was that it should run anywhere. Unlike C++, Java does not need to understand the device on which it is running, making it an attractive option for many cross-platform applications and systems.

Is Java Better Than PHP?

No, Java is not better than PHP, just different. However, it is an extremely popular language. Java came along at the perfect time, right as academia was teaching COBOL, FORTAN, and Pascal for “Data Processing” classes, and Computer Science was just beginning to slowly emerge from Math curriculum. Java brought in just the right amount of OOP, memory safety, and strictness that academia jumped on it and has not let go for 30 years.

With that said, I see Python really starting to chip away at Java’s throne in the academic setting, and PHP continues to be the language for getting things done.

PHP vs. Java At-A-Glance

PHP vs. Java: Key Similarities

In the beginning, Java and PHP couldn’t be more different. But over the years, some alignment has occurred as each language has influenced the other. Many aspects of Java have been adopted by PHP – like strict typing – while Java 21 finally introduced a revised main() method very similar to PHP’s functional model.

Other similarities exist between PHP vs. Java, particularly around the operating model of each language. Both have a JIT compiler, and they both share a C derivative syntax, making the move from each rather smooth. Both PHP and Java have very powerful frameworks, but we’ll address this below while discussing differences. Finally, both PHP and Java have very powerful and active communities working to contribute additional packages: PHP using PEAR and Packagist via Composer, and Java leveraging Maven.

PHP vs. Java: Key Differences

There are several major differences when comparing PHP vs. Java. So significant are these that I wonder if there is a fair comparison – while both are very powerful tools, it is somewhat like comparing a power drill to a table saw. Still, they both offer excellent results for modern web apps, and developers often find themselves caught between the two languages.

Variables

Let's start our comparison of PHP vs. Java for backend by addressing the elePHPant in the room: variables.

Java requires all variables to be strictly typed. While PHP is moving in this direction, it is still a very forgiving language in regard to dynamic data typing. Many Java developers, as a result, find it a challenge to navigate the dynamic typing of PHP. In addition, these developers love to poke fun at the “$” that is used to identify variables in PHP. Having developed in both languages, I find the dollar sign a very convenient feature when scanning through the code. As Guido Von Rossum surmised some time ago, “Code is read far more often than it is written.”

PHP vs. Java Performance

When comparing PHP vs. Java, performance must always be taken into account. Java is compiled while PHP is interpreted…sort of, as Java compiles into bytecode, which is then interpreted by the JVM. This abstraction gives Java its cross-platform ubiquity. PHP is essentially interpreted, but it is interpreted into bytecode as well. This bytecode can be cached to eliminate the need for repetitive interpretations on high-volume sites.

The features above will level comparisons of PHP vs. Java performance capabilities. However, Java’s sheer verbosity regarding its code style does seem to add heft to even the most minimal applications. Add in the desire for a web application server, and the memory footprint grows and grows.

Another aspect of comparing PHP vs. Java performance is threading. Many people talk about Java threading features, which it needs to address performance bottlenecks and concurrency. PHP also supports threading, but it may not be widely used as the language typically processes individual page requests in sub-second response times. This means it is rarely used in a batch environment. In my opinion, while Java really depends on threads for some of its performance processing, PHP only uses them for when the application requires that level of safety.

Developer Career Opportunities

The w3techs website indicates that PHP leads in usage, with 76% of websites using the language. Java, meanwhile, comes in fourth place with a mere 5% of websites. At the same time, a recent CodeNinja article indicated that there are about 17 million Java developers compared to 6.3 million PHP developers. I think you can draw a lot of inferences from these statistics, most notably that many Java developers are at work on internal applications compared to public-facing applications. Additionally, with most colleges and universities basing their curricula on Java, there is a built-in feeder system for new developers.

Time to Market

Time to market also factors in when deciding between PHP vs. Java for web development. PHP applications can typically be scaffolded either by hand or by using a popular framework like Laravel, Symfony, or Laminas in mere minutes, while Java infrastructure tends to be much more laborious, depending on a framework like Spring and the desire to leverage Web Application Servers like Tomcat. With that said, once the DevOps pipeline is built, this should be a negligible statistic until someone needs to build a new environment or revise an existing one.

When to Use PHP vs. Java for Web Development

You can build amazing websites using either PHP or Java. But, as I like to ask, “How hard do you want to work?” PHP seems more adept at web workload since that was and is its core purpose. However, you wouldn’t catch me trying to build a client-based application in PHP, because that is what Java does so well. 

At the same time, Java’s original design was intended for small device programming, and building web pages is a bit of an arduous task. Many shops choose to use a Web Application Server like Tomcat, which facilitates the execution of dynamic content. Meanwhile, PHP only asks for the basic stack.

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Final Thoughts

In conclusion, comparing PHP vs. Java ultimately comes down to your goals, as each language was created to address a different purpose. If your website needs to go live quickly and be easily modified as your business evolves, then choose PHP. If you are seeking advanced front-end features paired with a focus on automatic memory management, then choose Java. Whichever you decide, both offer flexibility and powerful results in a range of applications.

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Additional Resources

• Free Training Course – Installing PHP
• Free Training Course – PHP Basics
• On-Demand Webinar – Developing Robust 12-Factor Web Applications: Best Practices and Strategies
• Blog – PHP vs. JavaScript for Web Applications: Comparing Benefits and Use Cases
• Blog – PHP vs. Python
• Blog – PHP vs. Node.js: What’s Best for Your Web App?
• Blog - How To Use PHP and ReactJS To Build Modern Web Apps