It is quite a challenge to find the right technology stack for a web application or development project. That said, PHP and ASP.Net are two popular frameworks or programming languages among the web development services. However, considering the comparison and choices, the decision between ASP.NET and PHP is always conflicting. Therefore, to define what is right for your project, run through the lines below and know more about the differences, functions and a lot more about ASP.NET and PHP. 

ASP.NET And PHP

ASP.NET is Microsoft’s open-source, server-side web application framework. It is designed to build dynamic web pages, applications and services. ASP.NET stands for Active Server Pages Network Enabled Technologies. Its first release was in January 2002. 

PHP or Hypertext Preprocessor is a general-purpose server-side scripting language designed for web development. Its first release was made in June 1995 by its creator Rasmus Lerdorf. 

Thus, the above mentions make a basic difference between ASP.NET and PHP. 

Difference Between ASP.Net And PHP

Both ASP.NET and PHP are excellently suitable to use, however each have a comparatively few disadvantages. Here are a few differences between ASP.NET and PHP. 

• Speed and Performance

Comparatively in speed, PHP performs faster for desktop applications than ASP.NET which is slower and not entirely suitable for developing desktop applications. 

On the other hand, ASP.NET provides great performance ability delivering a fast and efficient solution for users. This is due to the compiled coding which is more accurate and systematic.

• Flexibility

Another significant difference is that ASP.NET runs only on the Windows Platform, whereas PHP is platform-independent and can run on any platform, such as Linux, UNIX, macOS X, and Windows. Hence, due to this PHP audience is so large, and its community is so powerful. As PHP tends to side on UI and Client side, it has the ability to customise. However, as ASP.NET is more focused on security and functionality, it does not have much flexibility to customise. 

• Tools and Editors

Although ASP.NET developers mostly rely on Microsoft’s Visual Studio Editor, there are a wide range of functional editors to develop .NET applications. It is because PHP and MySQL are editor-independent. 

Meantime, ASP.NET provides lots of tools and in-built features allowing the developers to build websites without issues.

• Security

PHP and ASP.NET provide security features but differently. ASP.NET is focused on functionality and security, hence it comes with such a built-in security feature as SQL injection. PHP is focused on UI and client side, so it provides only tools to structure the applications securely. 

In this regard, most PHP developers are inclined to overlook security features, thus resulting in app vulnerabilities. 

• Community Support

Since PHP is a pure open-source project, there is a large community who supports it. Additionally, It is backed by Zend Technology. As for ASP.NET, it is supported by Microsoft. PHP have a strong community support, however, some complicated projects require professional help and immediate solutions. 

• Database Support

PHP supports every process and platform and so does with Databases. It is integer-able, scalable, and supports databases, including MySQL. For instance, WordPress is a most common database. In the case of ASP.NET, it supports only for window-based projects. 

• Fixing Bugs and Problems

It is true that while building a website, you will face a lot of challenges and issues. It is easier to fix bugs and issues with PHP than ASP.NET which is a little tougher. 

• Cost Factor

PHP is open source and free of charge and thus, it is more cost-effective. However ASP.NET comes with cost factors for MS Windows Server, MS SQL and for other upgrades, although it is free when you have the Windows OS. It provides only free web hosting.

ASP.NET Uses, Merits and Demerits

ASP.NET supports large to medium size enterprise applications. It is used in: 

• Enterprise level websites
• Enterprise level CRMs
• ERP Apps
• Console applications

The merits of using ASP.NET is that:

• It is highly scalable. It also notifies error before compilation,
• It is suitable for enterprise or windows application development,
• It offers the best UI for developers,
• It includes built-in caching features, and
• Is supported by all programming languages.

Demerits of ASP.NET

• Tougher to learn,
• Comparatively expensive,
• It is based on closed source technology,
• It has low community hence, less community support.

PHP Uses, Merits and Demerits

Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) supports small to medium size web solutions and can be embedded into Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML). It is used in:

• Independable Software Vendors (ISVs),
• Small or medium business websites,
• Billing/Invoicing websites,
• Startups, CRMs etc.

The merits of PHP:

• It is suitable for huge projects.
• Easy communication with different databases.
• It is highly customizable.
• It is secure and protects websites from security attacks.
• It can be learned easily.

The Demerits of PHP:

• It is not suitable for the development of desktop applications.
• There is a lack of opportunity to modify core behaviour.
• Too much customization gives rise to bugs.

Conclusions

Although, it is still confusing to decide which of the frameworks is better, the fact is that both of them are excellent in their own ways. However, it becomes simpler to choose between ASPN.NET and PHP when business and developers understand the exact technical requirements. Hence, they can estimate the benefits of each technology precisely. 

Therefore, we hope that the above comparison between the two languages ease you up to select the best for your needs. However, if the choice still leaves you devastated, you should contact a prestigious IT company to assist and help you decide the requirements for your web development project. 

We at Liangtuang Technologies facilitate such assistance to our clients, and so if you need any help we are just a call away to fix your decisions between PHP and ASP.NET. With a dedicated and expert developer team, we assure you that your projects will be in good hands in creating worthwhile solutions and outcomes.