Laravel vs Django – Which Back-end Web Framework to Choose?

• To develop web applications in a limited budget
• Back-end framework that helps to achieve scalability
• Developers to create a product easily with wide-ranging features

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Tabular Comparison: Laravel vs Django

What is the Laravel Web Framework?

What is Django Web Framework?

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Django vs Laravel: In-depth Difference Comparison Between Django and Laravel

1. Django vs Laravel: Learning Curve

   Is Django easier to learn? Since Django is a Python-based framework; it doesn’t require much effort to learn. Python is developer-friendly, uses an object-oriented approach, and was developed with the aim to help programmers write clear business logic code. Moreover, the readability and other structural elements of Python are designed to be easy to understand; it is a great language for beginners. Developers just need to learn the basics of Python to start with Django development. Is Laravel easier to learn? Comparing it with Django, Laravel has a steep learning curve. You need to know the fundamentals of web development, PHP, object-oriented programming, SQL databases to learn Laravel. PHP attributes follow syntax like case-sensitive variable names, semicolons to terminate the statement make Laravel difficult to learn compared to Django.
   Who is the winner? Django is a winner as you need only basic knowledge of Python and web-working to start with Django.

2. Django vs Laravel: Application Architecture

   What kind of architecture does Django support? Django is based on model-view-template architecture. But what is MVT? How is it different from widely known MVC – model view controller architecture? Let’s understand with an example: Developers have to display a list of books in the library stored in a table named books. MVC (Model View Controller) Architecture: Developers need to write the business logic code to fetch the list of books from the database, write the presentation layer – HTML and CSS, map it with a URL and send it to the user. MVT (Model View Template) Architecture: Developers do not have to write the code about fetching the data from the database and mapping it with the URL. This activity is done by the framework itself. The only thing developers need to tell the framework is what data is to be presented to the user (Book table). The framework then creates a view of the data and sends it to the user. So, coming to the point, Django takes care of the controller part, and developers need to code only a template. Templates is an HTML code that is used to render data. The contents of these files can be static or dynamic. What kind of architecture does Laravel support? Laravel supports MVC model-view-architecture. Each of these components has independent jobs, and they can work separately without affecting each other. However, in MVC, developers have to write the control-specific code. Generally, Laravel is suitable for developing large applications but less likely for developing small applications.
   Who is the winner? Here Django wins the race; since it supports MVT architecture, modifications can be easily made and can be used to develop both small and large applications.

3. Django vs Laravel: Scalability

   Is Django scalable? The volume traffic of Instagram is enough to answer the scalability of Django. For achieving scalability, optimization of elements like images, CSS, and HTML is necessary. Django provides these operations and even achieves scalability through cloud solutions. Thus, it is one of the best frameworks when the website wants to achieve scalability. Is Laravel scalable? Laravel applications can be scaled without any limitations. Laravel scales the number of requests by load balancing with a load balancer like HAProxy, database by MySQL cluster, and implementing an authentication scheme using token-based authentication. Laravel simplifies hosting upgradation as the traffic grows and provides enough space to save data in the server.
   Who is the winner? Laravel: Although both the frameworks are equally compatible in terms of scalability and can handle the traffic with ease, Laravel is more scalable as it is a stateless application and can deploy on multiple servers.

4. Django vs Laravel: Testing

   Is Django good for testing? Testing is not an issue with the Django framework. Django offers tools and functionalities which simplify the testing process. Developers just have to simulate requests, insert test data, inspect the application’s output, and verify the code. The preferred way to write tests in Django is using a unit test module built-in into the Python standard library. Here is a testing document of Django which makes it easy to develop a bug-free application. Is Laravel good for testing? In Laravel, there are two ways to test the app; one is with unit testing, while the other is with feature testing. The unit test focuses on a small, isolated portion of code and enables you to test your classes models and controllers. Feature testing tests a larger portion of the code, including several objects interacting with each other or even a full HTTP request to a JSON endpoint. Laravel also provides various testing tools and documentation that make the testing easy.
   Who is the winner? Tie: Both the frameworks help test the application without any problem under increasing traffic. However, with both frameworks, your solution has to go with different testing to ensure compliance with the UI standards, compatibility, and usability.

5. Django vs Laravel: Supported Libraries

   Does Django have library support? Django is a “batteries included” web framework that means this framework is fully loaded with ready-to-use features; developers don’t need other solutions for the common tasks. Django contains extensive packages and reusable features that are suitable for developing wide-ranging projects. Moreover, other Python libraries developers can use with Django are Django Rest Framework, Django-cors-headers, Django Filters, and Django Storages. Django Packages is a directory of reusable apps, sites, tools that developers require to develop Django projects. Does Laravel have library support? Laravel even has a set of libraries that enables developers to build applications with less hassle. Laravel libraries make development easier by simplifying the common practices used in developing major projects such as packages, modules, plug-ins, and components. One of the great advantages of the Laravel library is that it provides access to all the features that the framework offers to its host application, including routing, migrations, tests, and view features.
   Who is the winner? Tie: Both Django and Laravel have an extensive set of libraries that make the developer’s work easier.

6. Django vs Laravel: Database Support

   Does Django provide Django support? Django officially supports the databases such as PostgreSQL, Maria DB, MySQL, Oracle, and SQLite. In addition to these databases, backends like CockroachDB, Firebird, Google Cloud Spanner, and Microsoft SQL provided by third parties enable the developer to use it with Django. With this, developers can efficiently store the project’s data and organize it effectively. Does Laraevl provide database support? Laravel officially supports the databases like PostgreSQL, Maria DB, MySQL, Oracle, and SQLite. It makes interacting with the databases easy as it supports fluent query builder and Eloquent ORM (object-relational mapping) along with the raw SQL. Both databases help in retrieving records from the database table and streamlining the database operations. Moreover, it protects your application against SQL injection attacks and enables developers to connect with most databases.
   Who is the winner? Tie: Both the databases are efficient as both reduce the loss of data, reuse the data in the short, medium, and long term, and even help in manipulating the databases as and when needed.

7. Django vs Laravel: Marketshare and Popularity

   The market share and popularity of both frameworks are increasing steadily due to the ease in testing, performance, and scalability. Let’s check both by numbers. According to stack share,
   • Django has 128K Stacks 24.9K Followers 3.9K Votes
   • Laravel has 21.1K Stacks 17.1K Followers 3.6K Votes
   

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8. According to Google Trends, in Canada, the number of users using Laravel is less compared to the number of users in Django.

   

   Image Source: Google Trends

   Who is the winner? Django: Although both the frameworks are popular, Django wins the race. Developers of Canada use Django more in comparison with Laravel.
   Until now, you have understood the comprehensive differences between Django and Laravel. However, Laravel and Django are both backend frameworks; they have many similarities. After understanding the significant differences, let’s go through the shared similarities between Django and Laravel.

What is Common Between Laravel and Django?

1. Both the frameworks help to achieve scalability and reuse the code
2. Both help with auto queries of databases and provide easy to handle databases
3. Both have the packages and libraries to enhance the web applications
4. Both have large communities, which means problems or errors can be resolved easily
5. Both are easy to install and provide complete documentation, making it easier for beginners
6. Both are cross-platform frameworks and can be used on various operating systems like Windows, Linux, Unix, etc., along with other web servers like NGINX or Apache

Laravel vs Django: When to Choose?

When to Choose Django?

You can choose Django if

1. You are looking to develop an API backend
2. You have no boundaries in the budget and want to develop a large-scale application
3. You want to deploy the application faster and make quick changes
4. You want your application to be secured from vulnerabilities like SQL injection, Clickjacking, and XSS
5. You are looking for API backend and web app in the same application
6. You need operational-relational mapping support in the database
7. You want to build a data-driven application for the travel, food, and hospitality industries
8. You have an application that focuses on data analysis and visualization

When to Choose Laravel?

You can choose Laravel if

1. You want to develop the web application or the back-end of the application
2. You have a limited budget and looking to develop large-scale or small-scale applications
3. When you are in less hurry to deploy the applications
4. You want to develop an interactive website that handles more traffic
5. Security is the primary concern for your web application
6. You require an excellent documented framework with constant community support

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