Choosing the right framework for a new project is very important—using one significantly improves the application development process. Symfony is an extremely popular framework among PHP developers. In this article, we present its distinctive features.
Symfony is a flexible solution for your company
By using Symfony, the team of programmers building solutions for your company can significantly reduce the time it takes to develop your application, or make it easier to modify code and add new features to existing solutions. Its many advantages include flexibility, which allows programmers to create fully customized solutions tailored to your business needs.
With this framework, programmers create modern, sophisticated websites and scalable web applications. Symfony can be an excellent technology, especially when, for example, you want to create a completely new application. One of the most important features of applications and websites programmed in Symfony is their flexibility and the ability to easily modify or extend the code that has been created. The many available bundles (libraries) make it possible to add new features efficiently. Using them also ensures that the various components of your application work together correctly.
Regular updates ensure the package remains secure and efficient. The code is very clear, so new programmers joining the team will have no trouble understanding it and continuing work on the application. This means that after a business solution has been created, it can be adjusted or enhanced with additional features at any time if the company’s growth creates demand for new functionality. And acquiring solutions created by another company in Symfony is no problem.
Developers can use this framework to create specific features and build customized solutions for your existing websites and applications, enabling them to perform many tasks essential to the day-to-day management of a company. In short, flexibility means a developer can work quite effectively with Symfony on small, large, simple, or complex projects. Choose this framework if your project requires an individual approach and solutions to specific problems your company is facing.
Strong community support and extensive documentation
There are several reasons why developers choose Symfony for complex, long-term projects. Open-source technologies evolve dynamically through the efforts of their users, who generally have free access to technical support. The established community of programmers using PHP and Symfony can often answer the questions of developers who run into difficulties with their projects. Sharing knowledge makes it possible to solve tasks related to creating, modifying, and managing an application quickly.
It is no coincidence that users of the framework can count on regular updates and support. Symfony’s excellent documentation also makes programmers’ work easier—not every framework has documentation as well prepared as Symfony’s.
Easy code testing
Code development carries the risk of introducing errors, which is why testing the code you have written is extremely important. When using this framework, programmers have access to a debug panel that displays information relevant to the work being done on the website, making it easier and faster to find and fix errors. Symfony simplifies creating and testing code because it includes built-in testing tools. These make it possible to create software in accordance with the principles of Test-Driven Development (TDD).
Symfony makes it possible to create functional tests efficiently. These involve checking whether a given part of the system works correctly by sending data to it. Such an element of an application could be, for example, a subpage or a separate website. During this type of test, the developer checks whether a piece of code performs its basic functions. Unit testing is carried out on individual functions, methods, or objects to ensure that everything works as it should—and to make sure the application will continue to work well in the future, even if it is expanded with additional features.
MVC—the benefits of a layered architecture
A defining feature of Symfony is its MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture. Of course, this is not unique to Symfony—other popular frameworks, such as AngularJS and React, use it too—but it is worth explaining what this architecture is and why it is an advantage of Symfony.
Using the MVC pattern divides an application into three independent layers:
• model—the description of data structures and the relationships between them,
• view—the interface seen by the application’s user,
• controller—the layer through which data is exchanged between the model and view layers.
What are the benefits of developing an application or web platform in an environment that uses this pattern? Such an application is easier to manage because each of its logical parts is separate from the others. Making a change in one place does not necessarily mean making numerous changes elsewhere. By separating the view layer from the model, changes to the part visible to the user can be made freely and at a lower cost.
The elements used to build applications in Symfony are called bundles. These are packages of files whose installation makes it possible to add various features to a platform or application (for example, a messenger or a shopping cart). Symfony’s modular structure is an undeniable advantage—developers can use only the bundles they need for a particular project. This means fewer unnecessary elements that could reduce the performance and security of an application (or website). Each bundle has its own detailed documentation. These elements make it so easy to add new modules. Symfony therefore lets you create a project that is perfectly suited to any business.
Using Symfony: the Training Realm application example
The developers complete many projects using Symfony. For example, they used this framework to create the Training Realm web application. This product, which lets users create workout schedules and adjust exercise difficulty to their skill level, stands out from other applications of its kind. Training Realm is built using Angular and Symfony—technologies that make it possible to iterate quickly and adapt the application to each user’s individual requirements. Symfony was used to build the application’s backend because it provides fast and efficient REST APIs.
Training Realm is a PWA (Progressive Web App). This means it provides a highly satisfying experience regardless of the operating system used on your device. The application’s content is saved in your phone’s memory, so you can access it when you visit the website again while offline. More and more internet users are using these kinds of services on smartphones, which is why the developers created the application with these users in mind. They also made sure it had a high-quality design adapted for larger monitors—especially for those who want to see their current workout plan on a personal computer screen.
Is Symfony the ideal framework for your company?
It is worth considering this technology, no matter how complex your project may be. Symfony can be a good technology for creating simple or complex web applications, or specific features you need. There is no doubt that if you need a customized solution developed specifically for your company, Symfony development services may be the best choice, since it is one of the platforms that gives developers tremendous freedom to create business solutions.
