PHP or Java? There is always some debate when it comes to choosing a language for enterprise app development. No matter which one you choose, there will always be two sides with software developers who state the advantage of one language over the other. The fact is that there are no good or bad languages; there are just languages that are more or less suitable for certain projects.
PHP and Java both are renowned and critically acclaimed programming languages for web app development at enterprise-level. PHP vs Java is not new in the domain of competing for the top programming languages. Java is a completely general-purpose programming language, and PHP on the other hand is typically a server-side scripting language. Java supports both server-side programs and client-side language while PHP only supports server-side language. Java code needs to be compiled carefully before execution, and it is a strongly typed language whereas PHP falls more into the category of dynamically typed language that doesn't require compilation of code. But when it comes to application security and architecture concepts, Java takes the lead. For this purpose, we have gathered information on Java and PHP, to identify the correlations and differences between both programming languages to give you a better perception of which one works for your business applications.
PHP vs Java comparison
To compare PHP and Java, we are going to highlight a few features and see how they are interpreted in both languages.
Types and purpose
Both Java and PHP are open-source and object-oriented. PHP is a server-side scripting language that was designed for web application development but can also be used for other purposes and make websites dynamic. Java web application development has the same role, it powers dynamic web applications, but it is a general-purpose and compiled programming language.
Java’s primary purpose is to allow writing code only once and use it on different platforms. The code runs at any device with Java Virtual Machine (JVM) installed. Being an interpreted language PHP runs on-the-go: code is sent to an interpreter, translated into machine’s language and executed. Java is a compiled language and works by source code converted into binary language so that JVM can recognise it and adapt to the operating system of a current device it's on. 
Application Security
This is a very notable detail, especially today when data matters more than ever and is largely digitized. A team of proficient and qualified software developers is capable of creating a reliable solution regardless of what language they use — PHP or Java. But Java is considered to be more reliable and to have more tools for enabling security. At the same time, it becomes difficult for low-level programming to protect the computer, Java may not allow performing some functions, so it is preferred for higher- grade apps. For the same reason, PHP-based apps can use shared hosting and for Java-based, dedicated hosting is just more ideal.
Development time and cost
The main goal of any business is to launch a quality product to the industry as fast and affordable as possible. All things considered, software development on PHP consumes less of your time and budget: the average cost of hiring PHP developers is lower than of Java’s, and the development process is much simpler and faster. But some business responsibilities are still adequately solved with the use of Java. So, the development speed and cost should be the least deciding factor to consider when choosing a programming language. Therefore we would not recommend you to sacrifice the quality for the sake of time and money restraint.
Performance and speed
While comparing the Java vs PHP performance, Java is undoubtedly a winner as it is faster and efficient than PHP when it comes to writing enterprise applications. Businesses require programmers to write complex enterprise software to be accessed by a large number of operators. While the updated versions of PHP allow PHP developers to speed up the process of writing applications, it also reduces memory consumption. Java, on the other hand, applies different threads to manage and process multiple instruction sequences faster and efficiently, that makes writing an enterprise application faster.
Language tool
The ease of enterprise application development primarily depends on the tools supported by the programming language. Java provides better editing, debugging and packing tools over PHP. Eclipse and Netbeans are the most popular IDEs used by software developers in a development environment for J2EE enterprise application development. Java also supports Intellij, Notepad++, DOS editors and other text editors that eventually improve the efficiency of the developers to write applications without any hassle. On the other hand, PHP has a plugin for Eclipse and Netbeans.
Onto their debugging capabilities, Java applications can be debugged by using all editors to make Java web development much faster, more convenient and fluent, whereas PHP can only debug the print statements. For packaging tools, PHP only works with packaging files, so there is no packaging concept here. While, Java supports several packaging tools including ANT, Maven, Editors, Web Start etc.
Ease of Learning
It’s never been easy to learn a new programming language in a short span, especially if it is a robust language with the steep learning curve. If you have written programs before and gone through its initial hurdles, then you will find it pretty easy to write enterprise applications in Java. As compared to PHP, Java is the language that uses more straightforward syntax closer to the English language with minimal symbols, making it more manageable for developers to read and write codes in Java.
Key differences between PHP and Java
- Java tech stack comprises Application Server, JVM, operating system, a webserver to run any application. PHP needs Apache Server/IIS, PHP Engine, Operating System and Web Server to run.
- Java is easier to communicate with any API, which is why we prefer Java for any future tool development. PHP has some restrictions in the concept of API calls, the only way API calling is possible through PHP is by switching to the higher version.
- Java has reflection concepts internally from the start, like Interface, repetitive classes, Abstract Class, or methods concepts. PHP lacks these kinds of concepts, the advanced version did introduce the same kind of concept, but it is still not as useful as Java.
- The page loading time of PHP pages is somehow lesser than JSP pages. Several tasks defined for the PHP engine are less complex than a JSP engine. Java solves this as it has a lot of options for performance tuning, one of them is by not writing any business logic or core java code inside the JSP pages.
- Several popular CMS tools like Drupal and WordPress have been written in PHP. Java is not that much of a page design tool but mainly used for enterprise app development that focuses on business logic or Object presentation concepts.
The Bottom line
Java and PHP have a lot of differences in their approach to custom web application development which makes both of them suitable for different goals. Java with enhanced security can use third-party API’s, so it is ideal for large and complex enterprise projects, for instance, in banking or supply chain industries. PHP is a low-cost and speedy way to the market and makes an excellent option for small enterprises that need a manageable solution like e-commerce or retail.
Which programming language to choose for your web app development should be based on the needs of your businesses? But for enterprise app development ventures, implementation of Java J2ee applications is a more fitting and non-compromising option.
Evon Technologies is a leading Software development and consulting company in India with expert Java developers and have helped so many businesses around the world by offering custom J2ee development and device-independent web portals with our architecture and W3C compliance. Our team of developers is proficient in Apache Camel, RabbitMQ & ActiveMQ and our broad knowledge of WSDL, UDDI, XML / XML Schema helps us integrate your diverse system. We have experience working on reporting frameworks like Jasper Reports and Pentaho that helps in building most advanced reports and Business Intelligence applications. Contact or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to hire Java developers and get the best of the latest J2EE web development.