PHP & Web Development Blogs

Welcome back! If you're new to this series have a look at Part 1 here

Today we are going to beef things up a bit and we will focus on the backend and some key CMS functionality.

It's time to get excited, this is where you'll start to see your barebones structure morph into something extraordinary!

Tired of my intro? That's ok! Let's jump into it!

Getting the DB on board

Before we delve into this, it's imperative that we take a minute and plan things out.

The database tables that are vital to any CMS are the menu, the user table, and the content table.

Our menu table will start of as follows:

CREATE TABLE 'mydbname'.'menus' ( 'ID' INT(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT , 'menuname' VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL , 'item' VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL , 'itemlink' VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL , PRIMARY KEY ('ID')) ENGINE = MyISAM COMMENT = 'menu table';

Let's break this down a bit.

In the SQL above, we're creating a new table called menus.

Essentially our structure looks like this:

ID | Menuname | Item | Itemlink

Our ID field is our unique identifier (our PRIMARY KEY).

Tip: Remember, you can use raw SQL or a tool like PhpMyAdmin to create your db tables/execute SQL queries.

Next up is our user table.

CREATE TABLE 'mydbname'.'users' ( 'ID' INT(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT , 'username' VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL , 'password' VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL , 'email' VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL , PRIMARY KEY ('ID')) ENGINE = MyISAM COMMENT = 'user table';

Visually represented this structure looks like this:

ID | Username | Password | Email

Our ID field is our unique identifier.

And finally, our content table modifications. You probably remember creating a rudimentary content table in Part 1 of the series.

ALTER TABLE 'mydbname'.'content' ADD content_type VARCHAR(50);

Yep, you guessed right, in the above statement we are altering our content table and adding a new field called content type.

Our new table structure now looks like this:

ID | Title | Content | Author | Content Type

Planning to Add to the Backend

Next , we're going to add a menu section, an add user section, and we'll also modify our content section.

Let's do this! reate a file called menus.php in your backend folder.

Next, code a HTML form to save your menu data.

The form needs the following fields:

Menu Name (we called this menuname in our db table).

Menu Item Name (we called this item in our db table).

Menu Link (we called this itemlink in our db table).

Try to follow Part 1 to do this on your own.

If you get a little stuck, that's ok. You can also follow the example below:

<form method="post" action="<?php $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'];?>"/>

<input type="text" name="menuname" class="mytextbox" placeholder="Menu Name" required />

<input type="text" name="item" class="mytextbox" placeholder="Item" required />

<input type="text" name="itemlink" class="mytextbox" placeholder="Item Link" required />

<input type="submit" value="Save Menu Item" name="savemenu" class="mybutton"/>

</form>
 

Notice the use of CSS classes? The gravy!

This will come in handy in our next tutorial.

Next, let's add the form processing code as we need to save these fields to the database. Remember to use the sanitization technique you learned in Part 2.

Add this above your <form> tag.

<?php

if(isset($_POST['savemenu'])){

include('../includes/conn.php');

if ($letsconnect->connect_error) {

die("Your Connection failed: " . $letsconnect->connect_error);

}else{

$menuname = $letsconnect ->real_escape_string($_POST['menuname']);

$item = $letsconnect -> real_escape_string($_POST['item']);

$itemlink = $letsconnect->real_escape_string($_POST['itemlink']);

$sql = "INSERT INTO menus(menuname,item,itemlink) VALUES ('".$menuname."', '".$item."', '".$itemlink."')";

if (mysqli_query($letsconnect, $sql)) {

echo "Your data was saved successfully!";

} else { echo "Error: " . $sql . "" . mysqli_error($letsconnect);

} $letsconnect->close();

}

}

?>

Ok phew, the menu data capturing section is done.

Let's move on to the user data capturing section, and modify the content capturing screen.

Repeat the steps above and create these two screens. Remember to keep an eye out for our database field names that we defined earlier! If you get stuck, look at the end result below:

Create adduser.php in your backend folder.

Create your data capturing form.

<form method="post" action="<?php $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'];?>"/>

<input type="text" name="username" class="mytextbox" placeholder="Username" required/>

<input type="password" name="password" class="mytextbox" placeholder="Password" required />

<input type="email" name="email" class="mytextbox" placeholder="Email" required />

<input type="submit" value="Save Menu Item" name="saveuser" class="mybutton"/>

</form>

Add your PHP processing code, remember the security!

Add this above your <form> tag.

<?php

if(isset($_POST[‘saveuser])){

include('../includes/conn.php');

if ($letsconnect->connect_error) {

die("Your Connection failed: " . $letsconnect->connect_error);

}else{

$menuname = $letsconnect -> real_escape_string($_POST[‘username']);

$item = $letsconnect -> real_escape_string($_POST[‘password']);

$itemlink = $letsconnect -> real_escape_string($_POST[‘email']);

$sql = "INSERT INTO menus(username,password,email) VALUES ('".$username."', '".$password."', '".$email."')";

if (mysqli_query($letsconnect, $sql)) {

echo "Your data was saved successfully!";

} else { echo "Error: " . $sql . "" . mysqli_error($letsconnect);

} $letsconnect->close();

}

}

?>

Please note that I will be covering Password security in the tutorials that follow.

Make sure that you are using your localhost server to complete this tutorial series. Do not publish your work until you complete this series.

Lastly, let's move to our content capturing screen which is currently found in index.php in the backend folder.

We will be changing this to a more professional dashboard in the tutorials that follow!
Our current file looks like this:

<html>

<head><title>Backend - Capture Content</title></head>

<body>

<?php

if(isset($_POST['savedata'])){

include('../includes/conn.php');

if ($letsconnect->connect_error) {

die("Your Connection failed: " . $letsconnect->connect_error);

}else{

$title = $letsconnect -> real_escape_string($_POST['title']);

$content = $letsconnect -> real_escape_string($_POST['content']);

$author = $letsconnect -> real_escape_string($_POST['author']);

$sql = "INSERT INTO content (title,content,author) VALUES ('".$title."', '".$content."', '".$author."')";

if (mysqli_query($letsconnect, $sql)) {

echo "Your data was saved successfully!";

} else { echo "Error: " . $sql . "" . mysqli_error($letsconnect);

} $letsconnect->close();

}

}

?>

<form action="<?php $_SERVER[‘PHP_SELF'];?>" method="post">

<input type="text" name="title" placeholder="Content Title here" required/>

<textarea name="content">Content Here</textarea>

<input type="text" name="author" placeholder="Author" required/>

<input type="submit" value="Save My Data" name="savedata"/>

</form>

</body>

</html>

We need to modify this slightly to include our new field, content_type.

Add the input field in your <form> above the submit button.

<input type="text" name="content_type" placeholder="Content Type" required/>;

Next, add the content_type to the sanitization lineup.

$content_type = $letsconnect->real_escape_string($_POST['content_type']);

Lastly, store this variable to the database by modifying the $sql.

$sql = "INSERT INTO content (title,content,author,content_type) VALUES ('".$title."', '".$content."', '".$author."', '".$content_type."')";

Conclusion

Chopping and changing is not always as daunting. Find a rhythm. There are many ways to make cumbersome coding a breeze and we will delve into that in the tutorials to come.

Challenge

Think of ways to test what we just did through retrieving and echoing data from the database.

Next Up: #CodeWithMe Part 5 Building a good base Continued

Every time I see this

$users = [new User(), new User()];

I see a lost opportunity to use Iterator.

Why Iterators?

Collections are an awesome way to organize your previously no-named array. There is a couple of reasons why you should use iterators. One of reason stays for behavior, you can specify exact behavior on standard calls such as next, current, valid etc. Other reason could be that you want to ensure that collection contains an only specific type of an object.

Understand a suffer from using an array of unknown value types.
Very common in the PHP world arrays are used to store all kind of data, in many dimensions in many nested forms. Arrays introduced infinite flexibility to the developer, but because of that, they become very evil.

Example:

- Your function (getUsers) returns an array of User objects.
- Another function (setUsersToActiveState) using getUsers output array and set all users active status to true.
- setUsersToActiveState loop through the array and expect to call a specific method on array item. For example, the method name is getActiveStatus.
- If given array is an array of desired objects which have a callable method getActiveStatus, all fine. But if not exception will be thrown.
- How we can ensure that given array is always an array of objects of a specific type?

public function getUsers(): array
{
 
 return $userArray;
}

public function setUsersToActiveState()
{
 $users = $this->getUsers();
 
 foreach ($users as $user) {
 if(!$user->getActiveStatus()) {
 $user->setActiveStatus(true);
 }
 }
}

There immediately two problems occurred.
    . One is the problem of type. Our IDE doesn't know what's inside array of $users, so because of that IDE can't suggest us how to use $user element. (I put this comment block above foreach, it works for phpStorm and I guess for some other IDEs)
    . Your colleagues! How they possibly know what's inside array if there is no any hint.
    . Bonus problem, getUsers can return literally any array and there won't be warning in the system.

Solution

class UsersCollection implements \IteratorAggregate
{
 
 private $users = [];

 public function getIterator() : UserIterator
 {
 return new UserIterator($this);
 }

 public function getUser($position)
 {
 if (isset($this->users[$position])) {
 return $this->users[$position];
 }

 return null;
 }

 public function count() : int
 {
 return count($this->users);
 }

 public function addUser(User $users)
 {
 $this->users[] = $users;
 }
}

class UserIterator implements \Iterator
{
 
 private $position = 0;

 
 private $userCollection;

 public function __construct(UsersCollection $userCollection)
 {
 $this->userCollection = $userCollection;
 }

 public function current() : User
 {
 return $this->userCollection->getUser($this->position);
 }

 public function next()
 {
 $this->position++;
 }

 public function key() : int
 {
 return $this->position;
 }

 public function valid() : bool
 {
 return !is_null($this->userCollection->getUser($this->position));
 }

 public function rewind()
 {
 $this->position = 0;
 }
}

Tests

Off course there is the tests to ensure that our Collection and Iterator works like a charm. For this example I using syntax for PHPUnit framework.

class UsersCollectionTest extends TestCase
{
 
 public function testUsersCollectionShouldReturnNullForNotExistingUserPosition()
 {
 $usersCollection = new UsersCollection();

 $this->assertEquals(null, $usersCollection->getUser(1));
 }

 
 public function testEmptyUsersCollection()
 {
 $usersCollection = new UsersCollection();

 $this->assertEquals(new UserIterator($usersCollection), $usersCollection->getIterator());

 $this->assertEquals(0, $usersCollection->count());
 }

 
 public function testUsersCollectionWithUserElements()
 {
 $usersCollection = new UsersCollection();
 $usersCollection->addUser($this->getUserMock());
 $usersCollection->addUser($this->getUserMock());

 $this->assertEquals(new UserIterator($usersCollection), $usersCollection->getIterator());
 $this->assertEquals($this->getUserMock(), $usersCollection->getUser(1));
 $this->assertEquals(2, $usersCollection->count());
 }

 private function getUserMock()
 {
 }
}


class UserIteratorTest extends MockClass
{
 
 public function testCurrent()
 {
 $iterator = $this->getIterator();
 $current = $iterator->current();

 $this->assertEquals($this->getUserMock(), $current);
 }

 
 public function testNext()
 {
 $iterator = $this->getIterator();
 $iterator->next();

 $this->assertEquals(1, $iterator->key());
 }

 
 public function testKey()
 {
 $iterator = $this->getIterator();

 $iterator->next();
 $iterator->next();

 $this->assertEquals(2, $iterator->key());
 }

 
 public function testValidIfItemInvalid()
 {
 $iterator = $this->getIterator();

 $iterator->next();
 $iterator->next();
 $iterator->next();

 $this->assertEquals(false, $iterator->valid());
 }

 
 public function testValidIfItemIsValid()
 {
 $iterator = $this->getIterator();

 $iterator->next();

 $this->assertEquals(true, $iterator->valid());
 }

 
 public function testRewind()
 {
 $iterator = $this->getIterator();

 $iterator->rewind();

 $this->assertEquals(0, $iterator->key());
 }

 private function getIterator() : UserIterator
 {
 return new UserIterator($this->getCollection());
 }

 private function getCollection() : UsersCollection
 {
 $userItems[] = $this->getUserMock();
 $userItems[] = $this->getUserMock();

 $usersCollection = new UsersCollection();

 foreach ($userItems as $user) {
 $usersCollection->addUser($user);
 }

 return $usersCollection;
 }

 private function getUserMock()
 {
 }
}

Usage

public function getUsers(): UsersCollection
{
 $userCollection = new UsersCollection();
 
 foreach ($whatIGetFromDatabase as $user) {
 $userCollection->addUser($user);
 }
 return $userCollection;
}

public fucntion setUsersToActiveState()
{
 $users = $this->getUsers();

 foreach ($users as $user) {
 if(!$user->getActiveStatus()) {
 $user->setActiveStatus(true);
 }
 }
}

As you can see setUsersToActiveState remains the same, we only do not need to specify for our IDE or collagues what type $users variable is.

Extending functionalities

Believe or not you can reuse this two objects and just change names of variables to fit most of the needs. But if you want any more complex functionality, than feel free to add it in iterator or collection.

Example 1

For example, let's say that userCollection accepts only users with age more than 18. Implementation will happen in UsersCollection class in the method addUser.

 public function addUser(User $users)
 {
 if ($user->getAge() > 18) {
 $this->users[] = $users;
 } 
 }

Example 2

You need to add bulk users. Then you can expand your userCollection with additional method addUsers and it might look like this.

 public function addUsers(array $users)
 {
 foreach($users as $user) {
 $this->addUser(User $users);
 }
 }

For any development project to be successful, it’s important to choose the right technology and programming language. Most of the time, developers get confused about which programming language to choose.

Nowadays, PHP and Python have gained popularity among the programming languages for web development projects. However, choosing one between PHP vs Python is a difficult task. Recently, this has become a good topic for discussion.

Here, in this blog, we will compare the two popular programming languages: PHP vs Python. Let’s see which one turns out to be the best choice for web development.

What is Python?

Python is an open-source programming language developed in the year 1991 by Guido Van Rossum. It is one of the most commonly used languages due to its high level and easy-to-understand syntax.

According to the survey by Stack Overflow, Python is one of the most preferred programming languages. These Python app examples highlight its robustness and suitability for building scalable and innovative solutions across different platforms. Most of the companies and developers around the world are using Python web development.

What is PHP?

PHP or Hypertext Pre-processor, is an open-source server scripting language that is used for creating interactive and engaging web pages. This programming language comes with many features, libraries, plugins, and add-ons that increase community support and functionalities.

PHP language was developed by Rasmus Lerdorf in the year 1995. Earlier, PHP was named as Personal Home Page, which was later changed to Hypertext Pre-processor. An advantage of using PHP language is it supports all web browsers.

PHP is a practical, flexible, and fast programming language that can handle dynamic content on HTML sites, session tracking, and databases.

Features: PHP vs Python

PHP

* Open-source language, anyone can download and use it for free.
* PHP is easy to use and code than other programming languages.
* It is more efficient than other scripting languages like ASP and JSP.
* Offers access to log in by creating a summary of the recent user accesses.
* Provides database integration and supports distinct databases such as MySQL and Oracle.
* It has predefined error-reporting constants that generate warning or error messages.

Python

* Python is an easy-to-learn programming language.
* Provides an ideal structure and support for large applications.
* It can operate on different hardware platforms utilizing the same user interface.
* Python can be integrated with C, C++, and Java programming code.
* It’s easy to incorporate low-level modules in Python interpreter.
* Python offers high-level dynamic types of data and support for dynamic type checking.
* Its features support automatic garbage collection.
* It supports an interactive mode of testing and debugging.

Pros and Cons: PHP vs Python

Here, we will compare the pros and cons of PHP vs python for web development.

Pros of PHP

* Has a large ecosystem.
* Flexible and platform-independent.
* Several open-source PHP frameworks are available to use for free.
* Offers many pluggable frameworks, Open-source and object-oriented.
* Supports different database interfaces such as No SQL, PostgreSQL, and so on.
* It is supported by many operating systems and works cross-platform.
* Encourages top-notch debugging.
* Provides in-built SQL support.
* Offers support for database collection modules.
* It supports all operating systems like Windows, Linux, and UNIX.

Cons of PHP

* Delayed and wired performance.
* Not apt for content-based applications.
* Utilizes weak typing that can lead to false knowledge and data to users.
* Its core behavior can’t be changed.
* There’s no IOT alliance.
* Fewer security protocols and features.

Pros of Python

* Easy to learn and maintain.
* An open-source and uniformly unfolding language.
* Enables cross-platform code reusability.
* Object-oriented and versatile language to deploy.
* Offers WORA functionality.
* Helps in developing GUI apps.
* Has automatic garbage collection.
* It can be integrated easily with other languages, such as Java or C++.
* Provides libraries like Tenseorflow for math-intensive tasks.

Cons of Python

* Creates delays in web app testing.
* It utilizes an enormous amount of memory to help developers in easy development.
* Operates slower than other web development languages.
* Not of much use in mobile computing browsers and mobile app development.
* It has dynamic typing, which makes error detection more difficult.
* It’s too large for a simple and small app or website.
* Run time errors occurs due to duck typing.

When Should You Select PHP?

PHP is a commonly used server-side scripting language among developers. The best use cases in which you should select PHP:
* For developing blogs, websites, and web applications.
* Work effectively on the server side.
* Less investment.

When Should You Select Python?

* Python programming language has gained popularity in recent times. Below we have given some of the best cases in which you should choose Python.
* For operating in the areas of robotics and data science.
* When you want accurate and extensive data analytics.
* Developing websites using the Django framework.

Why opt for PHP?

Here, we will give you some reasons why you should opt for the PHP programming language.
* Open-source language, easy to download and use.
* Easy to learn and operates effectively on the server side.
* This scripting language can run on distinct platforms such as Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and UNIX.
* It’s compatible with every server, like IIS, Apaches, and so on.
* Supports a broad range of databases.

Why opt for Python?

As you know, there are many advantages and disadvantages of using Python. Here, we will tell you why you should choose Python for web development.
* Python language is easy to use and maintain.
* Python syntax is quick to understand and debug as well. Therefore, its source code is easier to maintain.
* It has a garbage collection feature and memory addresses accordingly.
* It comes with many pre-built libraries.
* Python supports GUI apps such as Django, Tkinter, WXPython, etc.
* It’s a versatile and portable language. You can run Python on different types of operating systems or platforms.
* Python comes with a database-friendly interface that can store a colossal amount of data for commercial DBMS systems.
* It has an interactive shell that helps in unit testing before deploying a product.

Comparison: PHP vs Python

Above, we have given the features and pros & cons of PHP vs Python. In this section, we will give you a comparison between PHP vs Python in accordance with different parameters.

Parameters
Python
PHP
Release
    .
    .
Learning curve
Easier
Steep
Language type
Specialized for web development
General purpose programming language
Syntax
Clear & concise
Complex
Security
High
Medium
Readability
High
Low
Database connectivity
Faster
Slower
Debugging
Fast
Slower
Performance
Lesser support
Faster
Supported Frameworks
Flask, Django, Web2Py
Laravel, Zend, Codelgniter
GitHub Stars
    . 9k
    . 5k
TIOBE Rating
    . st position
    . th position
Forks
    . 5 k
    . 9k
Major Users
Instagram, YouTube, Quora, Reddit
Facebook, Yahoo, Flickr, Tumblr


This comprehensive comparison between PHP vs Python can help you to choose the right language for web development. Now, we will compare some other elements that would give you a clear picture of both PHP vs Python.

1. Ease of Learning

Python is an easier language to learn compared to PHP. If you are a beginner, then Python is a good choice as you can learn it quickly. Python programs are shorter as well as easy to write in comparison to other languages.

PHP programming language is made for creating sophisticated web apps. It’s not a general-purpose language, and it takes time to learn it.

2. Ease of Use

Python is an open-source programming language that is versatile and portable. Python’s syntax is simple, and coding is easy to learn compared to PHP. But PHP is not just an ordinary programming language it’s used for creating dynamic web pages with HTML. This makes PHP more difficult to use than Python.

3. Community Support

Both PHP and Python provide good community support. PHP has been in the market for a long time and has a large community of developers. Therefore, you can immediately get support if you opt for PHP.

However, there are even many Python developers who constantly develop python apps. So, the community support in Python is also good. Consequently, we can’t say whether PHP or Python is better at providing community support.

4. Flexibility

Nowadays, web apps backed by Machine Learning are in high demand. Also, ML is a significant part of Python. Python provides many machine-learning libraries, such as Tensorflow, Theano, Pandas, and Scikit-learn. Additionally, these libraries are rapid, unique, & robust and work effectively with a web framework.

Nonetheless, Python programming language can be used in many other fields apart from web development. But when it comes to PHP, it’s best for web development. Therefore, we can say Python is a better choice here.

Our skilled developers delivers the most promising web development firms to make dynamic websites for your business.

5. Speed to Market

Python provides a comprehensive set of modules and third-party libraries to help developers finish the project faster. One of the popular web frameworks written in Python is Django. It utilizes the MVC pattern to allow developers to create apps fast using a significant division of concerns and reusability.

PHP also has a vast set of tools, frameworks, and libraries. Laravel is a popular PHP framework that allows the MVC pattern. Additionally, it comes with many helpful functionalities for web development, like routing, templating, authentication, and so on.

6. Web Frameworks

You get robust and well-designed web development frameworks both in PHP and Python. Most of the big businesses utilize web frameworks that PHP provides. For example, Laravel and Symfony are mature web frameworks, and a huge community supports them. So, we can say PHP makes web development easy.

Python also has many exceptional frameworks that are highly scalable, easy to use, fast and secure. It’s two most popular web frameworks are Flask and Django. If you want a shorter development period, then you can choose Django over PHP-based frameworks.

7. Library Management

Python uses Pip to handle and deal with packages. Pip ensures that Python app development is easy, rapid, and meets development needs. Python has powerful library management compared to PHP. It has a wide range of packages and tools that assist and make web app development easier. So, in terms of library management, Python clearly wins it.

8. Security

When it comes to security, most businesses prefer using Python. For instance, Django offers many pre-built security features that aid in safeguarding the apps from distinct security breaches & threats.

Apart from that, many government organizations rely on Python as their secret hacking tool. Most of the security problems are addressed by its large community support. However, PHP is less strong than Python in aspects of security.

9. Environment Management

In terms of handling environments, Python is the best programming language. It has a Virtualenv system that aids in installing different versions of the language and switching between them immediately.
PHP has no comparison with Python when it comes to handling environments. There’s an analog of PHP, VirtPHP, but it’s archived and not maintained. Therefore, most of the developers opt for Python.

10. Debugging

Python has an in-built debugger called Python Debugger or PDB. It utilizes many debugging strategies. PDB enables dynamic typing and lets developers work effortlessly without stating things at the start of a program.
PHP also comes with an XDebug package for handling bugs and error-checking the codes. But PHP development is quite slow in identifying and removing bugs. Therefore, it often experiences security issues.

The Bottom Line PHP vs Python: Which One You Choose for Web Development?

From the blog, you must have inferred that both PHP and Python are good for web development. However, there are many aspects in which Python wins over PHP. But this doesn’t mean that you only have to opt for Python. The selection of programming language majorly depends on the complexity and needs of the project.

Sphinx Solutions is a leading and trusted web app development company. Our team of web developers can help you create the best web apps for your business based on your specifications. Schedule a call with our experts to get an estimation for your web app development project, or email us at [email protected].

PHP vs Python: FAQs

1. Why choose Python over PHP?
Python is chosen over PHP for web app development due to many reasons, such as ease to use, simple syntax, flexibility, security, high performance, etc.
2. Which programming language is secure: PHP vs Python?
Python is a preferred programming language when it comes to security as it has many security features compared to PHP.
3. Why is Python used mostly?
Python is a general-purpose programming language and is utilized in web development, mobile app development, AI, ML, game development, big data, and so on.
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Today’s digital transformation has significantly empowered every company to produce accurate information at all touch points. Whether it’s a large-scale enterprise or a small private venture, every organization irrespective of all sizes needs proper web app development services to build a sophisticated database for storing and managing its data. Examples of web applications include customer relationship management (CRM) systems, project management tools, and e-commerce platforms. These custom software developers play a crucial role in tailoring web applications to meet specific business needs, ensuring seamless integration and optimal functionality.

A database is a set of a vast range of structured & unstructured data stored in a system and adequately managed through DBMS or Database Management System. The data stored in the database is highly sensitive, hence companies need to be careful while accessing any data or information.

When considering the development of web applications, partnering with a reputable web development firm is essential to ensure the seamless integration and efficient management of databases. A skilled web development firm possesses the expertise to optimize database systems, enhancing data organization, security, and retrieval processes for an enhanced user experience. In this article, we will delve into the top database solutions for web applications in 2024 and explore the advantages they bring to the forefront of modern software development.

Types of Databases For Web Applications

Depending on your business model, industry domain, and other factors, your business application system will have certain requirements. Different databases types are used for different enterprise requirements. However, the database is technically divided into two types: SQL & NoSQL.

SQL or Structured Query Language is a relational database that comes with a relational structure. This is used for managing structured data only. On the other hand, the NoSQL database doesn’t have any relational structure & they are used to store unstructured data types. For your convenience, we have shared a complete comparison of both databases below.

SQL Databases
NoSQL Databases
Mix of proprietary & open-source
Open source database
Comes with rational structure
No rational structure
Ideal for managing structured data
Best for storing unstructured & semi-structured data
Vertically scalable
Horizontally scalable
Examples: MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, etc
Examples: MongoDB, Cassandra, Firebase, etc

Enterprises have deeply relied on SQL to manage all their databases in web apps, but as cloud, microservices & distributed applications become popular, there are NoSQL options also available. Before you choose the right database, you must consider a number of factors such as size, structure & scalability requirements. Apart from that, you need to consider some of the following questions also:
* What type of data structure do you need?
* What is the amount of data you want to store?
* What is your total budget?
* Does it allow for support contracts & software licenses?
* What is the requirement for your data security?
* What third-party tools do you want to add to your database?

Best Databases For Web Applications In 2024

Finding out the right database option for a web app development may impact the scalability and success of any project. With too many options available, it’s quite challenging to select which one is the best for you. 2024’s widely-popular databases include:

1. MySQL:

MySQL is one of the best open-source relational databases developed by Oracle Corporation in 1995. According to the Stack Overflow developer survey, this database was used by 46.8% as of 2022. The robustness, maturity, and stability of this database make it perfect for web applications. Moreover, MySQL database uses a structured language & written in C & C++.
Latest version: MySQL 8.0.33

Key features of MySQL database include:
* Easy to deploy & manage
* It supports Consistency, Atomicity, Isolation & Durability
* It’s an RDBMS or Relational Database Management System
* Provides fast-loading utilities with several memory caches to maintain servers
* Offers top-notch results without compromising any functionality
* Contains solid Data Security layers to offer complete security solutions

2. PostgreSQL:

Launched in 1996, PostgreSQL is also a very popular database used as a data warehouse or primary data store for web, analytics, geospatial and mobile applications. This is also an open-source SQL-based RDBMS (relational database management system) that supports C, C++, C#, Ruby, Java, Python, and other programming languages. This agile database is compatible with different OSs such as Windows, Linux, Unix, MacOSX, etc.
Latest version: PostgreSQL 15.3

Key features of the PostgreSQL database include
* Houses different constraints such as primary keys, foreign keys, exclusion constraints, explicit locks, advisory locks, etc
* Supports different SQL features like SQL Sub-selects, Multi-Version Concurrency Control,
* Streaming Replication, complex queries, etc.
* Compatible with different data types like Structured, Customizations, Primitives, Geometry & Documents.
* Supports MVCC or multi-version concurrency control

3. Microsoft SQL Server:

Launched in 1989, Microsoft SQL Server is a powerful RDBMS used for transaction processing, analytics applications, and business intelligence in IT environments. It comes with built-in intelligence & enables businesses to boost their performance, security, and availability seamlessly. MS SQL Server comes in different editions with authentication & security features.
Latest version: Microsoft SQL Server 2022

Key features of the Microsoft SQL Server database include:
* Available on both Linux & Windows platforms
* Supports semi-structured, structured, and spatial data
* It has a custom-built graphical integration
* Helps users build different designs and tables without syntax
* Comes with several features for protection, monitoring, and data classification
* Gives alerts on security gaps, misconfigurations & suspicious activities

4. MongoDB:

MongoDB is a document-oriented open-source NoSQL database used for high-volume data storage. Written in JavaScript, C++, and Python, this is a very flexible and scalable database platform that removes relational DB approaches. MongoDB offers a high level of flexibility through load balancing and horizontal scaling capacities. This is a perfect option for web apps that need high performance.
Latest version: MongoDB 6.0.5

Key features of the MongoDB database include:
* Effectively supports ad hoc queries
* Highly scalable & flexible database
* Offers schema-less database
* Appropriate indexing for query executions
* Replication for data availability & stability

5. Oracle:

Oracle is a very popular RDBMS that is known for its high-performance and cost-optimization solutions. This is a commercial relational database written in C, C++ & Java. Oracle comes with a relational database architecture that offers an easy, scalable, performant solution for accessing, defining, and managing data.
Latest version: Oracle 21c

Key features of the Oracle database include:
* Executes fast backup & recovery
* Provides multiple database support
* Offers superior scalability
* Offers better user controls and identity management
* Utilizes a single database for every data type

6. Redis:

Redis stands for Remote Dictionary Server and is a widely-used open-source database used for web applications and cache management. Redis can also be used with different streaming solutions like Amazon Kinesis & Apache Kafka to analyze & process real-time data.

This database also supports different data structures like lists, streams, bitmaps, strings, maps, and so on. Because of its high performance, Redis is vastly used in many sectors such as IoT, Gaming, Financial Services, etc.
Latest version: Redis 7.0.11

Key features of the Redis database include:
* Provides premium speed with improved caching & in-memory capabilities.
* Supports a variety of data structures (strings, hashes, lists, bitmaps, HyperLogLogs, etc)
* Compatible with different languages (Java, PHP, Python, C, C#, C++, etc)
* Offers quick access to data for training, deploying, and developing applications

7. Cassandra:

Released in 2008, Cassandra is a distributed open-source NoSQL database that effectively manages vast amounts of data. It provides excellent scalability that supports multi-datacenter replication and automatic data replication. Cassandra database is ideal for applications that need prompt data access with high performance.
Latest version: Cassandra 4.1.0

Key features of the Cassandra database include:
* Easy to scale
* Highly scalable & comes with strong architecture
* Offers flexibility for data distribution
* Faster linear-scale performance
* Very flexible data storage
* Supports properties like Consistency, Atomicity, Isolation, and Durability

How Much Does The Web Application Database Cost?

In general, the average web app development cost ranges from $5,000 to $100,000. However, this cost depends on too many parameters like web app database complexity, features & functionalities, backend infrastructure, etc.

If you want to get a proper estimation of your web database application cost, you can take advantage of a web app cost calculator. For your convenience, we have listed the average web application development costs based on their categories.
Factors
Basic Web Apps
Medium Apps
Complex Apps
Highly Complex Apps
Estimated cost
$3,000 to $15,000
$15,000 to $60,000
$60,000 to $2,50,000
More than $250,000
Timeline
    . to 5 weeks
    . to 20 weeks
    . to 25 weeks
More than 9 months
Features
Simple landing page
Static content
Landing page
Database integration
Admin panel
User accounts
Online payment options
Third-party integrations
Landing page
Huge database integration
Admin panel
Multipleuser accounts
Online Payment options
Third-party integrations
Personalized features
Landing page
Top-notch database integration
Admin panel
Customized features
Examples
Online brochures
Portfolio
websites
MVP
Web portals
E-commerce websites
Online gaming sites with animation
Web applications for businesses
Automated billing systems
Human resources management system (HRMS)
Complex ecommerce websites
Custom web apps
On-demand web apps
App for complex businesses
High-end features with AI/ML integration
Custom web apps

Final Words

In the past, the process of selecting a database web application was straightforward. However, in this modern era of software development, this process has become very intrinsic as too many options are available today and the business requirements have also transformed.

For a business that works with small apps, NoSQL databases like MongoDB can be the best choice & for managing large & complex applications, databases like MySQL, MS SQL Server, and PostgreSQL can be the right choice. Would you like to know more about web applications with databases? Talk to our experts today.