The CodeIgniter is an open source PHP framework with a very small footprint. It was created by Rick Ellis in 2006. It is a simple and elegant toolkit for the development of both web applications and websites. It is based on model-view-controller (MVC) development pattern. The latest version of CodeIgniter is 3.1.4 which is released on January 9, 2017.
Features of CodeIgniter:
1. Model-View-Controller Based System:
It supports MVC pattern which is more reliable and faster. It can also be modified to use HMVC (Hierarchical Model View Controller) in which developers can maintain modular grouping that is arranged in a sub-directory format.
2. Error Handling:
It provides a simple interface for detecting errors throughout the application. All the PHP errors are displayed in the web application without any inadequacy.
3. Lightweight:
It is light in weight framework with a rich set of libraries. The libraries are supported with autocomplete features.
4. Built-in libraries:
It has a fully packed library that can perform many web needed tasks such as form validation, sending mail, and database. With the help of these built-in libraries, the programmers can create web applications with additional features and high-end functionalities.
Advantages of CodeIgniter:
- The installation of CodeIgniter is simple and it can be configured easily.
- It simplifies the syntax of PHP and helps programmers to fix the issues instantly.
- It is light in weight framework but highly efficient.
- It provides a friendly user interface for developing dynamic, secure and large web applications within a short span of time.
- It provides clear documentation for the components that make up the framework.
Disadvantages of CodeIgniter:
- It is a PHP4 legacy code.
- It is based on PHP only and not for every object-oriented part.
- It has no built-in ORM.