PHP is undoubtedly one of the most popular programming languages that offer a wide range of lightweight frameworks for building basic websites to REST APIs. These frameworks are powerful tools that have the potential to enhance productivity in order to deliver faster results without getting distracted from the best practices of development.

Developing REST APIs with plain PHP is a tedious and time-consuming process. In order to sort this out, you only need to hire php developers who have a niche expertise in the micro-frameworks of PHP as they have the capacity to make the process of building REST APIs smooth and streamlined. Let's explore five of these lightweight PHP frameworks used extensively for the development of REST APIs.

1. Slim

One of the most popular micro-frameworks of PHP 5 that facilitates smooth development of complex web apps and APIs. It provides the programmers with complete flexibility and control over the process. Also, it allows them to create an entire PHP web service in a single PHP file.

This framework is blessed with scalable and modular architecture that enables developers to efficiently use all the components which are required. In addition, Slim has various unique features such as disabling or enabling the app debugging for debugging API. Moreover, it also displays accurate information for errors and expectations.

2. Silex

Silex is another interesting micro-framework of PHP which is inspired by the philosophy behind Sinatra. It is built by Fabien Potencier and Igor Wieldler on the top of Pimple and Symfony. Also, this framework is available to the programmers freely under MIT license so that they can transform their innovative app ideas into fully functional websites.

Silex facilitates the development of intuitive and concise API. In addition, it's testable and fun to use. Also, some other features include one-step controllers and routers mapping, ultralight, and micro service container to build the extension system.

It is easier to tie this framework in third-party libraries. One of the most striking features of Silex is that it's extremely fast. Also, it is mostly utilized by small services or those who need a large amount of data processing.

3. Wave

Wave is built on the basis on the factory method design pattern by giving top priority to optimizations and speeds. Also, it follows a model-view-control-architecture and is considered to be a modern API-centric framework. This framework has evolved into its current form to provide with unique features like a JavaScript controller, built in view controllers, and a website functional gateway. It is considered to be one of the most compact frameworks and that is why it does not have any optional libraries.

This framework supports different data formats such as JSON.xml, CSV, HTML, API returns, etc. Wave is known to have a small footprint as it is developed around a smart image, resource management, a native API architecture, and caching.

4. Limonade

Limonade is similar to Wave and is known for its simplicity and lightweight functionality. It is highly inspired by frameworks such as Camping in Ruby, Orbit in Lua, or Sinatra. This framework is extensively used for prototyping and rapid web development. It is very easy to use, simple and flexible in nature. Also, Limonade is believed to be extremely lightweight, entirely self-contained, and minimalistic.

Limonade is considered to be the first choice for programmers who are looking for a straightforward yet effective implementation. This framework is dependent on global functions. Also, it does not contain a class instead defines the functions which can be used.

5. Lumen

Lumen is considered to be one of the fastest micro-frameworks of PHP. It is used by the most popular framework, i.e. Laravel. This framework is blessed with a pre-set range of appliances and extensions and is simple in its syntax. Also, it's very fast, easy to deploy and sleeker than Laravel.

This framework performs its best when it comes to developing projects that are associated with Laravel. Also, it is highly capable to deal efficiently with request handling. The foundation on which Lumen is based is similar to Laravel.

In addition, Lumen is well-known for its non-measurable entity and super fast response times. Some other unique features of Lumen are Cache, Errors & Logging, Authorization, Encryption, Authentication, Events, Queues, etc. The only point to the noted here is that this framework is built for microservices and not that suitable for the user-facing apps.

There are several full stack PHP web development frameworks that provide the programmers with all the tools required to build simple and complex web apps of all sizes. But still, lightweight frameworks meant to build REST APIs are high demand among the PHP developer community.

These lightweight frameworks are ideal alternatives for building REST APIs and are maintained in such as way so that to facilitate the development of modern web apps and websites of varied size and complexities.

Author Bio:

Anubhuti Shrivastava is a content crafter at Arkenea, a custom software development company helping entrepreneurs and businesses build successful web and mobile apps. She is passionate about writing articles on topics related to design and the software development industry.