What is a framework in simple words?

Simply put, what is a framework? It’s a toolkit that includes various libraries, tools, and guidelines to build a cohesive structure. This structure is vital for defining how application components interact, influencing the selection of patterns for interface creation, and methods for working with external resources like databases.

The advantage? Developers don’t need to start coding complex solutions from scratch. Instead, they can focus on shaping the business logic of solutions. At PNN Soft, our programmers utilize specialized frameworks, be it for mobile development or custom-tailored web applications.

Diving Deeper into Frameworks

So, why is a framework essential? Primarily, it’s crucial for aligning business logic and effectively managing work processes. It’s important to understand that a framework is not a pre-built application like a website builder; instead, it serves as a toolkit for crafting your unique solution.

For example, if a client aims to develop a CRM platform, there’s no need to start the process from scratch. By leveraging straightforward frameworks, programmers can efficiently build a robust system within a relatively short timeframe.

Let’s delve into the main advantages of frameworks and differentiate them from libraries

While frameworks may not serve as universal solutions for systems of varying complexity, they undeniably simplify the platform creation process. A key advantage is their flexibility and impressive performance, allowing specialists to establish a reliable framework for the system without compromising functionality.

To summarize, here are the main advantages of frameworks:

1. Significantly simplify and accelerate solution development.
2. Realization of the functional basis of your platform.
3. Reduction of errors in the development process.

Frameworks can be occasionally mistaken for libraries, especially if you’re not accustomed to the former. What sets a library apart from a framework? Let’s clarify the distinction between these two tools. A library contains functionality ideally suited to solve a specific issue within a particular development domain, such as time and date tasks, statistics, or specific HTTP requests.

On the other hand, a framework is focused on defining the system’s architecture and ensuring communication between its parts. Moreover, a single framework may consist of several libraries simultaneously.

Framework for web application development: main features

Certainly, each framework comes with its distinct features, which we’ll delve into shortly. However, several qualities characterize any framework you choose:

1. Versatility: Thanks to common development standards, finding the right specialist proficient in a common framework is not a challenging task. Versatility also influences the expert’s interaction with libraries, as frameworks compel developers to adhere to specific rules.
2. Simplicity and Efficiency: Crafting code from scratch is necessary for a unique digital product. However, if efficiency takes precedence over uniqueness, working with frameworks enables the automatic generation of a significant portion of the code. Moreover, you can seamlessly integrate unique tools into a pre-existing architecture. An additional advantage of frameworks is their role in simplifying the work of testers through code standardization.
3. Reliability: The primary drawback of self-written code lies in its challenging purity. Managing errors becomes arduous when multiple experts or a team is involved in the same project. However, frameworks simplify error detection, especially when testing is partially automated.
4. Adaptability: Frameworks efficiently facilitate the development of a business logic application. In essence, they provide an opportunity to adapt to customer needs, optimize specific business tasks, and thereby distinguish yourself from the competition.
5. Safety: Frameworks are equipped with robust cybersecurity tools, guarding against vulnerabilities like cross-site scripting (XSS), SQL injection, and cross-site query forgery (CSRF). When developing corporate platforms, adherence to all security standards becomes particularly crucial.

In addition, it’s important to note that programming frameworks also have their drawbacks, including a steep learning curve and constraints on developer freedom. This stems from the fact that frameworks come with limitations in functions and a well-defined directory structure.

A brief overview of the most popular frameworks

PHP-based frameworks and libraries

• Laravel 

Laravel is rightly considered one of the most efficient and user-friendly frameworks, which is also known for its high security. This framework is safe from cross-site scripting and SQL code. The programmer can not only make use of templates through the templating engine but can also make active use of the inbuilt PHP tools. 

• Symfony

Symfony forms the backbone of Laravel and allows the product to scale from the earliest stages of development. Symfony is known for its flexibility, easy integration with CMS and JavaScript frameworks. The main advantage of this framework is in simplifying the work on even the most complex projects.

• Codelgniter

This framework is characterized by a user-friendly interface, and clean source code, which allows even beginners to work effectively on it. In addition, CodeIgniter helps to achieve a fairly high coding speed and test solutions at any phase of development.

Python-based frameworks and libraries

• Django

It is a full-featured website-building framework that offers a ready-made admin interface, action management capabilities, authentication templates, comments, etc. It is effortless to learn, and has simple routing, which makes Django ideal for developing websites and web applications.

• Flask

The microframework consists of basic functionality that can be extended if desired. It runs on Jinja2, installs and configures quickly, and is generally used for fairly simple tasks.

• Pyramid

With this framework, you can work with multiple databases in parallel and replace components thanks to its modular structure. Pyramid is suitable for creating both small and quite large solutions, it provides flexible debugging and full code testing coverage.

JavaScript-based frameworks and libraries

• jQuery

This lightweight library simplifies HTML document management, AJAX, with a simple API that works with many browsers. Although the library is straightforward to use, knowledge of JavaScript may certainly be required to fully understand its specifics. Certain features can be confusing to a novice, which can cause the solution to slow down. 

• React

React has the features of both a library and a web framework. Creating a website on the React framework involves developing an interactive interface by having the program automatically output the required components. However, if you change one of them, all the operations associated with that change will change. With the web framework, you can create both multipage applications and solutions for mobile devices.

If you would like to get advice on working with frameworks from the PNN Soft team, please fill out the form below.