JAVA or PHP: Your Web Development Go-To

Supriti Tripathy

23rd Mar'21

In this technology driven era, where all things internet plays a significant role in driving the company or brand image and revenue, you must have a website built for your products and services. Even reports suggested that the company was operational online during the coronavirus pandemic, and had a better time dealing with the Covid-19 led woes than ones who remained offline for their work. 

When it comes to building a website, Java and PHP are the best programming languages available. However, it can be confusing to select between the two as both have their perks. So, how do you go about selecting either of the two? Well, the answer is pretty straightforward. Just check the rest of the article below.


Programming Language that Rules the World

Java and PHP are the languages that rule the programming world. Of course, there is a sea of programming languages for Web development; however, these two are well known and critically acclaimed. To add to it, here are few points that go hand in hand with Java and PHP.

● They are easy to learn

● Always in High Demand

● Stable and Progressive

● Meets Goals

We will look into the functions of each and draw a comparison.


Java and PHP



An object-oriented programming language, Java is very easy to learn and is platform-independent. Java’s reflection concepts are interfaces, classes, and methods. With better debugging tools and amicable APIs, Java is more stable and suits well for larger projects. Popular companies using Java for Web Development are: Amazon, LinkedIn, Uber, Instagram


Php or Java



An open-source scripting tool, Php stands for Hypertext processor. It is non-complex, efficient, quick, and highly productive. The coding fits best smaller applications. Popular companies using PHP are Facebook, Tumblr, Yahoo, Wikipedia


Difference between PHP and Java

1.Execution of code

PHP can embed its code in HTML and runs on-the-go. The code is sent to a PHP interpreter, translated into machine language, and executed. Java is a bit complex as the code conversion is 2 processes. First, the code developed by programmers is sent to the JVM(Java Virtual Machine) which converts the bytecode to machine code that is OS friendly. It then gets executed.


Digitized data needs more protection than ever. When compared to PHP, Java offers advanced and robust security features. It employs better tools that are more efficient for higher-level apps and has dedicated hosting. PHP has a shared hosting, i.e it employs external frameworks in its platform which compromises the security aspect. However, PHP suits low-level programming better.

3.Programming Support

PHP is a server-side scripting language and has recently included the Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) features. Java is a fully developed OOP language and supports several functions like lambda which are quite modular software applications. Because of this reason, programmers are more inclined towards Java to build enterprise applications.

4.Performance and Speed

If there is a need for processing big data and looking for sophisticated solutions, Java has an upper hand over PHP. Its precompiled feature makes Java faster than PHP. However, PHP sites are also said to be using fewer resources and better tools to help the programs run faster.


Java uses various tools for editing, debugging, and packing. It provides many IDEs like Netbeans, Intellij, and Eclipse that software developers access in the process of Web Development. Packaging tools used by Java are ANT, Maven, Web Start, etc. PHP has fewer tools for editing and uses only files, without following a packaging concept.

6.Development Time and Cost

PHP enables programmers to develop any code using the PHP framework without paying any fee. Programmers can customize the server-side scripting language and develop enterprise applications. For a hassle-free experience and budget-friendly projects, PHP meets the criteria. Java is not an open-source programming language, hence programmers need a license to access it. It has a high cost compared to PHP. However, it ensures quality and handles bigger projects with great sophistication.


Recommended: How AI Is Supercharging RPA?


JAVA or PHP- Your Web Development Go-To

Choosing between JAVA and PHP is an uphill battle as we have discussed the strengths and flaws of both. However, considering the goals of a business, analyzing the purpose of the software, and the future, this job can be done fairly. With over 700 programming languages available, we are simply lost in the list.

A brief comparison of the given parameters above can help us decide the best of the two widely popular languages, i.e., Java and PHP. However, given the above mentioned comparison, PHP has an edge over the JAVA programming language. Still, the bottom line would be: Select what suits better as per your requirements as both have many advantages and minimal disadvantages.  


