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PHP is very popular among programmers and is currently the most widely used server-side language globally. The PHP language alone fully meets the needs of programmers, but sometimes programmers turn to them for the benefits of PHP frameworks. One of the most popular PHP frameworks is CodeIgniter. CodeIgniter is very powerful and helps PHP programmers to design and program a web application with a wide variety of capabilities in a short time and without much complexity. In this article, we examined what a CodeIgniter framework is and its uses.

History of the Codeigniter framework

The well-known software company EllisLab released CodeIgniter for the first time on February 28, 2006. The initial version of this service was nothing more than a few general-purpose classes taken from the ExpressionEngine project (a content management system built by EllisLab). But over time, CodeIgniter got bigger, and new features were added. Although the PHP framework market is hot today, CodeIgniter has long demonstrated the power of the PHP programming language and its potential for building frameworks.

EllisLab announced in July 2013 that it did not have the necessary conditions to maintain and develop the CodeIgniter and decided to transfer ownership of the CodeIgniter. Less than a year later, on October 6, 2014, ownership of the framework was transferred from EllisLab to the British Columbia Institute of Technology.

Introducing the released versions of CodeIgniter to date

• CodeIgniter 2: CodeIgniter 2. x Series was officially introduced in January 2011, and its latest version was 2.2.6, which was released in October 2015 to be the end of CodeIgniter 2. On October 31, 2015, this version of CodeIgniter expired, and it was announced that no updates would be released.
• CodeIgniter 3: CodeIgniter 3.1.11 is the current version of this framework intended for use in PHP 5.6 and above. This version underwent major improvements to CodeIgniter, especially in working with databases, session management, encryption, etc. Development of this version is still ongoing.
• CodeIgniter 4: CodeIgniter 4 is the next and unpublished version of this framework, intended for compatibility and proper use in PHP 7.2 and later. This version is called 4.0.0 and is under development. This version of CodeIgniter, although downloadable, has not yet reached a stable state.

What is the Codeigniter framework?

CodeIgniter is a PHP framework based on the MVC (model – view – controller) template focusing on the rapid development of web services. Codeigniter is free, open-source, and helps developers build dynamic and powerful sites with the PHP language and framework that this framework specifies. The CodeIgniter source is available at GateHub and is licensed under the MIT. In 2011, there were rumors that CodeIgniter was changing its license to OSL (Open Software License), but this did not happen.

Which companies use CodeIgniter?

Nearly 46,000 companies use the CodeIgniter framework. Most of these companies are based in the United States and are active in information technology and Internet services. Most of these companies have between 10 and 50 employees and have an average annual income of $ 1 to $ 10 million. Nissan is one of the most famous car brands globally. And has used the CodeIgniter framework on its sites to introduce and sell its products. Another popular site built with CodeIgniter is Buffer, which is active in the field of social networks.

Is CodeIgniter difficult to learn?

If you are familiar with PHP and understand MVC concepts, it will be very easy for you to get started with CodeIgniter. It can be a good choice for those just starting in PHP programming. Unlike Laravel, installing a CodeIgniter is very easy. It does not require any complicated work, but in Laravel, you need to know the Composer and be able to work with it. This framework is provided with powerful documentation, and there are many training courses for it. The functions, classes, and libraries used in CodeIgniter are very simple and easy to use. If you run into a complex problem while working, you can solve your problem by searching forums or sites like Stack Overflow with the help of other programmers.

Advantages of CodeIgniter framework

CodeIgniter has many advantages to convince most PHP programmers to use this framework in their various projects. Codeigniter was faster than Zend, Symphony, and CakePHP in some tests. This framework has a logical and orderly structure and is provided with a complete set of libraries. Common operations that are widely used in web applications. Such as working with databases, sending emails, validating forms, managing sessions, working with images, etc., are easily performed in CodeIgniter. Here are some of the most important benefits of CodeIgniter:

• It is easy to learn
•  Free and open source
• Supports object orientation
• Supports MVC template
• Safe, flexible, and user friendly

Disadvantages of CodeIgniter framework

Although CodeIgniter has many advantages, like all services globally, it has its disadvantages. Of course, these disadvantages are not so great or important that you should stop using this framework. One of the problems with CodeIgniter is code retention. Clean and modular coding is very important for software companies today. In this way, they can easily update their product in the future or add new features to it. CodeIgniter does not support module separation by default, unlike other modern PHP frameworks. As a result, other developers who want to work on our project later may have problems. Another drawback is the libraries of this framework, which are less numerous and diverse than their competitors.

Size and security of the Codeigniter framework

Codeigniter is a lightweight and compact framework. The download file of Codeigniter version 3 is less than three megabytes in size. CodeIgniter has high security; for example, this framework comes with an XSS security filter to prevent XSS attacks or cross-site scripting. Or another common attack on the web is SQL Injection, which targets the database. In PHP, a function called mysql_real_escape_string () is defined to address this, but CodeIgniter uses libraries and built-in functions to prevent SQL Injection attacks.

Conclusion

In this article, we examined what a CodeIgniter is and its uses. CodeIgniter is a PHP framework for the rapid development of web applications. If you are interested in PHP and are a little familiar with it, you can start working with this framework and learn other topics later. You do not need to worry about the job market because there is always work to be done for PHP and its frameworks. Codeigniter is easy to learn, and learning Syntax does not take much time, but you have a long way to go to become proficient in this framework, and you need to practice and gain experience regularly. We would be happy if you have experience working with the CodeIgniter framework.