Home > Article > Backend Development > PHP vs. ASP: Is this still worth discussing? _PHP Tutorial
What is PHP
PHP stands for "Hypertext Processor", which means you must know that it is a server-side processing language and comes in the form of HTML . The most common place it is used is on web pages, where data is sent from the client to the Web server, where the information is processed and the results are returned.
But this versatile language is not limited to web pages. PHP can also be used in the command line shell. It can be used as an extension of the operating system to execute the corresponding PHP file.
Database application is also a strength of PHP. MySQL, SQL, Microsoft Access, Oracle and InterBase are just some of the databases that use the PHP language.
What is ASP
ASP is the abbreviation of Active Server Pages. It is also a server-side scripting language. In order to achieve the effect of dynamic web pages, Microsoft has integrated it into the service provider process. , is the well-known COM (Component Object Models).
Although ASP is not limited to running on IIS (Internet Information Services) servers, its full functions can only be exerted on IIS. The operating systems that initially supported it were Windows 2000 and NT4 Option Pack. Similarly, ASP can also run on platforms other than IIS. PWS (Personal Web Server) can interpret ASP code on Windows NT, 95, and 98. However, the functions will be limited.
Cost Issue
Many people may want to argue about the cost issue of ASP and PHP, but this is really not a main focus. Most users buy IIS for better integration with Microsoft products. Having said that, IIS is definitely worth the extra money.
PHP and the Apache Web Server running it are both free. They are provided by the Apache Software Foundation - safe and free. Because of this, PHP can be installed for free. The only cost is to purchase the server running it. and installation time costs.
Speed issue
This issue is also the most heated debate between the two sides in server-side scripting languages. Since these two languages came to this world, the debate on this issue has not stopped.
Generally speaking, after the application has finished using the memory, it should "return" it to the operating system. As long as the memory has been used by the program, the operating system usually will not ask to take it back. The unique way PHP uses memory makes this one of its strengths. After PHP obtains a piece of memory, it will temporarily retain it. When the memory is used up, it will not be returned to the operating system, but will be reserved for possible subsequent operations. This can be modified in the configuration file.
Because it is based on COM architecture, ASP is slightly slower because it calls the object model, and the system must load these models, which is a bit like those programming languages that use controls. In terms of memory consumption, it is also similar to standard applications.
Actually, the biggest difference in speed is the computer that IIS or Apache Web Server is running on. If the computers are different, then the language on the better configured computer will run faster.
Compatibility Thoughts
When it comes to compatibility issues, there are too many, because no two computers in the world have exactly the same hardware and software. Because of this, People want to know how programs will work on the devices they already own.
From this perspective, PHP may have already won one step ahead. It wins in terms of open source code (Open Source), which means that there may be countless developers, better resources, and larger resources behind it. Document library and so on. Because of these factors, the more PHP is developed, the more programmers learn.
ASP is generally believed to only run on IIS. As mentioned earlier, this is not quite correct. In fact, ASP can also run on Apache. Apache ASP can run limited ASP functions on any Apache server. All you need to do is open mod_perl.
What you need to remember is that PHP can run on any platform. Mac OS X, Windows, Linux and Solaris are all operating systems that can run it.
Security considerations
No matter how high the security is, everything has the possibility of being breached. The only thing lacking is time and resources.
Apache’s security options make it more secure than the Windows Server operating system. IIS has many known security vulnerabilities and has been being patched; in comparison, Apache’s security is obvious to all.
Easy to learn programming
ASP comes from Visual Basic, the most common language in Microsoft products, so it is very simple and easy to learn; while PHP is more based on C++ language, which may That’s part of the reason why it’s so fast!
General misunderstandings of ASP
ASP and ASP.NET are not the same thing at all. ASP.NET is a complete rewrite of the ASP programming language. Because of this, most of its The feature is not backwards compatible, it is suitable for Microsoft's newer .NET architecture.
Conclusion
From a personal point of view, PHP is faster, safer, easier to use, more compatible, and even cheaper, but that does not mean that ASP is useless. There is no need to go into further discussion of the two, just use the language that is most compatible with your system and best meets your expectations.
(Editor-in-charge Huo Fenghuang