AlignMinds Technologies logo

SINCE 2009

Founded over 13 years ago, we’ve grown from a small team in Kochi, India, to a leading global technology consulting company that transformed businesses by our design led product engineering.

info@alignminds.com
+1 850 999 7458 | +91 484 485 4333

Tag: Programming Languages

Posted on

How to Hire the Best PHP Developer for Your Next Project?

Innovations in technology have brought many changes in the lifestyle of humans.

One of the examples involves that of the internet. The internet has brought many innovations such as eCommerce, eLearning, etc. Earlier, the internet was accessed through a computer. Now, anyone can access the internet through a mobile phone.

The following survey shows the market position of various languages used in web development.

Source: w3techs.com

From the graph above, we can find that PHP is used by many sites. The following graph shows that PHP is used by 78.8% of websites.

Source: w3techs.com

The following survey compares various server-side programming languages in web development.

Source: w3techs.com

A huge market is created by websites or web applications. When used correctly it can bring good revenues to your business.

These web applications and websites are powered by many programming languages. Some of the examples include PHP, JavaScript, Python, etc. PHP is one of the most favoured programming languages of developers.

What is PHP?

PHP is the commonly used programming language in website or web app development.

PHP is an open-source language. This means that anyone can use PHP without any cost. The source code of PHP is released to the public for studying, modifying, and also for distribution.

Some of the websites that use PHP include Facebook, WordPress, Wikipedia, Yahoo, etc.

PHP is used for server-side scripting, unlike HTML which is used for designing the layout of the web page.

Difference between server-side scripting and client-side scripting

Server-side scripting

  • Server-side scripting is a process in the back-end of the website or web application. Server-side scripting helps in various operations of the website or web app such as customization, accessing application databases, etc.
  • Server-side scripting requires server interaction. The server-side scripting helps in establishing a connection between the server and the user.
  • Some of the most used server-side scripting languages include PHP, ASP.net, Python, etc.

Client-side scripting

  • Client-side scripting is a process in the front-end of web apps or websites. This scripting happens on the end user’s device. This may include all those that a user sees such as text, images, etc.
  • Client-side scripting does not need server interaction. It uses the web browser as a host program. Client-side scripting can minimize the load to the server
  • HTML, CSS, JavaScript are some of the examples of client-side scripting languages.

PHP and server-side scripting

PHP is one of the most popular server-side scripting languages.

Server-side scripting happens on the server-side and helps to connect to the databases in the webserver. HTML or HyperText Markup Language is the basic language used to create websites. Creating interactive features is not possible with HTML. But by using PHP, one can integrate interactive elements into a website.

As PHP is an open-source language, anyone with the proper knowledge can use it for bringing more innovations. There are no specified rules to use PHP and can build features according to the PHP programmers.

PHP supports a wide range of database management systems. MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, Sybase, Cubrid, etc. are some of the popular examples of databases that can integrate with PHP.

Why is PHP important?

Source: 7php.com

Originally, the full form of PHP was Personal Home Page. Now it is changed to Hypertext Preprocessor.

Rasmus Lerdorf is a Danish-Canadian programmer. He wrote many CGI (Common Gateway Interface) programs by using the language C in 1994. This was used to maintain his personal homepage. This Personal Home Page (PHP) was later developed into Hypertext Preprocessor.

A blue elephant is the mascot of PHP. It is stylized as ‘elePHPant’ and was created by Vincent Pontier in 1998.

According to a ​survey​, about 78.8% of websites work on PHP. This shows the popularity of PHP among developers and businesses.

Why is PHP favoured the most?

  • PHP is a reliable scripting language and one of the most affordable options that assist you in creating a website.
  • PHP works on every platform, be it Android, Windows or iOS. Most of the browsers also support PHP.
  • PHP provides foolproof security. PHP provides protection against viruses and threats.
  • Anyone with a sound knowledge of HTML can learn PHP very easily.

It is a very simple process to change your website that is based on HTML to PHP. PHP programming and HTML rendering are easier than other languages like ColdFusion, Python, etc.

Nowadays, PHP programmers use version PHP 7. PHP 7 shows improvements in performance and better memory usage. The newest version, PHP 8 is scheduled to be released on November 26, 2020.

The good thing about PHP

  • It is affordable for both startups and established firms to hire PHP developers. It is better to hire PHP programmers who are experienced rather than a trainee.
  • There is a large community of PHP programmers all around the globe who are connected. So there are always solutions to problems while using PHP.
  • PHP is a flexible language. The flexibility of PHP helps to integrate with application databases and develop advanced web apps.
  • PHP is seamlessly used in any platform without any issues.
  • PHP can help in creating a more SEO-friendly website than other languages like Ruby, Perl, etc.

Hiring PHP developer

If you are looking to create a perfect website, it is important to hire PHP developers.

PHP programmers are an essential part of a website or web application development team. PHP programmers help in combining your web project with other services. They also assist front-end developers in developing an ideal website or web app.

Why is a PHP developer a vital part of web development?

PHP programmers write the scripts for the back-end. The PHP programmers also make sure that the web infrastructure is working as intended. You can also hire PHP developers to modify scripts and also to test the code for errors.

How to hire PHP developers?

When you hire PHP developers for your business, make sure that they have the required experience and expertise along with good technical skills. There are three levels of seniority in the PHP programmer’s community. They are

  • Beginner
  • Mid-level
  • Senior-Level

1. Hiring beginner level PHP developer

A fresher who does not have prior experience in the field of PHP development is called a beginner-level PHP programmer. Good guidance and training can help a beginner-level PHP programmer to polish the skill-set. You can hire a beginner-level PHP developer to help with data manipulation and other simple tasks.

2. Hiring a mid-level PHP developer

A mid-level PHP developer is more experienced than a beginner. Mid-level PHP programmers have good knowledge in the field of work. They can smoothly work under senior-level PHP programmers with little supervision.

3. Hiring senior-level PHP developer

A senior-level PHP developer is having advanced knowledge and vast expertise in the field. Many years of experience will help a senior-level PHP programmer to quickly find solutions to problems while developing. He/she is highly skilled in every aspect of PHP.

  • Hire PHP web developers who have good knowledge in other languages such as MySQL, XHTML, etc. This will help in the proper integration of PHP with these frameworks that are usually used in website or web application development. Check the quality of the work by referring to the past works before you hire PHP developers.
  • When you opt to hire PHP web developers, always be sure that he/she is a good team player. The PHP programmer can effectively collaborate with others and ensure a proper workflow and quality of the product.
  • Hire PHP developers who can upgrade themselves according to the newest trend in the industry and who have all the required skill-set.

When you hire a PHP developer, you can go for any of the following options.

You can

  • Hire PHP development company
  • Hire freelance PHP developer
  • Hire dedicated PHP developers

Hiring PHP development company vs hiring freelance PHP developer vs hiring a dedicated PHP developer

The three choices mentioned above have their own merits and demerits. You can compare the three options and hire PHP developers that are best suited to your needs.

1. Hiring PHP development company

There are many PHP development companies that offer good quality work. Before hiring a PHP development company of your choice, you should understand its advantages and disadvantages.

1.1 Advantages of hiring a PHP development company

Experience

When you hire a PHP development company you get PHP programmers who are having years of experience in this field. There is no need for giving any training and can start the project once an agreement is made between the development company and you.

Expertise

When you hire a PHP development company, you get PHP programmers who are having excellent expertise in various fields of web development. Educational portals, eCommerce sites, news portals, NGO websites all make use of PHP to develop a better website.

Timely delivery

PHP development companies usually follow an established workflow. This makes sure that the product is delivered on time. So, hire PHP development companies with positive reviews of past clients and ensure that they can deliver the project under the specified time.

Best development practices

A good PHP development company will ensure the delivery of a quality product by following good development practices. This includes proper documentation, clean written codes, troubleshooting for errors, etc. A PHP development company also uses the newest technologies in developing your PHP program.

Certified PHP developers

PHP programmers are having a worldwide ever-growing community. Hiring PHP developers who are the best in this community is a difficult task. But when you hire a PHP development company, you get access to certified PHP programmers. The PHP development company will conduct interviews and tests to know the skill level before they hire PHP developers.

There are some disadvantages as well while hiring a PHP development company.

1.2 Disadvantages of hiring a PHP development company

  • If you didn’t perform a good background check before you hire a PHP development company, you might incur extra charges. Some PHP development companies can overcharge the client based on the increase in their employee salary or other office expenses.
  • Before the start of the project, an agreement might be made by the PHP development company and the client on the number of revisions. If the client needs more revisions in the future, he/she is bound by a contract that allows only a certain number of revisions.
  • The cost of hiring a PHP development company is higher than that of a freelance PHP developer. The client should pay for all the expenses while hiring a PHP development company. But when hiring a freelance PHP developer, he needs to only pay for the service.

There are some advantages and disadvantages of hiring freelance PHP developers, which are discussed in the next section.

2. Hiring a freelance PHP developer

Hiring freelance PHP developers are the best option if there are budgetary restrictions. Some of the advantages of hiring freelance PHP developers are as follows.

2.1 Advantages of hiring a freelance PHP developer

  • As a freelance PHP developer cost less compared to other available options, this is a good option for a startup. The startup can invest the saved money on other core objectives of the business.
  • A freelance PHP developer can work without any supervision or guidance. To be the best in the industry, a freelancer updates themselves with the newest technologies and practices.
  • Usually, a freelance PHP developer works on a global level. So the freelance PHP developer knows the different kinds of trends practiced by different businesses. A client can use this knowledge to the advantage of their business.
  • A freelance PHP developer may not follow a 9 to 5 work schedule. So a client can appoint time slots according to his/her choice. Therefore flexibility of communication is an advantage of hiring freelance PHP developers.
  • There are many search platforms available on the internet to find the best freelance PHP developers.

2.2 Disadvantages of hiring a freelance PHP developer

  • A freelance PHP developer who does not have any ethics would drop out from your project mid-way for more profitable work. So it is important to sign contracts between you and the freelance PHP developer.
  • A client has full control over the working of an employee in the in-house team. But, the client has little control over a freelance PHP developer.
  • There are only some freelance PHP developers who are experienced professionals in their field who give the best output. Quality of work is affected when you end up hiring a freelance PHP developer who does not show any professionalism and skill.
  • There are freelance PHP developers who post fake reviews and ratings of themselves. Confidentiality issues and disputes based on payments is a problem while hiring such freelance PHP developers
  • A freelance PHP developer might be working on multiple projects at a time. So meeting the deadlines is a problem while hiring a freelance PHP developer.

3. Hiring dedicated PHP developers

When you hire dedicated PHP developers, you can be sure that you get quality work for a reasonable price. Unlike freelance PHP developers, a dedicated PHP developer is like a member of your in-house team. You have direct control over the dedicated PHP developer. You get the following advantages when you hire dedicated PHP developers.

3.1 Advantages of hiring dedicated PHP developers

Quick completion time

When you hire dedicated PHP programmers, the project turn-around time can be significantly reduced. It is because the requirements are already understood and the dedicated PHP developer will be hired based on the required skill set to complete the project on time.

Easy management

Hiring dedicated PHP developers will help you greatly in team management. Dedicated PHP developers are flexible, which means that you can increase or decrease the size of the team according to the need. A project manager will be responsible for smooth communication between you and the dedicated PHP developers. You can hire dedicated PHP developers if you want to develop a quality product under your supervision, just like an in-house team.

Cost-effective

Cost is significantly reduced when you hire dedicated PHP developers. There are no additional costs incurred for training the employees as in an in-house development team. You also don’t need to spend any additional costs for equipment, allowances, annual bonuses, etc. These all expenses are implicitly covered in the service rate of dedicated PHP developers.

Experience and expertise

Hire dedicated PHP programmers to get a team of employees who are experienced in working on various areas of web development. Due to their level of mastery, they can come up with solutions to problems within a shorter span of time.

High level of security, reliability, flexibility, and professionalism

Hire dedicated PHP developers who are very professional in their approach. Dedicated PHP developers will mostly have the experience of working for several clients and projects at a global level. They can help you with the conceptualization of ideas that best suit your project.

Hire dedicated PHP programmers who follow proper documentation procedures and data protection protocols.

There are also some disadvantages when you hire dedicated PHP developers.

3.2 Disadvantages of hiring dedicated PHP developers

  • If you hire dedicated PHP programmers from another country, different time zones might cause problems in communication. If there is something important to communicate regarding the product development and if it is not possible due to network issues or one party being not available, it could increase the delivery time of the product.
  • Dedicated PHP developers might not always have a project manager to oversee the work as in the case of an in-house development team. You might need to also hire a dedicated project manager to oversee the work of dedicated PHP developers.
  • When you hire dedicated PHP developers from another country, always analyze the geopolitical situation. The development of the project would be stopped or delayed If there is any situation of geopolitical unrest such as wars or terrorist attacks.

Best place to hire PHP developers

You can hire PHP developers mainly from the

  • The internet
  • PHP communities
  • Referrals from your professional contacts

The internet

There are many freelance/B2B platforms that help in hiring freelance PHP developers from around the globe. Some of them include Freelancer, Truelancer, We Work Remotely, etc. If you want to hire dedicated PHP programmers, you can search in Toptal, Hired, Upwork, Clutch, etc.

If you have a LinkedIn account, you can use it to connect with PHP programmers who have the required skill-set.

PHP communities

PHP is having a large community of developers. A client can look in PHP communities to hire PHP web developers with the desired skill set. PHP communities and groups can be found in social media networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, etc., and also on internet forums. You can also attend PHP conferences where you can meet exceptional PHP developers.

Referrals from your professional contacts

You can seek help from your professional circles to find the best PHP developers. They might give you the contact details of experienced PHP developers who they might have worked with in the past.

Cost of hiring a PHP developer

There are some factors that influence the cost of hiring PHP programmers. Some of them include the following:

  • Experience
  • Geographical location
  • Skill-set
  • Complexity of project

Experience

As the experience of a PHP programmer increases, the rate of hiring also increases. For example, a junior PHP developer, on average, charges about $20 an hour. The mid-level PHP developer charges about $30 per hour and a senior PHP developer may charge $40 and above.

Geographical location

When you hire PHP programmers from developed countries such as the U.S., it could cost between $10,000-$15,000 for a one-month-long project. The annual salary of PHP programmers from the U.S is about $103,000.

Some countries such as India and Ukraine have PHP developers who could help you with your web project at a very low rate. A client may need to spend about $5000 for a project in these countries, or maybe more, depending on the size and complexity of the project. The PHP developers from Asian countries have an annual salary of about $50,000. It is less compared to the salary of the PHP programmers from the U.S.

Skillset

The required skill set will vary depending on the nature and requirements of the project. You can hire a mid-level developer for a simple project that does not need the expertise of a senior-level PHP developer.

For a more complex project, you will need to hire a senior-level developer who is equipped with the knowledge of different areas of web development, for example -back-end, front-end, SEO, technology architecture, web security, etc. So, the rate of hiring PHP developers differs according to the type of project and the skill level of the PHP developer.

Complexity of project

The rate of hiring PHP developers is influenced by the complexity of the project. For a simple project with fewer features, the cost of developing is in between $1500-$3500. A mid-level project can be completed in between $5500-$10,500. For a complex product with advanced features, it may cost $15,500 and above.

To develop a web-based solution that stands out from the competition, you need to hire PHP developers who are exceptional in their field of work. In other words, the experience, skillset, and expertise of developers are the backbones of any good web-based solution.

AlignMinds Technologies is an award-winning mobile app development company with a decade of success stories. We offer digital product engineering services that include strategy and design, web and mobile app development, DevOps, and cybersecurity. We can help your businesses to get an edge in the competition through innovative solutions.​ Contact us now!

Posted on

What Makes Kotlin The Fastest Growing Programming Language?

Kotlin is one of the fastest growing programming languages in the world. It is open-source, statically typed language primarily developed by JetBrains programmers based in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Statically typed programming language means Kotlin performs type checking at compile-time as opposed to run-time.

Java was once among the most popular, most favourite programming languages. However, looking at the limitations and errors caused by Java, developers required a desperate rescue. That’s when the JetBrains developers created Kotlin which proved to be much more efficient than Java.

Kotlin has advanced benefits in terms of reliability, efficiency, runtime performance and maintenance when compared to Java, yet fully interoperable with Java. It provides seamless integration with Java frameworks and libraries and supports backward compatibility. Kotlin also boasts about the fact that fewer lines of code are required to solve a problem resulting in clean, concise, easy to write and understand the code.

Kotlin is developed just recently and is already gaining popularity among developers. Kotlin is becoming a strong competition to Java. The common issues that are a cause of frustration to Java developers are well covered in this young rival.

In May 2017, Kotlin was named as the official language of Android by Google. The team just decided to name it after an island and that’s why the name Kotlin (from Kotlin Island, near St. Petersburg).

Stack Overflow says that Kotlin is becoming developer’s favourite programming language and is outranking languages like Python and JavaScript. According to some survey reports, around 80% of Kotlin developers are using Kotlin as a programming language. Around 30% use it for Backend/server-side applications and another 30% use it for SDK/libraries.

Coursera, Atlassian, Basecamp, Pinterest, Keepsafe are already using Kotlin in their mobile applications.

What makes Kotlin the fastest growing language?

Concise

This is the biggest advantage of Kotlin over other programming languages that you can solve the same kind of problem using fewer lines of code with a reduced number of bugs and crashes. Also, it makes the code more readable, easy to make changes and to maintain.

Safe

Kotlin helps developers write robust and stable code. Kotlin’s smarter and safer compiler detect errors at compile itself and perform lots of compile-time checks reducing runtime errors.

Interoperable

Kotlin is fully interoperable with Java. The existing codebase can interact with Kotlin and all existing libraries in Android can be used in Kotlin as well.

Better productivity

As it requires lesser lines of code, results in better productivity.

There are other lots of features in Kotlin that will speed up the daily development tasks.

Conclusion

Kotlin has undoubtedly won the heart of developers and has become a highly competing programming language. As it is open source and bring all advantages of a modern programming language into the Android platform, it is a great fit for Android developers.

Migrating to Kotlin will really be a piece of cake for them. With all the cool features of functional programming, Kotlin is only getting brighter and better in the Android community.

However, only time can tell whether the popularity achieved by Kotlin in the Android community can be achieved in other communities.

– Susan B John

Posted on

Why Should You Use Syntactically Awesome Style Sheets (SASS)?

Sass is the most mature, stable, and powerful professional CSS extension language in the world initially designed by Hampton Catlin and developed by Natalie Weizenbaum. Sass is completely compatible with all versions of CSS. We take this compatibility so that you can use any available CSS libraries. Sass boasts more features and abilities than any other CSS extension language out there.

There is an endless number of frameworks built with Sass. Compass, Bourbon, and Susy just to name a few.

Sass is an extension of CSS3, adding nested rules, variables, mixins, selector inheritance, and more. It’s translated to well-formatted, standard CSS using the command-line tool or a web-framework plug-in.

SASS Syntaxes

Sass has two syntaxes. The main syntax (as of Sass 3) is known as “SCSS” (for “Sassy CSS”) and is a superset of CSS3’s syntax. This means that every valid CSS3 style sheet is valid SCSS as well. SCSS files use the extension .scss.

The second, older syntax is known as the indented syntax (or just “Sass”). Inspired by Haml’s terseness, it’s intended for people who prefer conciseness over similarity to CSS. Instead of brackets and semicolons, it uses the indentation of lines to specify blocks. Although no longer the primary syntax, the indented syntax will continue to be supported. Files in the indented syntax use the extension .sass.

Pros and Cons of Syntactically Awesome Style Sheets (SASS)

SASS Pros

1. Clean Code

If you are coming from Python, Ruby (you can even write props with symbol-like syntax) or even CoffeeScript world, it will come very natural to you – writing mixins, functions and generally any reusable stuff in sass is much ‘easier’ and readable than in scss(subjective).

2. Shorter Development Time

With Sass, you can save a lot of time if you know how to use it well. In addition to CSS, sass lets you write functions, mixins, you can import styles and many such time-saving bits. With proper naming of classes, you can create your own common styles which can be used whenever you want instead of calling the same styles repeatedly. This saves a lot of time just like bootstrap does when you need a ‘text-centre’ class or a ‘pull-right’ to position your element.

3. Consistency

It is always easier to reuse what we have already written than to write new patterns. Along with the fact that this saves a lot of time, you can also have a consistent pattern throughout your page. You won’t have to scale through each element while continuing through the website development.

4. Reduced HTTP requests

Unlike the regular CSS, Sass lets you to breakdown your style sheet into several bits or parts and can be called using @import keyword. The Sass compiler will then combine your style sheet into a single CSS file, which will not only get your style sheet organized but also will reduce the HTTP requests passed and thus allow it to load much faster.

SASS Cons

1. Space Sensitive

Sass is space sensitive. Sass does not support the use of extra unnecessary spaces. If we, even accidentally leave extra space or forget to include a semi-colon, sass compiler will show an error which sometimes gets really annoying.

For example:On the below image, you can find an error on line 3057 that happened due to missing braces.

An error on line 3057 due to missing braces

2. Need to write all styles initially

One of the advantages of using sass is that we can reuse the same styles more easily. But to do that, we initially need to write up all the necessary styles which are to be later imported or included and which can be considered time-consuming. Nevertheless, it’s worth it.

In general, there are many advantages and disadvantages to using sass. If you know to use it well, you could get the best out of it. Even some of the disadvantages can be considered as an advantage.

Like a small mistake in the syntax will make the compiler to show an error message. This may be annoying but there might come certain situations when this could actually help you to save a lot of time. For example, in CSS, we make a small mistake like forget a space. But we won’t notice it and the compiler will show no error. But we won’t get the expected result either. So, we might actually spend lots of time researching what went wrong until we figure out that it was a small space issue. In sass, the compiler will immediately show the error even if a small space is missing and could be helpful.

Quick Tips

When you’re starting a project and you intend to do it in sass, these tips may come handy:

– Keep your sass style sheet structured so that it will be easy to maintain.

For example,

.logo { Float: left; Width: 240px; img { margin:0; vertical-align:middle; @media (max-width: $x-minimum-width) { width:100%; height:auto; } } @media (max-width: $x-minimum-width) { width:190px; } }

Sass variables must be effectively used. It might look difficult in the beginning but when you get used, it will be really helpful.

For example,

$x-minimum-width:480px; h2 { font-size:24px; @media (max-width: $x-minimum-width) { font-size:18px; } }

Avoid using mixins. Mixins are more like copying and pasting. Not much effective though.

For example,

@mixin transition($property) { transition: $property .3s ease-in; -webkit-transition: $property .3s ease; -moz-transition: $property .3s ease; -o-transition: $property .3s ease; -ms-transition: $property .3s ease; } a { color:$primary-color; cursor:pointer; @include transition(color); &:hover { color:$secondary-color; text-decoration:none; } }

Compiling a SASS file

To create a sass file, first, you need to create a normal CSS file. Save it as ‘file-name’.scss in your CSS directory where your normal CSS files are saved. Also, create a normal CSS file in the same directory. The styles you write in your scss file will be automatically added to your CSS file by the sass compiler.

To compile the sass file, you need to perform the following steps:

Open command prompt

2. Navigate to the location where your CSS files are saved.

For example: cd C:\wamp\www\example\wp-content\themes\example\css

3. Write the SASS command

Write the SASS command to start compiling the SASS file. Command: sass –watch custom.scss:custom.css

– Shekhar R