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PHP has solidified itself as one of the most popular PHP programming languages in the world. Because of PHP’s popularity and longevity there are plenty of PHP frameworks that have been created to help in website or application creation. Different frameworks were created to empower projects with different requirements. For example, Symfony has gained traction for its ability to facilitate enterprise level projects, while CakePHP is best suited for projects that require high scalability.
New programming languages seem to spring up every week. Some are gone the next day while others gain temporary traction. PHP has stood the test of time and continues to be an essential part of programming and web development solutions. One of the reasons for its dominance is the multiple PHP frameworks that have been built to increase the usefulness of PHP. This article will focus on one of the most popular PHP frameworks, CakePHP.
What is CakePHP?
CakePHP is a free framework released in 2006. It is open-source, and over 200,000 live websites are currently making use of it. So, why do some businesses choose Cake and what scenarios is it suitable in?
Developing with CakePHP decreases the amount of coding needed and therefore makes development projects a lot more time and cost-efficient. The most updated version of CakePHP can provide solutions for a range of projects, no matter whether a project is small and simple or large and complex.
To better understand why this framework, let’s identify some of the common benefits of CakePHP:
Reusable Code: CakePHP makes use of pre-written code that has been tested and verified. Having access to such code is time efficient for developers as they don’t have to constantly make sure that different code structures sync well with one another. This frees up more time to work on creative parts of a project.
Less Pre-Configuration Requirements: Many frameworks will need other installations and configurations before actually being able to start developing. This can become time-consuming and frankly annoying for developers. With CakePHP, a developer only has to configure database settings, while all other settings are already done.
Object Oriented Programming (OOP): What does OOP allow? Faster troubleshooting as a developer only has to find the class or object that’s causing the issue. Splitting a program into classes means a development team can work simultaneously on the same project without stepping on each others’ toes.
Should You Hire a CakePHP Developer?
If considering hiring a CakePHP developer, the first thing you should understand is that it is not necessarily a simple framework. Sure it may not have quite as steep a learning curve as, say, Laravel, but CakePHP is still nowhere near suited for beginner developers. Because CakePHP documentation is clear and simple to understand, some may make the mistake of thinking that learning CakePHP development is easy. Yet, the documentation doesn’t actually provide solutions to many issues you may run into during development. In such situations, you have to be knowledgeable enough or innovative enough to find solutions on your own—this is a big reason why it’s important you hire experienced CakePHP developers.
Another aspect you have to consider is the specific experience that the developer has. Does the developer have “x+” years working with CakePHP mobile app development or “x+” years of CakePHP eCommerce development? You only want to hire the developer whose specialty aligns with your project. Ideally, you want to hire a developer who is well experienced in all areas.
The budget your working with is going to be one of your central considerations when outsourcing development. Thankfully, when hiring CakePHP developers, there is an option for almost anyone no matter how restricted your budget may be. Many business owners find that developer hiring costs an unthinkable amount when they hire locally (usually if living in the US or UK). This is why many entrepreneurs now look to hire offshore as you can get the same level of development expertise, but at a fraction of the cost. Of course, you have to be willing to negotiate some cultural differences especially concerning communication and be open to operating with someone in a different time zone. Below I’ll discuss the two main options business owners consider to achieve cost-effective hiring.
CakePHP Freelancers: Global
Hiring freelancers is one way of finding cost-efficient hiring rates, but you need to be cautious. If you scroll for long enough through freelancing websites, you will find developers who are offering an extremely cheap and tempting hourly rate. Yet, you need to ask yourself what such a developer represents in terms of quality. If they have no previous projects in their work portfolio and have no previous client feedback (or negative reviews) then you have little to no information that can give you an idea of their development skills. Such freelancers will often end up submitting a finished product that is far below your expectations and then it will cost you even more to fix their mistakes with the help of another developer. When hiring a freelancer you want to find a viable middle ground where development skills are backed up by positive reviews, an abundant work portfolio and a high job success percentage.
When hiring CakePHP freelancers, I’d recommend looking at popular sites such as Upwork and Toptal.
CakePHP Development Companies: India
You’re probably wondering why I’ve limited this section to India! There’s a really simple reason for why I’ve done this—India has the highest population of developers with a tertiary qualification. India has become one of the most popular options for business owners looking to outsource project development. After so many years, many Indian development companies have become very accustomed to working with offshore clients and therefore previous cultural issues have dwindled.
Because of the large population of web development specialists in India, you’ll have no problem finding a CakePHP developer but you may run into some issues making sure they’re trustworthy and the right pick for you. Even though some companies will be technically proficient, there websites will have poor written skills and naturally make you skeptical about their services.
To help you pick the right hire, let’s identify a few different aspects of a web development company that makes them a suitable choice:
CakePHP Specialists: If your project is using CakePHP you only want to hire CakePHP experts. Some make the mistake of hiring generalist web developers who aren’t as experienced with niche frameworks and will have to upskill themselves during development—costing you extra and setting back deadlines! This is the advantage large development companies have. A larger development team usually has a variety of specialists.
Maintenance Services: If your project requires support after initial completion then you need to ensure the development company is willing to provide this service. Some will take more of a freelancer approach and be gone after the final product has been submitted. Fortunately, most development companies will provide maintenance services and will prefer long-term relationships.
Tech Support Hours: Especially when hiring offshore, it’s essential that you have a large window for communication. This is so you can check progress, provide feedback and consider any suggestions that the development team is suggesting. Thorough communication results in an accurate project that meets set deadlines. What’s key here is that you are sure of their real tech support hours—meaning hours when you can actually talk to someone (not a chatbot!). Many companies will offer 24/7 tech support, yet only have 8 hours where you can actually talk to someone. Global development companies provide the best development services as they always have someone to talk to in different timezones. Be sure to ask what their actual tech support limitations are during consulting.
Positive Reviews: From previous client reviews and testimonials to third-party development company websites, a reputable development company will have plenty of positive reviews showing client satisfaction and a productive working relationship.
Active Work Portfolio: This refers back to making sure they’re trustworthy. They should have a work portfolio full of recent web development projects that feature proof of working with CakePHP. Otherwise, they will give examples of previous projects, keeping the privacy of their previous clients in mind.
Some Recommended Picks for CakePHP Development Services
Evince have deployed plenty of unique CakePHP projects and in 2018 were named as one of the top app developers in New York by Clutch.co. They have completed projects for a range of different industries and have a firm grasp of the key benefits of using CakePHP.
This team is a large global development company who also offer specialist CakePHP services. With offices in India, the US, Australia and New Zealand they are able to provide 18/5 tech support hours. They provide cost-effective developer packages that allow you to get more development expertise at a monthly rate. Furthermore, they have plenty of positive reviews which you can find on and off your site. If wanting to hire CakePHP developers they’re an excellent choice.
If you’d like to upskill your own CakePHP knowledge or web development knowledge in general—this article discussing the best YouTube channels for developers is a great place to start.
