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Yii 2: The Fast, Secure and Professional PHP Framework

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Quick Overview

Yii2 is a high-performance, component-based PHP framework for developing modern web applications. It provides a full stack of features including MVC, DAO/ActiveRecord, I18N/L10N, caching, authentication, and role-based access control.

Pros

  • Excellent performance and optimization capabilities
  • Comprehensive documentation and active community support
  • Built-in security features and robust error handling
  • Extensive set of helpers and widgets for rapid development

Cons

  • Steeper learning curve compared to some other PHP frameworks
  • Can be overkill for small, simple projects
  • Less frequent updates compared to some competing frameworks
  • Some developers find the configuration process complex

Code Examples

  1. Creating a simple "Hello, World!" application:
use yii\web\Application;

$config = [
    'id' => 'basic',
    'basePath' => __DIR__,
    'components' => [
        'request' => [
            'cookieValidationKey' => 'your-secret-key',
        ],
    ],
];

(new Application($config))->run();
  1. Defining and using an ActiveRecord model:
use yii\db\ActiveRecord;

class User extends ActiveRecord
{
    public static function tableName()
    {
        return 'user';
    }
}

// Using the model
$user = new User();
$user->name = 'John Doe';
$user->email = 'john@example.com';
$user->save();
  1. Creating a simple controller action:
use yii\web\Controller;

class SiteController extends Controller
{
    public function actionIndex()
    {
        $message = 'Welcome to Yii2!';
        return $this->render('index', ['message' => $message]);
    }
}

Getting Started

  1. Install Yii2 via Composer:

    composer create-project --prefer-dist yiisoft/yii2-app-basic basic
    
  2. Navigate to the project directory:

    cd basic
    
  3. Start the built-in PHP server:

    php yii serve
    
  4. Open your browser and go to http://localhost:8080

You now have a basic Yii2 application up and running. Refer to the official documentation for more advanced setup and usage instructions.

Competitor Comparisons

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Laravel is a web application framework with expressive, elegant syntax. We’ve already laid the foundation for your next big idea — freeing you to create without sweating the small things.

Pros of Laravel

  • More intuitive and expressive syntax, making it easier for beginners to learn
  • Robust ecosystem with a wide range of packages and tools (e.g., Laravel Mix, Homestead)
  • Built-in features like Eloquent ORM and Artisan CLI for rapid development

Cons of Laravel

  • Can be slower in performance compared to Yii2, especially for large-scale applications
  • Steeper learning curve for advanced features and concepts
  • More opinionated framework, which may limit flexibility in some scenarios

Code Comparison

Laravel routing example:

Route::get('/users', function () {
    return User::all();
});

Yii2 routing example:

'rules' => [
    'users' => 'user/index',
],

Laravel's routing syntax is more concise and intuitive, while Yii2's approach offers more granular control over URL structure. Both frameworks provide powerful routing capabilities, but Laravel's implementation is generally considered more developer-friendly.

Overall, Laravel excels in developer experience and rapid application development, while Yii2 offers better performance and flexibility for complex applications. The choice between the two depends on project requirements and developer preferences.

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The Symfony PHP framework

Pros of Symfony

  • More modular architecture, allowing for better customization and flexibility
  • Larger ecosystem with more third-party bundles and integrations
  • Better performance in large-scale applications

Cons of Symfony

  • Steeper learning curve, especially for beginners
  • More complex configuration and setup process
  • Potentially slower development speed for small projects

Code Comparison

Symfony route definition:

/**
 * @Route("/hello/{name}", name="hello")
 */
public function hello($name)
{
    return new Response("Hello, " . $name);
}

Yii2 route definition:

public function actionHello($name)
{
    return $this->render('hello', ['name' => $name]);
}

Both Symfony and Yii2 are powerful PHP frameworks with their own strengths. Symfony excels in large, complex applications with its modular architecture and extensive ecosystem. Yii2, on the other hand, is known for its simplicity and rapid development capabilities, making it a good choice for smaller to medium-sized projects. The code comparison shows that Symfony uses annotations for routing, while Yii2 relies on convention-based routing. Ultimately, the choice between the two depends on project requirements, team expertise, and personal preference.

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Pros of CakePHP

  • More extensive documentation and tutorials, making it easier for beginners to get started
  • Stronger emphasis on convention over configuration, leading to faster development for standard applications
  • Built-in security features like CSRF protection and SQL injection prevention

Cons of CakePHP

  • Less flexible than Yii2 for complex, custom applications
  • Steeper learning curve for developers coming from other frameworks
  • Slower performance compared to Yii2, especially for large-scale applications

Code Comparison

CakePHP controller example:

class ArticlesController extends AppController
{
    public function index()
    {
        $articles = $this->Articles->find('all');
        $this->set(compact('articles'));
    }
}

Yii2 controller example:

class ArticleController extends Controller
{
    public function actionIndex()
    {
        $articles = Article::find()->all();
        return $this->render('index', ['articles' => $articles]);
    }
}

Both frameworks use similar MVC patterns, but Yii2's syntax is generally more concise. CakePHP follows stricter naming conventions, while Yii2 offers more flexibility in structuring code.

Open Source PHP Framework (originally from EllisLab)

Pros of CodeIgniter4

  • Lightweight and faster performance
  • Simpler learning curve for beginners
  • More flexible and less opinionated structure

Cons of CodeIgniter4

  • Smaller community and ecosystem compared to Yii2
  • Less built-in features and extensions
  • Limited support for advanced ORM operations

Code Comparison

CodeIgniter4 routing:

$routes->get('users', 'UserController::index');
$routes->post('users/create', 'UserController::create');

Yii2 routing:

'rules' => [
    'users' => 'user/index',
    'POST users/create' => 'user/create',
],

CodeIgniter4 focuses on simplicity and readability, making it easier for newcomers to understand and implement basic routing. Yii2's routing configuration is more compact but may require a deeper understanding of the framework's conventions.

Both frameworks offer MVC architecture, but CodeIgniter4 provides more flexibility in structuring applications. Yii2, on the other hand, offers a more comprehensive set of built-in tools and components, which can be advantageous for larger, more complex projects.

While CodeIgniter4 has made significant improvements over its predecessor, Yii2 still maintains an edge in terms of community support, available extensions, and advanced features like built-in security measures and robust caching mechanisms.

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Fast, unopinionated, minimalist web framework for node.

Pros of Express

  • Lightweight and minimalist, allowing for greater flexibility and customization
  • Faster performance due to its simplicity and lack of built-in features
  • Large ecosystem of middleware and plugins for extending functionality

Cons of Express

  • Requires more manual setup and configuration for common web application features
  • Less structured approach may lead to inconsistent code organization across projects
  • Steeper learning curve for beginners due to fewer built-in conventions

Code Comparison

Express route handling:

app.get('/', function(req, res) {
  res.send('Hello World!');
});

Yii2 route handling:

public function actionIndex()
{
    return $this->render('index');
}

Express is more concise in this example, allowing for inline route handling, while Yii2 follows a more structured controller-based approach.

Express focuses on simplicity and flexibility, making it ideal for small to medium-sized projects or microservices. Yii2 provides a more comprehensive framework with built-in features, better suited for larger, complex applications. The choice between them depends on project requirements, team expertise, and desired development speed.

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The Web framework for perfectionists with deadlines.

Pros of Django

  • More comprehensive documentation and larger community support
  • Built-in admin interface for quick backend management
  • Stronger emphasis on convention over configuration, leading to faster development

Cons of Django

  • Steeper learning curve for beginners due to its "batteries included" approach
  • Less flexibility in terms of project structure compared to Yii2
  • Potentially slower performance for large-scale applications without optimization

Code Comparison

Django (URL routing):

urlpatterns = [
    path('articles/<int:year>/', views.year_archive),
    path('articles/<int:year>/<int:month>/', views.month_archive),
    path('articles/<int:year>/<int:month>/<slug:slug>/', views.article_detail),
]

Yii2 (URL routing):

'rules' => [
    'articles/<year:\d{4}>' => 'article/year',
    'articles/<year:\d{4}>/<month:\d{2}>' => 'article/month',
    'articles/<year:\d{4}>/<month:\d{2}>/<slug>' => 'article/detail',
],

Both frameworks offer powerful routing capabilities, but Django's syntax is generally considered more readable and Pythonic, while Yii2's approach provides more flexibility in defining complex rules.

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README

Yii Framework

Yii 2 is a modern framework designed to be a solid foundation for your PHP application.

It is fast, secure and efficient and works right out of the box pre-configured with reasonable defaults. The framework is easy to adjust to meet your needs, because Yii has been designed to be flexible.

Latest Stable Version Total Downloads Build Status codecov Scrutinizer Quality Score

Installation

  • The minimum required PHP version of Yii is PHP 7.3.
  • It works best with PHP 8.
  • Follow the Definitive Guide in order to get step by step instructions.

Documentation

Versions & PHP compatibility

Yii2 VersionPHP versionDevelopment statusEOL ¹
<= 2.0.49.*>= 5.4, <= 8.3security fixes only23 Nov 2026 ³
>= 2.0.50>= 7.3, <= 8.4bug fixes and security fixes onlybugfixes till 23 Nov 2026 ³, security fixes till 21 Nov 2027 ⁴
>= 2.2.0 ²>= 8.1active development

¹ All mentioned dates may be subject to change and no rights can be derived from them.
² Note: Yii 2.1 was skipped, Yii 2.2 has not yet been released.
³ PHP 8.3 EOL date.
⁴ Expected PHP 8.4 EOL date.

Community

Contributing

The framework is Open Source powered by an excellent community.

You may join us and:

Reporting Security issues

Please refer to a special page at the website describing proper workflow for security issue reports.

Directory Structure

build/               internally used build tools
docs/                documentation
framework/           core framework code
tests/               tests of the core framework code

Spreading the Word

Acknowledging or citing Yii 2 is as important as direct contributions.

In presentations

If you are giving a presentation or talk featuring work that makes use of Yii 2 and would like to acknowledge it, we suggest using our logo on your title slide.

In projects

If you are using Yii 2 as part of an OpenSource project, a way to acknowledge it is to use a special badge in your README:

Yii2

If your code is hosted at GitHub, you can place the following in your README.md file to get the badge:

[![Yii2](https://img.shields.io/badge/Powered_by-Yii_Framework-green.svg?style=flat)](https://www.yiiframework.com/)

Sponsoring

Support this project by becoming a sponsor or a backer.

OpenCollective sponsors OpenCollective backers