Why should I use a framework?

A framework is not absolutely necessary: it is “just” one of the tools that is available to help you develop better and faster!

Better, because a framework provides you with the certainty that you are developing an application that is in full compliance with the business rules, that is structured, and that is both maintainable and upgradable.

Faster, because it allows developers to save time by re-using generic modules in order to focus on other areas. Without, however, ever being tied to the framework itself.

This is the basic principle of a framework: Not having to reinvent the wheel. And doing away with foreboding, low value added tasks (for example, the development of generic components) in order to fully focus on the business rules.

As an example, a framework will keep the developer from having to spend 2 or 3 days creating an authentication form (which is not a specific task). The time that is saved can be dedicated to more specific components as well as to the corresponding unit tests; giving you solid, sustainable and high quality code.

In the longer term, a framework ensures the longevity of your applications. If a development team works as they please, only that particular team will be able to maintain and upgrade the application with ease. The way that a publisher supports a proprietary solution.

On the other hand, the structure that a framework provides for the application makes it possible to avoid this pitfall altogether and it gives any developer - whether they participated in its development or not – the ability to easily “adopt” an application, to maintain it over time and to upgrade it both quickly and neatly, whenever necessary.

In this regard, a framework is not a black box! In the case of Symfony, it is still PHP... The applications that are developed are not limited to the Symfony universe, and they are natively interoperable with any other PHP library, for example.