Website Framework Recommendations

[appleii.c]

I would like to ask some advice on a framework for building small to medium size web apps. Been doing Java for quite a few years but it seems like Java has become "The old guy at the club", plus it seems a bit heavy for smaller websites.

Frameworks like Codeigniter and Laravel have brought some renewed interest to PHP, there's Python/Django, Node/Express (MEAN stack), .NET (although its tied a bit too much to MS for me), and possibly others. I know they all have their pros and cons, but I am looking for something that will have some scalability, have some shelf life, and relatively strong enough where I can drop it off and the clients wont have issues if they need to find developers to support it, so I guess some popularity. What do you guys recommend for building small/medium sites? What trends are you seeing?

Thanks again for any advice or suggestions.

 

[Abiatha Swelter]

Yeah, this is kind of like asking what languages people like--some will each one is great, others will say it dropped out of Satan's bottom. My (still somewhat limited) experience is with Python, and I would say off the top of my head that if your website doesn't need all the bells and whistles of Django, you might also look at Flask or Pyramid, which are somewhat less complex and easier to modularize with other components (templating and database).

 

[960design]

I would like to ask some advice on a framework for building small to medium size web apps. Been doing Java for quite a few years but it seems like Java has become "The old guy at the club", plus it seems a bit heavy for smaller websites.

Frameworks like Codeigniter and Laravel have brought some renewed interest to PHP, there's Python/Django, Node/Express (MEAN stack), .NET (although its tied a bit too much to MS for me), and possibly others. I know they all have their pros and cons, but I am looking for something that will have some scalability, have some shelf life, and relatively strong enough where I can drop it off and the clients wont have issues if they need to find developers to support it, so I guess some popularity. What do you guys recommend for building small/medium sites? What trends are you seeing?

Thanks again for any advice or suggestions.

I run PHP / Javascript / HTML5 stack for web apps. I have implemented small Node/express stacks as well. I too loved Java since it was a little Oak, but have moved on to Swift and with more focus on pure web applications for easier deployment to multiple device types: Chrome Books, Nook, iPads, Android Tablets, Ubuntu Touch, iWatch, Mac, Linux, Solaris, custom solutions and Windows.

 

[appleii.c]

Yeah, this is kind of like asking what languages people like--some will each one is great, others will say it dropped out of Satan's bottom. My (still somewhat limited) experience is with Python, and I would say...

I run PHP / Javascript / HTML5 stack for web apps. I have implemented small Node/express stacks as well. I too loved Java since it was a little Oak, but have moved on to Swift and with more focus on pure web applications for easier deployment to multiple device types: ...

Thanks for the responses. I do agree that everyone has their opinions and favoritism, but I am looking more for trends, up-and-coming frameworks etc. I'd hate to start moving into building websites using Clojure only to run into a few roadblocks or pitfalls months down the road, or support starts dwindling after a few years for a more modern alternative (I'm just using Clojure as a talking point).

Maybe we'll see a Swift web stack in the future now that is seems to be going open source.

 

[war eagle]

How about the Twitter bootstrap framework? I've been experimenting with that as of late.

 

[JoelTheSuperior]

Django is pretty good, though I'm primarily using Ruby on Rails currently which I'm very happy with.

How about the Twitter bootstrap framework? I've been experimenting with that as of late.

Wrong type of framework. The topic is about backend web frameworks - Bootstrap is purely CSS and Javascript.

 

[elppa]

Been doing Java for quite a few years but it seems like Java has become "The old guy at the club", plus it seems a bit heavy for smaller websites.

If you are familiar with Java…

.NET (although its tied a bit too much to MS for me)

…and considering this…

some scalability, have some shelf life, and relatively strong enough where I can drop it off and the clients wont have issues if they need to find developers to support it, so I guess some popularity

…along with these (very sensible) points…

…then surely the obvious standout choice is Play framework?

It's Java, but without the cruft of the servlet container, EE spec etc. etc.

 

[hurleyint1386]

I've been doing work with CodeIgniter/Expression Engine and they have been great. Some people have said CodeIgniter seems to be dying, so I'm considering others for future projects. A friend of mine seems to be quite interested in Wagtail.io which is Python based.