It's been just over a decade now since we began using apps. However, it is evident that the mobile app development market has dramatically changed since the time it was first introduced. The increase in sales and use of smartphones has led to changes in the habits of the user. In response, developers have also modified their strategy.
Before, they used to create native apps that were designed for particular platforms. However, now they develop applications for every operating system and platform available. It was a long period of time and resources, and businesses can't pay for testing their customers their patience.
It was the catalyst for cross-platform development. It reduced the development time and created greater opportunities. But, there are a few problems that users and developers confront with this with regards to security and performance. PHP web development services helped developers tremendously in this regard.
Before we get to the details, we should have a look at the benefits of cross-platform development.
How PHP Helps in Cross Platform Development
Let's look at the way PHP helps make cross-platform development more effective.
Performance Issues
A major and important features that an application has is the performance. There is however an overall consensus on the fact that performance for cross-platform applications is less than native apps.
Because of compatibility issues with particular Operating systems, the applications are unable to perform their functions. This happens as the non-native and native parts of the devices that the app runs are incompatible. The reason why cross-platform applications fail in comparison to native apps.
The next question is what PHP can assist in this!
There are numerous things an PHP website development company can accomplish to help make an application or website created with PHP operate more efficiently.
Enabling OPcache on PHP Server
OPcache is directly linked to the process of code compilation. It is therefore one of the fundamental components of PHP's performance. When a developer makes a request to the server and it compiles their code every time before sending responses. This increases the time it takes to load.
The difference is that OPcache preserves pre-compiled PHP code from compiling for subsequent requests. Many specialists believe PHP performance will be enhanced and the time to load is reduced if developers implement OPcache. Therefore it is impossible to deny the significance of OPcache.
Cache Static Assets
You could hire PHP programmers to use static content caching technology like Varnish to accomplish this. Varnish accelerates the process of making PHP websites and also provides developers with the most efficient performance since it caches HTML.
It permits developers to store components for a certain amount of time prior to erasing the entire cache. When they create eCommerce shops using PHP it is also possible to cache custom URLs which are beneficial.
Minify Static Assets
When working with PHP developers collaborate with other technologies such as HTML, CSS, JS and various other scripts. These additional technologies aid in improving the efficiency of applications. So, experts recommend minimising static scripts to speed up processing.
The PHP web development agency does not have to work on this by hand since there are numerous online tools to help out.
Using Cloud Hosting for Deployment
It can help developers can deploy PHP applications on hosting servers following the completion of development on their dev servers. Hosting environments also affect the performance and speed of PHP applications. The requests will be processed promptly if the server is efficient and optimized.
Memcache Configuration
Memcache is an distributed memory cache technology. By storing the database objects in a active memory, it speeds up websites that have massive databases. You can avail the assistance from PHP web development services to accomplish this.
The purpose of storing information within dynamic memory will ease the load on servers whenever an external data source needs to make a request. Utilizing the Memcache layer helps reduce the volume of database queries.
Complex Code Structure
Cross platform solutions must accommodate their designs and functions not only to specific devices however, they must also be compatible with platforms that are very different. In turn, it increases the burden of developers.
They are faced with special exceptions that are specific to various platforms and devices, and especially with more complicated features. Because such issues are uncommon for native applications, app developers are able to focus on solving user issues.
PHP gives developers a range of ways to optimize performance for improving the performance of their code.
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Instead of XML developers should instead use JSON kinds of information.
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They shouldn't repeat declarations of variables and should utilize isset() because it's quicker.
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Developers should not duplicate classes and functions by creating an existing class that other classes could take over.
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It is essential to disable debugging options, break DB connection, as well as stop creating SQL queries in a sequence for live servers.
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Limiting the number of database requests to a minimum, and avoiding having too many requests in one go will also assist.
These suggestions will certainly aid in keeping code organized and enhancing speed and performance for PHP applications and websites.
Security Issues
Cyberattacks are becoming more commonplace and mobile apps aren't an exception. Native apps can address security issues with regular updates, however cross-platform apps aren't as agile in addressing security issues. Thus, businesses prefer native apps when they are dealing with lots of data from business and corporate.
With the advent of the latest technologies and architectural companies that specialize in cross-platform application development are working hard to get over these hurdles. And that's where PHP website application development play an important function.
PHP offers a range of tools and features that protect apps and websites against any external attack.
Hiding files from the browser
PHP frameworks permit different files like controllers, models and configuration files to be put in the directory. However, the majority of browsers can not manage all of them even though they're easily accessible. There's a way to allow developers to fix this issue.
It is possible to move documents from their root folder into the public folder. This way, they'll not be accessible on the web browser throughout the day.
Avoiding SQL Injections
Experts suggest using query parameters to protect against SQL injections. Before running the SQL query the query is ideally substituted with the arguments. This eliminates the possibility of SQL injection vulnerability. This approach not only assists developers to protect SQL query, but helps to organize them so they can be processed swiftly.
Avoiding Session Hijacking
Developers should always connect their sessions to real IP addresses in order to prevent session hijacking. This allows the user to shut down sessions when an unintentional violation occurs. This lets them know that someone is trying to bypass the session get access to their application.
Additionally, exposing IDs under any circumstance could lead to your identity getting compromised due to another attack. It is therefore recommended to not expose IDs when developing mobile app development.
Avoiding Cross Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
A hacker is able to start an CSRF attack only when users click on the malicious hacker's hidden link. That means that if hackers can identify which malicious scripts are infected, they can stop any possible CSRF attack.
Developers can also enhance the security of their app by incorporating GET requests in the URL. Also, it ensures the generation of non-GET request only through the client-side code.
In Conclusion
It is evident from the above information that PHP is fully equipped to combat any drawbacks or limitations of cross-platform development. All you have to do is to integrate these features into your application. For this, you'll require an expert in this area.
Narola Infotech is a PHP development company with years of experience in creating websites as well as cross-platform applications. Our developers use the most up-to-date methods to make their apps extremely secure and efficient. We are available to you at any time for a discussion of your requirements for your project.