On: The demise of the mildly dynamic website (2022)

[hu3]

I would try some "old style" php frameworks. Like CodeIgniter or Yii.

If you want even simpler, then maybe try Slim framework. You'll have to add your own data access lib.

If you want Grug brain PHP then there's https://github.com/bcosca/fatfree

You can also use composer package manager to build your framework with libs like routing, sql query builder, etc.

[wild_egg → hu3]

> Fast and clean template engine

Is PHP not already a template language?

The whole idea of PHP frameworks always confused me. Why do I need a router when I can simply add new files at the routes I want?

[hu3 → wild_egg]

You're right, it is.

The advantage of a router is basically: please always execute this code (auth, db connection, logging, session, rate limiting, csrf protection) before running the actual code for pages that will be rendered.

Or you could also just keep using normal page.php files and possibly include a boot.php at the top of the pages to achieve the same. But then you don't get pretty URLs unless you're doing some server URL rewriting.

Come to think of it, routers require URL rewriting too.