Laravel vs Material Design for Bootstrap: What are the differences?

Introduction

Laravel and Material Design for Bootstrap are both popular web development tools with distinct characteristics. In this article, we will explore the key differences between Laravel and Material Design for Bootstrap.

1. Integration with Frameworks: Laravel is a full-featured PHP framework used for web application development, while Material Design for Bootstrap is a CSS framework that incorporates Material Design principles into Bootstrap. Laravel provides a robust framework with its own set of features and functionality, whereas Material Design for Bootstrap extends the capabilities of Bootstrap to implement Material Design guidelines.

2. Focus and Purpose: Laravel primarily focuses on backend development and provides an elegant syntax, database migrations, routing, and other features essential for building web applications. On the other hand, Material Design for Bootstrap focuses on front-end development, providing pre-styled UI components following Material Design principles to create visually appealing and user-friendly interfaces.

3. Technology Stack: Laravel utilizes PHP as its programming language and includes features like Eloquent ORM, Blade templating engine, and Artisan command-line tool. Material Design for Bootstrap, on the other hand, is built on top of the popular front-end framework Bootstrap and incorporates Material Design guidelines with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

4. Community and Documentation: Laravel has a large and active community, offering extensive documentation, tutorials, and support from developers worldwide. Material Design for Bootstrap also has a significant community presence, with helpful documentation and various online resources available to assist developers in implementing Material Design components.

5. Backend Integration: Laravel provides seamless integration with backend systems, including databases, API integration, and other web services. It offers features like migrations, query builder, and Eloquent ORM for efficient data handling. Material Design for Bootstrap, being a front-end framework, focuses mainly on UI components and styling, with limited backend integration capabilities.

6. Design and Customization: Laravel allows developers to create custom designs and implement their own UI components, offering flexibility in terms of design and layout. Material Design for Bootstrap, however, follows the Material Design guidelines strictly, providing pre-designed components that adhere to a specific visual style and behavior. Customization options are available, but within the boundaries set by Material Design principles.

In summary, Laravel is a full-featured PHP framework for backend development, while Material Design for Bootstrap is a CSS framework that focuses on front-end development, implementing Material Design principles. Laravel offers extensive backend functionality and customization options, while Material Design for Bootstrap provides pre-styled UI components following Material Design guidelines for a visually appealing interface.