• Contact
• Support FAQs
• Resources
• Front Page Users

Comparison of PHP, JSP and ASP

1. PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor)

Self-referentially short for PHP is Hypertext Preprocessor, an open source, server-side, HTML embedded scripting language used to create dynamic Web pages. In an HTML document, PHP script (similar syntax to that of Perl or C ) is enclosed within special PHP tags. Because PHP is embedded within tags, the author can jump between HTML and PHP (similar to ASP and Cold Fusion) instead of having to rely on heavy amounts of code to output HTML. And, because PHP is executed on the server, the client cannot view the PHP code. PHP can perform any task that any CGI program can do, but its strength lies in its compatibility with many types of databases. Also, PHP can talk across networks using IMAP, SNMP, NNTP, POP3, or HTTP. PHP was created in 1994 by Rasmus Lerdorf.

Characteristics

PHP is a scripting language. These scripts, or commands, which are embedded in the web page's HTML, are executed on the web server to generate dynamic HTML pages (eg search results from a database).

This is a open-source, server-side HTML embedded scripting language used to create dynamic Web pages. A dynamic Web page is a page that interacts with the user, so that each user visiting the page sees customized information. PHP is freely available and used primarily on Linux (UNIX) Web servers, and as an alternative to Microsoft's Active Server Pages (ASP) technology. As with ASP, the PHP script is embedded within a Web page along with its HTML. Before the page resolves, the Web server calls PHP to interpret and perform the operations called for in the PHP script. An HTML page with PHP script is typically given a file name suffix of ".php," ".php4," or ".phtml."

PHP lets you create dynamic web pages that can display a variety of data, depending on what the viewer choses to click on.

A scripting language for writing short programs embedded in a web page. Unlike Java Script, PHP commands are executed on the web server, making it browser independent. The web browser only sees the resulting HTML output of the PHP code.

It can be used to create Internet-based applications with numerous uses,including e-commerce.

2. ASP (Active Server Pages)

Active Server Pages is a Microsoft promoted technology to enables HTML pages to be dynamic and interactive by embedding scripts,i.e. either VB Script or Jscript, Microsoft's alternative of Java Script. Since the scripts in ASP pages (.asp) are processed by the server, any browser can work with ASP pages regardless of its support for the scripting language used therein.

Introduced by Microsoft in the mid-1990s, this is the standard programming system for Internet applications hosted on Windows servers. It is bundled with Internet Information Server (IIS) when you buy Windows. The fundamental idea is that you write HTML pages with little embedded bits of Visual Basic, C# or other languages, that are interpreted by the server.

Characteristics

A leading server-side applications development platform.

ASP is a compile-free application environment in which you can combine HTML pages,scripts, and ActiveX server components to create powerful Web-based business solutions.

Active Server Pages, which provide web developers with a way to build web applications. The embedded scripts can be written in any language and processed by the server when the file's URL is requested. Active Server Pages enables server-side scripting for IIS with native support for both VBScript and Jscript. When a browser requests an ASP page, the Web server generates a page with HTML code and sends it back to the browser. So ASP pages are similar to CGI scripts, but they enable Visual Basic programmers to work with familiar tools. Active Server Pages enable web developers to make their sites dynamic with database driven content. The code is mainly written in VB Script, and it is produced on the server of the web site instead of the browser of your web site visitors. The server reads the ASP code and then translates it to raw HTML. This means that the web site owner doesn't have to worry about the visitor having the right tools to view the the web site's dynamic content.

3. JSP (Java Server Pages)

A scripting language based on Java for developing dynamic Web pages and web sites, Java server Pages are normal HTML with Java code pieces embedded in them. A JSP compiler is used to generate Servlets from the JSP page.

Characteristics

JSP allows web pages to be generated dynamically using a combination of XML tags and Java Servlets.

Java Server Pages are web-pages that include scripts that can modify a page before sending it to the user. Similar to ASP pages, but produced by Sun Microsystems.

Technology that facilitates the development of dynamic Web pages and Web applications that use existing components, such as JavaBeans and Web Objects components.

This is one of the technology created to enable development of platform-independent web-based applications.

JSPs have dynamic scripting capability that works in tandem with HTML code, separating the page logic from the static elements the actual design and display of the page. Embedded in the HTML page, the Java source code and its extensions help make the HTML more functional, being used in dynamic database queries, for example. JSPs are not restricted to any specific platform or server.

JSP is an extension to Java Servlets allowing the dynamic generation of web pages.

JSP is a technology that enables the mixing of regular static web pages (HTML) with content generated dynamically by Java Servlets.

JSP can be used with Solaris and Linux platforms.

Back to Tech Support Topics