Symfony

Symfony is an open-source PHP web application framework and a set of reusable components. It is maintained by SensioLabs and the Symfony community and is designed for building complex, scalable web applications. It emphasizes best practices, flexibility, and long-term maintainability.

Symfony provides a full-stack framework and also a collection of decoupled components that can be used independently in other projects. Core components include HttpKernel, Routing, DependencyInjection, EventDispatcher, Security, Form, Templating (Twig), Console, and Cache. The framework uses a bundle-based architecture to organize features, and modules can be added via Composer.

Features and tooling include support for model–view–controller patterns, built-in testing tools, a powerful command line interface (Symfony Console), and a templating engine (Twig). It integrates with Doctrine ORM and other data layers. It adheres to PHP-FIG standards (PSR) and favors dependency injection, autowiring, and flexibility through Symfony Flex for project scaffolding and configuration.

History and ecosystem: Symfony began in 2005 under SensioLabs, with early versions that influenced PHP development. The major redesign to Symfony2 established its component-based architecture, and later versions continued to evolve with the introduction of Symfony Flex and modernized workflows. The project supports long-term support releases and a large ecosystem of reusable components used by other PHP projects, content management systems, and microservices.

Influence and use: Symfony is widely used for enterprise-grade applications and is known for its maturity, extensive documentation, and active community. It remains a popular choice for developers who value modularity, reliability, and long-term maintainability.