cakephp

CakePHP is a web application framework written in PHP, aimed at developers who want to build websites and web applications faster by following established conventions rather than configuring everything from scratch. It has been around since 2005 and is one of the older PHP frameworks still in active use.

The framework is structured around a pattern called MVC, which stands for Model-View-Controller. This is a way of organizing code so that the part that talks to the database, the part that handles the page layout, and the part that handles the application logic are each kept separate. CakePHP also uses a convention-over-configuration approach, meaning that if you follow its naming rules for files and database tables, the framework handles a lot of the connections automatically without requiring explicit setup.

Installing CakePHP is done through Composer, which is PHP's standard package manager. The project recommends starting from an official application skeleton (a pre-built project template) rather than adding the library to a blank project, as the skeleton sets up the expected folder structure and configuration files. The README links to an official documentation book, an API reference, a curated list of community resources, tutorials, and an annual conference called CakeFest.

Support is available through Slack, Discord, a community forum, and GitHub Issues. The project has an active contributor community and publishes a public roadmap on its wiki. The license is MIT, meaning you can use it freely in commercial and personal projects. Security issues are handled through a separate disclosure process described in the repository.