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ASP VS PHP Shopping Cart

Buying a shopping cart solution may seem like an easy enough task. For business owners, features and options are by far the most important factors I would consider before choosing the software platform to use to sell products online for my business.

Programmable features like affiliate tracking, discount coupons, custom product options and the look and feel of a shopping cart are just a few of the adjustable things I look to find in a competitive solution. In spite of these personal requirements, many people aren’t particularly concerned about the backbone of the shopping cart.
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The backbone of a cart describes whether the cart is programmed in languages such as PHP, ASP or Cold Fusion. What makes a PHP shopping cart then a shopping cart created in ASP? The answer is not simple and the results of using different systems could have significant implications! This article will suggest a brief outline of some of the major advantages and disadvantages of both PHP and ASP based platforms.

To understand what PHP and ASP are, here is a brief history lesson which I hope explains what both are as well as what they are capable of doing.

PHP

PHP was developed by three programmers who wanted to create a programming language on the web that was easy to understand, while still containing a powerful engine behind it. Before long, hundreds of programmers were contributing to the PHP project and PHP became one of the largest open source development projects on the web.

How does all of this translate to you the user / site owner? It’s very simple…

No one owns PHP hence, the total solution is free. In fact most hosting companies offer their hosting package with PHP pre-installed which makes it a easy solution for a PHP style shopping cart. Though there are few drawbacks to using PHP, they are important to mention. Since PHP is open source software, hackers do have the ability to view the source code in some circumstances and that may translate into holes within your site. However, the PHP development team has been steadfast to close any holes once they arise.

ASP

ASP which stands for Active Server Pages is a product of Microsoft. Its backbone relies on IIS which runs on Windows XP Professional as well as windows server. Generally unless a hosting company runs Microsoft server it will be extremely difficult to use ASP to serve up pages. In addition, the learning curve is a little steeper then with PHP. The reason why many companies tend to use ASP for their shopping cart and backend scripts is because ASP integrates very well with Access, Excel and other Microsoft software.

What Does This All Mean

The reality is simple. If you’re looking for a secure, affordable and well-built shopping cart, PHP is a great choice. Of course I would recommend WebCart as an all around safe shopping cart, but I challenge you to look at other PHP shopping carts and compare them for your self. At the same time you can’t go wrong with an ASP shopping cart. However, if you’re concerned with your bottom line and compatibility, a PHP style shopping cart should be a first choice.

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