Zend 2 framework is an open source PHP framework which improves on the Zend 1. It is used for the development of web applications and other services. This framework has been designed to use 100% object oriented coding. This framework will work on PHP 5.3, which enables it to take advantage of all the new features in 5.3 including the lambda functions, late static binding and closures.
The Zend 2 framework rides from the success of Zend 1 which was quite popular with developers. However, you need to be careful here since Zend 2 is not backward compatible with the Zend 1 because of the use of PHP 5.3+ and also major rewrites of the components.
Developers will find that Zend 2 framework is unique in that every component has been designed with very few dependencies on other components. This enables the developers use components at will. This is known as loose coupling which makes use of components as per needed basis. This opens a wide range of options to the developers and saves time when coding.
The Zend 2 framework components found in the library can be combined to form not only a powerful, but also a high speed application. The commonly required tasks in programming come pre coded thus saving a lot of time. They only need to be deployed where necessary.
Due to the popularity of Zend 1, there is a wide community of developers who are always coming up with suggestions and help in case you get stuck. A wide community comes in handy when putting in ideas for future improvements, and you can be sure that you are running a framework that will have excellent support from the developers. Developers will also find that most employers will be looking for people who are good in Zend.
Of all the PHP frameworks, Zend is very well-known to businesses, and developers with experience in it are always on high demand. Testing functionality is something that smaller frameworks tend not to cater for. With the Zend 2, testing is well handled, as the framework is unit tested. This becomes more useful when an application is handled by different programmers.
For those programmers who have been using Zend 1 for a long time, they may find Zend 2 strange. It has a significant amount of changes. You might want to remain in the Zend 1 framework for a while as you learn Zend 2 since it has lots of benefits. There are some few migration guidelines that can help you make the switch easier.