Apigility vs Expressive: What are the differences?

1. API Design and Feature Set: Apigility is a tool specifically designed for creating APIs, offering features like API validation, documentation, versioning, and content negotiation out of the box. In contrast, Expressive is a microframework designed for building web applications, providing more flexibility in terms of application structure and features beyond just APIs.

2. Dependency Injection Container: Apigility uses Zend Service Manager for dependency injection, which is tightly integrated into the framework. Expressive, on the other hand, allows developers to choose their preferred dependency injection container, offering more flexibility and control over the application's dependencies.

3. Middleware Approach: Expressive follows a middleware approach where each component in the application pipeline is responsible for a specific task, leading to a more modular and composable architecture. In comparison, Apigility follows a more traditional MVC pattern, where controllers handle the request-response cycle, limiting the flexibility in how components can interact.

4. Community Support and Ecosystem: As part of the Zend Framework ecosystem, Apigility benefits from a large and established community, providing extensive documentation, tutorials, and support. Expressive, being a standalone microframework, has a smaller community but offers more opportunities for customization and experimentation with different libraries and tools.

5. Handling Route Definitions: Apigility uses a visual interface for defining and managing API routes, making it easier for developers to create and modify endpoints without manually editing configuration files. Expressive utilizes configuration-based route definitions, which offer more granular control over routing and can be beneficial for complex application routing requirements.

6. Project Scope and Usage: Apigility is best suited for projects focused solely on creating APIs, offering a streamlined approach to API development with built-in functionality for common API features. Expressive, on the other hand, is ideal for projects requiring more flexibility and customization beyond just API development, allowing developers to build a variety of web applications.

In Summary, Apigility is tailored for API development with specific features and a visual interface, while Expressive provides greater flexibility in application structure, middleware approach, and community support.