Dust vs Smarty: What are the differences?

Introduction:

1. Syntax: Dust uses curly braces {} for expressions, while Smarty uses curly braces {} for expressions and square brackets [] for arrays.

2. Conditionals: In Dust, conditional statements are done using #if, #else, and #elseif. In Smarty, conditionals are implemented using {if}, {else}, and {elseif}.

3. Loops: Dust has limited loop functionality compared to Smarty, which offers more flexible and powerful loop structures.

4. Security: Smarty has built-in security features such as automatic escaping of variables to prevent XSS attacks, while Dust requires developers to handle security measures manually.

5. Extensibility: Smarty has a larger library of plugins and extensions available for advanced functionality compared to Dust.

6. Performance: Dust is known for its high performance due to its lightweight nature and simplicity, while Smarty may be slower in processing large templates due to its extensive feature set.

In Summary, Dust and Smarty differ in syntax, conditionals, loops, security, extensibility, and performance when it comes to template engines.