Fluid Templating Engine vs Smarty

Developers should learn Fluid when working with TYPO3 CMS projects, as it is the default templating engine for rendering frontend content and extensions meets developers should learn smarty when building php-based web applications that require a clear separation between html/css and php code, such as content management systems, e-commerce platforms, or large-scale websites. Here's our take.

Fluid Templating Engine

Nice Pick

Developers should learn Fluid when working with TYPO3 CMS projects, as it is the default templating engine for rendering frontend content and extensions

Pros

• It is essential for creating maintainable and scalable templates in TYPO3, reducing code duplication and improving security by preventing direct PHP execution in templates
• Related to: typo3-cms, php

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Smarty

Developers should learn Smarty when building PHP-based web applications that require a clear separation between HTML/CSS and PHP code, such as content management systems, e-commerce platforms, or large-scale websites

Pros

• It is particularly useful for teams where front-end and back-end developers need to collaborate without interfering with each other's code, as it enforces a structured template approach
• Related to: php, twig

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Fluid Templating Engine is a framework while Smarty is a template engine. We picked Fluid Templating Engine based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Fluid Templating Engine wins

Based on overall popularity. Fluid Templating Engine is more widely used, but Smarty excels in its own space.