What is CodeIgniter?
Why Interviewers Ask This
Interviewers use this question to quickly assess whether a candidate has the foundational knowledge required for CodeIgniter development. It reveals whether you understand the building blocks that more complex concepts rely on.
Answer
CodeIgniter is a powerful, lightweight PHP framework for developing web applications. Created by EllisLab and first released in 2006, it is now maintained by the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). CodeIgniter follows the MVC (Model-View-Controller) pattern and is known for its small footprint, excellent performance, zero configuration needed to get started, and a very short learning curve. CodeIgniter 4 (CI4), released in 2020, was a complete rewrite with modern PHP features: namespaces, PSR compliance, type declarations, dependency injection, and a proper ORM-like model. It is an excellent choice for developers who want a simple, fast framework without the complexity of Laravel or Symfony.
Pro Tip
Demonstrate both theoretical understanding and practical experience. Say what it is, then give an example of how you actually used it in a CodeIgniter codebase.