What is the difference between CI4 and Laravel for routing?
Why Interviewers Ask This
Foundational questions like this help interviewers calibrate the rest of the interview. A confident, accurate answer signals that you have solid CodeIgniter basics — a prerequisite for any developer role.
Answer
Both CI4 and Laravel define routes in a dedicated routes file, but they differ in several ways. CI4 routes are defined in app/Config/Routes.php using $routes->get(), $routes->post() etc. CI4 also supports optional auto-routing (disabled by default) where URLs automatically map to controllers/methods. CI4 route parameters use (:num), (:alpha) placeholders. Laravel routes are in routes/web.php and routes/api.php. Laravel has more built-in features: route model binding, resource routes, subdomain routing, rate limiting middleware, signed URLs, and more fluent API. Both support route grouping, naming, and middleware. Laravel's routing is generally considered more powerful and feature-rich, while CI4's routing is simpler and has lower overhead.
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.