PhalconPHP, Any Experiences, Impressions ?

So I started actively using and learning Phalcon on a daily project basis. I'm more than amazed so far, it's performance cannot be compared to anything else. It blows away every both micro and full stack framework I've ever used.

I'm using it for all custom app development, even PHP CLI utilities.

So, have you tried Phalcon yet ? Any impressions ?

What do you think about the whole concept behind it, being a C extension ?

 

Haven't tried it, but the interesting question isn't really how it compares to other frameworks, it's how it compares to a barebones PHP-only (no framework) developed application/website/whatever. Usually, all frameworks apply overhead, and pure PHP will almost always be faster.
Build a few core classes you're able to reuse with minimal changes, and hey, presto, you have an available starting point for any type of PHP-application/website you're looking to build.

 

Those were exactly my thoughts until I started digging deeper into it.
Once I started digging into it, I realized the only thing "missing" from Phalcon is third-party service APIs built-in like Zend has for instance. Other than that it is a full-stack framework.
In terms of full-stack framework comparison it brings every feature other frameworks bring to the table, at a ridiculously smaller overhead.

An interesting way of thinking about your question, how does it compare to barebones PHP-only:

Imagine all those starting-point classes we write in pure PHP, just written in C, think we can achieve more performance?

 

Well, the design seems relatively solid - I haven't had time to test it, but I'm thinking it could probably work - however, I'm not sure I'm a fan of the convoluted syntax, and the element-classes and such. Maybe I'll take a look