Should I use PHP or Perl for massaging my data and storing/retrieving it with MySQL?

Question

Hi All,

I have a desktop app that needs to send data to a MySQL Server. The app will be for internal company use, but the MySQL is on a server at a hosting company.

The data will need to be massaged a bit before being inserted and standard simple insert, delete and update.

Which should I use PHP or Perl?

I use PHP now for a variety of database driven web pages, but my current task has no need to any web rendering. (I know PHP could do this without an web-rendering too)

I have used Perl in the past (maybe 4 years ago) for a data mining task and Oracle.

What I don't know: - Can Perl work with MySQL easily? - The Perl scripts would go in cgi-bin on the webserver, correct? - Security issues with either? - Best practice in Perl for connecting to MySQL to insert data? - Where can I store the Insert, Update, Delete MySQL user name and password so it is not stolen, etc?

What would you all choose?

Thoughts are appreciated

-Jason

Answer 1

Well both can work just fine with MySQL. It's really just a preference and level of comfortability. Since you say you do quite a bit with PHP, then that might be more productive for you.

Answer 2

Perl's DBI is very similar to PHP's PDO or object-oriented mysqli, but if you've never used either now might be a good time to learn one...

Answer 3

Perl's DBI module is very powerful and makes it easy to avoid SQL injection attacks through the use of bound parameters. See 'perldoc DBI' for details on the use of placeholders in SQL statements. Protecting the username/password for the database can be done with normal Unix file protection by placing the credentials in a read-protected file.

The DBIx::Class and Class::DBI module provides a way to map the entire database and relations into Perl objects. It makes it very easy to rapidly walk the database, generating secure code along the way without needing to write a single line of SQL. This comparisons of Class::DBI and DBIx::Class can help you choose which one; as usual with Perl, there is more than one way to do it. If you're looking for an entire framework, the Rose library provides Rose::DB::Object to streamline access.

You can run the Perl scripts either from the command line or in the cgi-bin directories.

[ Thanks for draegtun for suggestions of other database wrapper classes ]

Answer 4

Perl, because DBI is much more mature and has more infrastructure around. But if you're sure you will stick to mysql, the "ordinary" binding from PHP is pretty well tested and used by the majority of PHP database programmers.

Answer 5

PHP works fine from the command line. If it is what you are familiar with, and more importantly what the company is familiar with (think of who has to maintain it after you).

Answer 6

If you are familiar with writing web apps in PHP, you already know how to write console apps with it.

The only difference is you are outputting plaintext instead of HTML, and some new superglobals $argc and $argv which contain the command line arguments.

If you use PDO or the MySQLi class you can use paramaterized or prepared queries.

Working with the DB probably would be just as easy in either language, so for your app the main thing you will have to decide is which language do you feel more comfortable manipulating data with?