Is It Necessary to Use HHVM in a Startup?

In the constantly evolving landscape of web development technologies, deciding whether to adopt a less mainstream technology like HHVM (Hip Hop Virtual Machine) as opposed to more widely adopted alternatives can be a challenging decision, especially for startups. While HHVM has the support and backing of a technology giant like Facebook, there are several factors to consider when making this choice. This article delves into the advantages and potential drawbacks of using HHVM in a startup, evaluating its current state of maturity and broader adoption.

Understanding HHVM and Its Maturity

HHVM is a virtual machine designed for the PHP programming language that combines Just-In-Time (JIT) compilation with full PHP language support. Its primary advantage lies in its ability to provide significant performance boosts by compiling PHP code into native machine code, which can result in faster execution times. Despite this, HHVM has not reached the same level of widespread adoption as traditional PHP.

One of the key aspects to consider is the maturity of HHVM. Since Facebook uses and maintains HHVM, this signal of continued support and development is an important factor. However, the technology is still not standardized or widely adopted in the broader tech community, which can present challenges for startups, particularly in terms of community support and access to comprehensive resources.

Integration and Development Efficiency

A crucial consideration for any startup is the integration of HHVM into their development lifecycle. For instance, if you are planning to deploy applications on HHVM, it is highly recommended that you set up a local HHVM environment before going live. This setup allows you to identify and resolve any issues early in the development process. By maintaining a testing server on HHVM during development, you can catch and address performance bottlenecks and compatibility issues more effectively.

Incorporating HHVM development into your daily workflow can also mean ensuring that you have the necessary tools and dependencies to run HHVM on your local machine. This might involve setting up a development environment, familiarizing yourself with the HHVM manual, and staying updated with the latest patches and updates through the GitHub repository. By contributing issues to the HHVM GitHub, you not only assist in improving the technology but also bear witness to the ongoing development and enhancement of the software.

The Trade-off with Widespread Adoption

The decision to use HHVM should weigh the benefits of performance against the potential pain points associated with its limited adoption. Using a technology that is not widely adopted can introduce additional challenges, such as a lack of comprehensive documentation, community support, and well-established third-party libraries. This can lead to an increased learning curve and potentially more time spent troubleshooting and resolving issues.

While HHVM offers performance benefits that can be attractive for high-demand applications, startups need to carefully evaluate whether these benefits outweigh the difficulties of using a less mainstream technology. As one example, when I looked into using HHVM about a year ago, I found it challenging to find reliable resources and documentation specific to Hack and HHVM. This can be a significant setback for projects, especially when time-to-market is a critical factor. The infrastructure and community support for HHVM are still maturing, and it may take some time before it reaches the level of ease of use that users need.

Conclusion

The decision to use HHVM in a startup is not a straightforward one and should be approached with careful consideration of its current state and future prospects. Given the support from Facebook and the potential for performance gains, HHVM can be a compelling choice for high-performance applications. However, startups should weigh the benefits against the potential headaches of working with a less mainstream technology, including stable development environments and accessible resources.

Key Takeaways:

The maturity and support provided by Facebook give HHVM a strong foundation. The value of setting up a local HHVM testing environment for development efficiency. The importance of community engagement and contributions by startups to enhance HHVM.

Towards a more holistic view, the choice of technology depends on the specific needs of the startup and the project at hand. Whether HHVM is the right choice for your startup will ultimately depend on balancing the advantages of performance with the challenges of integration and community support.