A technical look at Forest Admin, EasyAdmin and Sonata

Gabriel Hardy-Françon -

Choosing the right admin panel solution for your web application can be a challenging task.

There are numerous options available, each with its unique features, capabilities, and trade-offs.

In this article, we will compare Forest Admin with two popular open-source admin panel solutions from the Symfony Ecosystem: EasyAdmin, and Sonata.

By examining their technical aspects, such as architecture, setup, layout, data connectivity, and security features, we aim to provide you with a comprehensive overview to help you make an informed decision for your project.

We will also delve a little into the user experience and user interface of each solution.

Technical Aspects

  • Architecture Forest Admin: API-based. The UI fetches the data from an API connected to the data source.
  • EasyAdmin: Also API-based, the architecture is similar.
  • Sonata: Bundle-based. Unlike the API-based approach, Sonata is integrated as a bundle within the Symfony framework, tightly coupling it with the application and handling data through ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) rather than an API.

SaaS/On-premises

  • Forest Admin : SaaS - Forest Admin provides an off-the-shelf admin panel, whose backend is hosted and managed by the customers, which guarantees data privacy.
An overview of the Forest Admin self-hosted architecture.
  • EasyAdmin: On-premises - EasyAdmin is installed and hosted on your servers, giving you full control over the environment.
  • Sonata: On-premises - Similar to EasyAdmin, Sonata is also installed and hosted on your servers, allowing for complete control and customization.

Open Source

  • Forest Admin: Yes
  • EasyAdmin: Yes
  • Sonata: Yes

All three solutions—Forest Admin, EasyAdmin, and Sonata—are open source, which means their codebase is publicly available and can be contributed to or modified by the developer community.

This open-source approach allows for greater collaboration, flexibility, and customization options for users of these admin panel solutions.

Setup

Requirements

  • Forest Admin:  A Symfony backend application if you want to use the Symfony agent. For other tech stacks, you either need a database (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, MicrosoftSQL, MongoDB, Supabase) or another natively supported backend technology: Laravel, Ruby on Rails, Node.js Express/Fastify/Koa/Nest.js.
  • EasyAdmin: A data source + Symfony framework (as it is a Symfony bundle).
  • Sonata: A data source + Symfony framework (as it is a Symfony bundle) + Doctrine ORM or MongoDB ODM.

Onboarding

  • Forest Admin:  Easy in-app onboarding.
  • EasyAdmin: Installation through Composer, then configuring the entities in the YAML file, and finally creating the CRUD controllers.
  • Sonata: Installation through Composer, configuring SonataAdminBundle, and defining admin classes for the entities to be managed.

Both EasyAdmin and Sonata require the Symfony framework for their setup, as they are designed to work as bundles within this framework.

The onboarding process for these solutions involves installing the necessary packages through Composer, configuring their respective bundles, and setting up the entities and controllers for managing the data.

Layout

Visual Builder

  • Forest Admin: Yes, with a robust Layout Editor, a no-code visual builder.

Dashboards in Forest Admin in an editor mode that allows for drag-and-drop no-code edits. Source: Forest Admin Live Demo

Source: Forest Admin Live Demo

  • EasyAdmin: No, relies on manual configuration through YAML files and templates for customization.
  • Sonata: No, customization is done through admin classes, templates, and configuration files.

CRUD + Pagination

  • Forest Admin: Out of the box.
  • Beyond CRUD with Forest Admin: Offers custom views, GPS maps, interactive calendars, and a wide variety of smart actions for tailored workflows.

Source: Forest Admin Live Demo

  • EasyAdmin: Out of the box, with configuration options for customization. Approximately 15-30 minutes, depending on the complexity of the project and familiarity with Symfony.
  • Sonata: Out of the box, with admin classes and templates for customization. Approximately 30-60 minutes, as it involves more configuration and customization options compared to EasyAdmin.

CRUD limitations for native solutions

  • CRUD limitations: Useful for basic data management but often too limited for complex operations or handling large amounts of data.
  • Common issue: Inability of native admin solutions like EasyAdmin and Sonata to scale effectively.
  • Impact on businesses: Relying solely on CRUD can lead to wasted resources and hinder application scaling.

Search and Filtering

  • Forest Admin: Out of the box.

Source: Forest Admin Live Demo

  • EasyAdmin: Basic search functionality is available out of the box, while advanced filtering can be implemented through custom configuration and templates.
  • Sonata: Offers built-in search and filtering options, with the ability to extend and customize through admin classes, templates, and configuration files.

Segments

  • Forest Admin: Out of the box.
  • EasyAdmin: Not available by default, but can be achieved through custom implementation and additional coding.
  • Sonata: Not available by default, but can be achieved through custom implementation and additional coding.

Themes

  • Forest Admin: Dark and light themes available.

Dashboards in Forest Admin in the dark mode. Source: Forest Admin Live Demo

  • EasyAdmin: Customizable themes through CSS and templates, but no built-in theme switching.
  • Sonata: Customizable themes through CSS and templates, and a few built-in themes (e.g., SonataAdminBundle, SonataPageBundle) that can be extended and modified.

Dashboards in React Admin in the dark mode. Source: React Admin Live Demo

Data connectivity

ORMs

  • Forest Admin: Doctrine
  • EasyAdmin: Doctrine
  • Sonata: Doctrine or MongoDB ODM

REST/GraphQL

  • Forest Admin: Forest Admin provides native integrations and it's simple to add more through the Smart Features.
  • EasyAdmin: Possible through custom implementation in the Symfony application.
  • Sonata: Possible through custom implementation in the Symfony application.

SaaS API

  • Forest Admin: Forest Admin provides native integrations to Stripe, Mixpanel, Intercom, Close.io and it's simple to add more through the Smart Features.
  • EasyAdmin: Not available by default, but can be achieved through custom implementation and additional coding.
  • Sonata: Not available by default, but can be achieved through custom implementation and additional coding.

Security

Permissions

  • Forest Admin: Real RBAC system with Roles and Teams, provided out of the box, configurable in the UI. The API is automatically protected according to the configured permissions. These permissions can then be fully delegated to the Operations Manager or Product Manager.
  • EasyAdmin: Basic permission system through Symfony's built-in security features, requires manual configuration.
  • Sonata: Advanced permission system through Sonata User Bundle and Symfony's built-in security features, requires manual configuration.

Authentication

  • Forest Admin: User/Password, Google Login, SAML-based SSO for Organisations
  • EasyAdmin: Built on Symfony's security component, supports various authentication methods (e.g., User/Password, OAuth, LDAP).
  • Sonata: Built on Symfony's security component, supports various authentication methods (e.g., User/Password, OAuth, LDAP).

Two-factor authentication

  • Forest Admin: Enforced 2FA out of the box.

Standard 2FS on Forest Admin.

  • EasyAdmin: Possible through custom implementation or integrating third-party bundles.
  • Sonata: Possible through custom implementation or integrating third-party bundles.

Auto Logout

  • Forest Admin: Out of the box.
  • EasyAdmin: Possible through Symfony's security component configuration.
  • Sonata: Possible through Symfony's security component configuration.

Resources

UI/UX

EasyAdmin: Functional but Lacking in Visual Appeal

EasyAdmin is a relatively simple and straightforward admin panel solution, and it has helped thousands of projects over time. While it gets the job done, its UI/UX leaves much to be desired. Key points to note include:

  1. Basic design: EasyAdmin's interface lacks the polish and sophistication of a professional solution. Although the community did a great job on the backend, the design is rudimentary and doesn't offer sufficient customization options for more demanding projects.
  2. Limited navigation: The menu structure can be confusing, making it difficult for users to find specific pages or features quickly.

Sonata: Robust but Dated UI/UX

Sonata is a powerful admin panel solution with many advanced features. However, its UI/UX is somewhat outdated and not as user-friendly as Forest Admin. Some key observations include:

  1. Outdated design: Sonata's interface feels dated compared to modern admin panel solutions like Forest Admin. It lacks visual appeal and may feel less inviting to users.
  2. Limited customization: While Sonata offers a variety of features, the interface customization options are not as extensive as those provided by Forest Admin.
  3. Complex navigation: Sonata's menu structure can be overwhelming for new users, making it harder to find specific pages and features.

Forest Admin: A Sleek and User-Friendly Experience

Forest Admin is a modern, flexible admin panel solution that emphasizes clean design and intuitive navigation. The UI/UX is carefully crafted to enhance the user experience and streamline workflows. Some key features include:

  1. Responsive design: Forest Admin's interface adapts to different screen sizes and devices, making it easy to use on both desktop and mobile devices.
  2. Customizable widgets: Forest Admin allows users to personalize their dashboards by adding, removing, and resizing widgets. This customization helps users prioritize the information that matters most to them.
  3. Intuitive navigation: The sidebar navigation menu is well-organized and clearly labeled, making it easy to find specific pages and features.

Forward

Forest Admin, EasyAdmin, and Sonata each offer different strengths and weaknesses, making them suitable for different use cases and project requirements.

Forest Admin stands out with its robust visual builder, SaaS architecture, out-of-the-box features, and a team of professionals dedicated to helping you should you need assistance.

EasyAdmin and Sonata are both Symfony-based solutions, with EasyAdmin focusing on simplicity and quick setup, while Sonata offers more advanced features and customization options.

When selecting an admin panel solution for your project, it is crucial to carefully consider the technical aspects, the required level of customization, the desired user experience, and the available resources to maintain and enhance the admin panel.

By taking these factors into account, you can choose the most suitable solution that will effectively support your application's administration needs.

Interested in learning more about Forest Admin and how we can help your business thrive?

If you feel like chatting with us because you're curious about what we do, please reach out.

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