START: Should I migrate my PHP app to Python?
+-- Is your PHP app actively maintained and working well?
|   +-- YES -> Consider staying with PHP. Migration has real cost. Only proceed if
|   |          there's a strategic reason (team skills, ecosystem needs, ML/AI integration).
|   +-- NO v
+-- Do you need ML/AI, data science, or scientific computing?
|   +-- YES -> Migrate to Python (Django/Flask/FastAPI). Python's ecosystem is unmatched. [src8]
|   +-- NO v
+-- Is the codebase > 100K lines of PHP?
|   +-- YES -> Use Strangler Fig pattern. Run both side-by-side. -> See Step 4 [src6]
|   +-- NO v
+-- Do you need a full-featured admin, ORM, auth out of the box?
|   +-- YES -> Choose Django -> See Code Example 1 [src4]
|   +-- NO v
+-- Need a lightweight microservice or API?
|   +-- YES -> Choose Flask or FastAPI -> See Code Example 2 [src2, src8]
|   +-- NO v
+-- DEFAULT -> Django (batteries-included is safer for most migrations) [src3]

Framework choice:
+-- Need admin panel, user management, ORM, forms?
|   +-- YES -> Django [src4]
+-- Need maximum flexibility, minimal overhead?
|   +-- YES -> Flask [src2]
+-- Need async-first, high-performance API, auto-generated OpenAPI docs?
|   +-- YES -> FastAPI [src8]
+-- Migrating from Laravel specifically?
|   +-- YES -> Django (closest conceptual match to Laravel) [src3]

App size considerations:
+-- Small (<10K lines)
|   +-- Clean rewrite in Django/Flask/FastAPI is feasible (2-4 weeks)
+-- Medium (10K-100K lines)
|   +-- Use strangler fig. Estimate 2-6 months incremental migration.
+-- Large (>100K lines)
|   +-- Use strangler fig with dedicated team. Estimate 6-18 months.
|   +-- Consider migrating API layer only, keep PHP for legacy UI.