Is it recommended to develop a custom template system for smaller projects with a few developers, or is it better to use an existing one?

For smaller projects with a few developers, it is generally recommended to use an existing template system rather than developing a custom one. Existing template systems are well-tested, have good documentation, and are more likely to have community support in case issues arise. This can save time and effort in the long run and ensure a more stable and maintainable codebase.

// Example of using an existing template system like Twig in PHP
require_once 'vendor/autoload.php';

$loader = new \Twig\Loader\FilesystemLoader('templates');
$twig = new \Twig\Environment($loader);

echo $twig->render('index.html', ['name' => 'John Doe']);