What are the essential components that should be included in a minimalist PHP framework for web development?

When creating a minimalist PHP framework for web development, it is important to include essential components such as routing, database access, and basic templating. These components help streamline the development process and provide a solid foundation for building web applications efficiently.

// Minimalist PHP framework components

// Routing
$route = $_GET['route'] ?? '/';
switch ($route) {
    case '/':
        // Home page logic
        break;
    case '/about':
        // About page logic
        break;
    // Add more routes as needed
}

// Database access
$pdo = new PDO('mysql:host=localhost;dbname=mydatabase', 'username', 'password');
$stmt = $pdo->prepare('SELECT * FROM users');
$stmt->execute();
$users = $stmt->fetchAll();

// Basic templating
function render($template, $data = []) {
    extract($data);
    include 'templates/' . $template . '.php';
}

// Usage example
render('home', ['title' => 'Home Page', 'users' => $users]);