Yes, with Java, the advent of the "fat-jar"/"uber-jar" deployments with an embedded server is far different than the massive deployable war to an application server stuff from yesteryear. And I can see that. PHP definitely allows one to "ladder up" a whole lot easier than some other languages.

Once we get into these large "batteries included" frameworks like Symfony and to a little lesser extent Laravel, it almost seems like that simplicity disappears.