PHP == Ruby
PHP =! Rails
If you want to look at the routes for the PHP app, you'll have to look at what framework it uses. Only frameworks can provide a dynamic routing structure, as they capture the request & process on the backend
There are several "rail-like" frameworks in PHP, two of the top being:
-
CakePHP
Basically a clone of Rails. This is a good implementation of a framework, but is seriously tricky to get working. It has a command-line interface (like Rails), and handles routes in much the same way as Rails
-
Zend
A pretty popular framework, especially for enterprise. Although I've not got huge experience with this framework, all my friends say it's very robust & relatively extensible
Another important factor to appreciate is PHP is not as eloquent as Ruby (with Rails). You'll have to do a LOT more wrestling with the data to get it working anywhere near to Rails' standards, and so it may be beneficial to actually look at porting to Rails