How about performance improvements in PHP8?

What improvements does PHP8 have in terms of performance?

PHP is a widely used open source server-side scripting language. With the rapid development of the Internet, more and more websites and applications are developed using PHP. In order to meet the growing demand, the PHP community has been continuously working hard to improve performance so that PHP can run more efficiently when handling a large number of requests. At the end of 2020, PHP8 was released, which brought many important performance improvements. Let us take a closer look.

1. JIT compiler
JIT stands for "just-in-time compiler". Its function is to compile source code into machine code in real time to improve execution efficiency. PHP8 introduces a new JIT engine called "Tracing JIT". It can dynamically generate and optimize machine code based on runtime conditions, thereby significantly improving the execution speed of PHP code.

For example, the following is a simple PHP program example:

<?php
function fibonacci($n) {
    if ($n <= 1) {
        return $n;
    }
    return fibonacci($n-1) + fibonacci($n-2);
}

$start = microtime(true);
echo "Fibonacci(30) = " . fibonacci(30) . "
";
$end = microtime(true);
echo "Execution time: " . ($end - $start) . " seconds
";
?>

In versions prior to PHP8, it took about 1.5 seconds to execute this program. In PHP8, due to the introduction of JIT, the execution time can be shortened to about 0.5 seconds, improving performance by about 3 times.

2. Type derivation and attribute declaration
PHP8 introduces a new type derivation method, which can more accurately define the types of variables and function parameters, thus improving the readability and performance of the code.

For example, for the following code:

<?php
function multiply(int $a, int $b): int {
    return $a * $b;
}

$result = multiply(2, 3);
echo $result;
?>

In PHP8, we can directly declare the type of parameters (int) and the type of return value (int) in the function definition. In this way, the PHP engine can identify and process parameters faster during execution, avoid unnecessary type conversion, and improve execution efficiency.

3. New data structures
PHP8 introduces some new data structures, such as "named arguments" and "null coalescing assignment" operators , they can greatly simplify the writing of code and provide performance improvements.

For example, concatenation allows us to do not need to pass values ​​in strict parameter order when calling a function, but to specify them through parameter names, for example:

<?php
function connect($host, $username, $password) {
    // Connect to database
}

connect(username: 'admin', password: '123456', host: 'localhost');
?>

In PHP8, use concatenation Decoration can avoid parameter order errors, making the code more readable and easier to maintain.

4. New error handling mechanism
PHP8 introduces a new error handling mechanism called "Fatal errors to exceptions" (FTE). It converts previous fatal errors (Fatal Error) into catchable exceptions, allowing us to better handle and track errors, and improve the reliability and performance of the code.

For example, the following is a sample code:

<?php
try {
    $result = 1 / 0;
} catch (Throwable $e) {
    echo "Caught exception: " . $e->getMessage();
}
?>

In PHP8, dividing by 0 will throw a "DivisonByZeroError" exception, which we can capture and handle through the try-catch statement , avoiding program crashes and performance degradation.

To sum up, PHP8 has made various improvements and optimizations in terms of performance. By introducing the JIT compiler, type derivation and property declarations, new data structures and new error handling mechanisms, PHP8 enables us to write more efficient and reliable code, improves the performance and usability of PHP, and provides developers with more Good development experience and user experience. As a PHP developer, you might as well try to use PHP8 and make full use of its advantages to improve existing projects or develop new applications.

The above is the detailed content of How about performance improvements in PHP8?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!