A must-read for PHP developers: An in-depth discussion of the differences between PHP7.2 and PHP5

As a popular server-side scripting language, PHP is widely used in the field of web development. In recent years, PHP has also been continuously updated and iterated. PHP7.2, as the latest version, brings many new features and improvements. Compared with previous versions, PHP7.2 has made significant improvements in performance and security. Compared with the most commonly used PHP5 in the previous version, what are the specific changes in PHP7.2? In this article, we’ll dive into the differences between PHP 7.2 and PHP 5 and demonstrate the differences with concrete code examples.

1. Performance improvement

First of all, PHP7.2 has a greater performance improvement compared to PHP5. PHP7.2 introduces an optimization solution called the "ZeevSuraski engine" that can significantly increase the execution speed of your code. The following is a simple code example that demonstrates the performance advantages of PHP7.2 over PHP5:

// PHP5
$start_time = microtime(true);
for ($i = 0; $i < 1000000; $i++) {
    $array[] = $i;
}
$end_time = microtime(true);
$execution_time = $end_time - $start_time;
echo "PHP5执行时间为：" . $execution_time . "秒";

// PHP7.2
$start_time = microtime(true);
for ($i = 0; $i < 1000000; $i++) {
    $array[] = $i;
}
$end_time = microtime(true);
$execution_time = $end_time - $start_time;
echo "PHP7.2执行时间为：" . $execution_time . "秒";

Through the above code example, we can see that under the same conditions, PHP7.2 executes faster than PHP5 Fast, this is also one of the significant advantages of PHP7.2 as a new version.

2. Type declaration

Another obvious difference between PHP7.2 and PHP5 is the specification of function parameters and return value types. PHP7.2 introduces strict type declarations, which can clearly specify the types of function parameters and return values, helping to improve the readability and robustness of the code. The following is a code example:

// PHP5
function sum($a, $b) {
    return $a + $b;
}

echo sum(1, 2); // 输出3

// PHP7.2
function sum(int $a, int $b): int {
    return $a + $b;
}

echo sum(1, 2); // 输出3

In the above example, the function sum in PHP7.2 explicitly specifies that the types of parameters $a and $b are integers, and also specifies that the return value type is integer. type. This helps avoid unnecessary type conversions and increases code readability.

3. Null merging operator

PHP7.2 also introduces a new operator "??", which is the Null merging operator, which can simplify the judgment of null values ​​​​in the code. and processing. The following is a simple example:

// PHP5
$name = isset($_GET['name']) ? $_GET['name'] : 'Guest';
echo $name;

// PHP7.2
$name = $_GET['name'] ?? 'Guest';
echo $name;

By using the Null coalescing operator "??", we can implement the assignment operation to variables more concisely, improving the readability and simplicity of the code.

4. Enhanced security

Finally, PHP7.2 has also been enhanced in terms of security compared to PHP5. PHP7.2 fixes many potential security vulnerabilities and implements more stringent filtering checks on the code, improving the reliability and security of the code. Developers can build secure and reliable web applications with greater confidence when using PHP7.2.

Summary

Through the above comparison of PHP7.2 and PHP5, we can see that PHP7.2 has obvious advantages in terms of performance, type declaration, new operators and security. Advantage. When developers choose a PHP version, they should give priority to using the latest PHP7.2 version to obtain better performance and security. At the same time, we should also continue to learn and understand the latest PHP technology, constantly improve our development level, and better cope with challenges in the field of web development.

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