Using arrays VS objects for storing data [duplicate]

Question

Possible Duplicate:
When should I use stdClass and when should I use an array in php5 oo code ??

What are the benefits of using one of the two structures over the other?

// array $user['name'] = 'Emanuil';  // object $user->name = 'Emanuil'; 

Answer 1

Arrays

• There are tons of array_* functions that can work on arrays, most of which are very fast.
• By default they passes by value (copied around)
• Lightweight/Simple (changes only effect local variable, less to think about)
• Often used for build once data (data that doesn't change)
• All data is public
• Slightly less resource intensive

Objects

• Methods can be used to keep the data stricter. (IE. checks that a field fits a format)
• Subclassing (reducing code duplication)
• By default they are passed by reference
• Changes to data can have cascading effects (__get, __set, etc)
• Often used for data that is more mutable
• Can protect data from outside via functions and protected/private variables
• Function type hinting of objects is more flexible (different typehint for different classes)

Answer 2

Just run a simple test:

$ts_o = microtime(true); for($i=0;$i<=1000;$i++) {     new stdClass(); } $total_object = microtime(true) - $ts_o; 

Versus:

$ts_a = microtime(true); for($i=0;$i<=1000;$i++) {     array(); } $total_array = microtime(true) - $ts_a; 

And calculate the he results.

echo 'Object: ' . $total_object . ' / Array: ' . $total_array; 

Results: Object: 0.002635 / Array: 0.001243

As you can see that Arrays are faster in regards to speed, average 46.6% infact.

But when you start adding variables they suddenly turn around:

$ts_o = microtime(true); for($i=0;$i<=1000;$i++) {     $var = new stdClass();     $var->booleon = true; } $total_object = microtime(true) - $ts_o; unset($var);  $ts_a = microtime(true); for($i=0;$i<=1000;$i++) {     $var = array();     $var['booleon'] = true; } $total_array = microtime(true) - $ts_a;  echo 'Object: ' . ($total_object)  . ' / Array: ' . $total_array; 

New Results: 0.0037809 / Array: 0.0046189

There's a few test you would have to do then find your mean / mode at the end of the test to find the one that truly is the better entity.

You can do a test on memory by doing a memory_get_usage : http://php.net/manual/en/function.memory-get-usage.php with the same principles.