In PHP, why is echo
faster than print
?
They do the same thing... Why is one faster than the other?
Do they do exactly the same thing?
echo
and print
are virtually (not technically) the same thing. The (pretty much only) difference between the two is that print
will return the integer 1
, whereas echo
returns nothing. Keep in mind that neither is actually a function, but rather language constructs. echo
allows you to pass multiple strings when using it as if it were a function (e.g., echo($var1, $var2, $var3)
).
echo
can also be shorthanded by using the syntax <?= $var1; ?>
(in place of <?php echo $var1; ?>
).
As far as which is faster, there are many online resources that attempt to answer that question. PHP Benchmark concludes that "[i]n reality the echo and print functions serve the exact purpose and therefore in the backend the exact same code applies. The one small thing to notice is that when using a comma to separate items whilst using the echo function, items run slightly faster."
It will really come down to your preference, since the differences in speed (whatever they actually are) are negligible.
If you love us? You can donate to us via Paypal or buy me a coffee so we can maintain and grow! Thank you!
Donate Us With