PHP PDO vs MySQLi

PHP PDO vs MySQLi – Which One Should You Use? πŸ€”

When working with databases in PHP, you have two major options: PDO (PHP Data Objects) and MySQLi (MySQL Improved). But which one is better for your project? Let’s break it down in a fun and simple way! πŸŽ‰


πŸ”Ή What is PDO?

PDO (PHP Data Objects) is a database abstraction layer that allows you to interact with multiple database types like MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and more using a single set of functions.

πŸ”Ή What is MySQLi?

MySQLi (MySQL Improved) is specifically designed for MySQL databases and provides an improved way to interact with MySQL.


πŸ“ Example: Connecting to MySQL Using PDO

With PDO, you can connect to various databases, not just MySQL.

<?php
$dsn = "mysql:host=localhost;dbname=test_db";
$username = "root";
$password = "";

try {
    $pdo = new PDO($dsn, $username, $password);
    $pdo->setAttribute(PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE, PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION);
    echo "Connected successfully using PDO! βœ…";
} catch (PDOException $e) {
    echo "Connection failed: " . $e->getMessage();
}
?>

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πŸ“ Example: Connecting to MySQL Using MySQLi

MySQLi works only with MySQL databases.

<?php
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "root";
$password = "";
$database = "test_db";

// Create connection
$conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, $password, $database);

// Check connection
if ($conn->connect_error) {
    die("Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error);
}
echo "Connected successfully using MySQLi! βœ…";

// Close connection
$conn->close();
?>

Try It Now


πŸ”„ Key Differences Between PDO & MySQLi

Feature PDO MySQLi
Supports Multiple Databases βœ… Yes (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, etc.) ❌ No (Only MySQL)
Object-Oriented & Procedural βœ… Only Object-Oriented βœ… Both Object-Oriented & Procedural
Prepared Statements βœ… Yes βœ… Yes
Named Placeholders in Queries βœ… Yes ❌ No
Better Security βœ… More Secure βœ… Secure, but limited to MySQL

🎯 Which One Should You Use?

  • βœ… Use PDO if your project may use different databases in the future.
  • βœ… Use MySQLi if you only work with MySQL and prefer procedural coding.

πŸš€ Next Steps

Try modifying the examples above and test database queries with both PDO and MySQLi to see which one fits your needs better! πŸ› οΈ