PHP PDO vs MySQLi – Which One Should You Use? π€
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? Letβs break it down in a fun and simple way! π
πΉ 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.
πΉ What is MySQLi?
MySQLi (MySQL Improved) is specifically designed for MySQL databases and provides an improved way to interact with MySQL.
π 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! β
";
} catch (PDOException $e) {
echo "Connection failed: " . $e->getMessage();
}
?>
π 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! β
";
// Close connection
$conn->close();
?>
π Key Differences Between PDO & MySQLi
| Feature | PDO | MySQLi |
|---|---|---|
| Supports Multiple Databases | β Yes (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, etc.) | β No (Only MySQL) |
| Object-Oriented & Procedural | β Only Object-Oriented | β Both Object-Oriented & Procedural |
| Prepared Statements | β Yes | β Yes |
| Named Placeholders in Queries | β Yes | β No |
| Better Security | β More Secure | β Secure, but limited to MySQL |
π― Which One Should You Use?
- β Use PDO if your project may use different databases in the future.
- β Use MySQLi if you only work with MySQL and prefer procedural coding.
π Next Steps
Try modifying the examples above and test database queries with both PDO and MySQLi to see which one fits your needs better! π οΈ