Development of web applications often involves working with databases, and PHP stands out as one of the most widely used languages for this purpose. Within PHP, there are different interfaces for interacting with MySQL databases, including MySQL and MySQLi. This article focuses on specific differences between these two interfaces, their advantages and disadvantages, and situations in which one or the other is appropriate to use.
Definition and Basic Differences
MySQL extension was the original interface provided in PHP for working with MySQL databases. This interface offers a functional API for communication with MySQL databases. However, it became deprecated as of PHP 5.5.0 and was completely removed as of PHP 7.0.0.
MySQLi (MySQL improved) is a newer interface introduced in PHP 5.0. PHP MySQLi provides both procedural and object-oriented interfaces for working with MySQL databases. Additionally, it offers several enhancements over the older MySQL interface, including support for prepared statements, transactions, and better error handling.
Detailed Comparison
1. Performance and Functionality
MySQLi is designed with a focus on enhancing performance and providing advanced features. Prepared statements and transactions are crucial for enhancing security and efficiency when working with databases. The MySQL interface did not provide these capabilities.
2. Security
MySQLi offers improved security through prepared statements, which minimize the risk of SQL injection. The MySQL interface required manual input sanitization, increasing the risk of security issues.
3. Object-Oriented Programming
MySQLi supports object-oriented programming (OOP), allowing developers to create cleaner and more maintainable code. The MySQL interface only offered a procedural API.
4. Support for Multiple Queries
MySQLi allows execution of multiple SQL queries at once using the multi_query method. This is useful for optimizing application performance. This capability was not available in the MySQL interface.
Choosing Between MySQL and MySQLi
Currently, with the removal of the MySQL interface from PHP 7.0.0, the choice between MySQL and MySQLi is clear. Developers should use MySQLi or PDO (PHP Data Objects) for new projects. PDO provides an abstract layer for database access, allowing work with different database systems.
The MySQLi interface offers significant improvements over the older MySQL interface, including support for OOP, prepared statements, transactions, and better error handling. Its use is suitable for modern web applications that require high levels of security and efficiency. Given its advantages and the deprecation of the MySQL interface, MySQLi or PDO is the recommended choice for working with MySQL databases in PHP.
