¿What to use in a new project of PHP: PDO or MySQLi?
One of the changes of PHP 7 was the interruption of the extension MySQL and de programmers had to choose either migrate their code to use MySQL or the PDO extension, but ¿Which one is the best option?
When you start a new web or application development project, one of the key decisions that developers have to take is what PHP extension use to interact with the MySQL database. The two most common options are PDO (PHP data objects) and MySQLi (MySQL improved). In this article, we explore the difference between both extensions and how to choose the most appropiate for your project, taking into account its performance.
PDO (PHP Data Objects)
Multiplatform support: one of the more notable PDO advantage is its capacity for working with a database variety, not only MySQL. This make it more versatile if you have the intention to change de database in future.
Security: PDO offers a security layer through the implementation of prepared and linked sentencies , which help to anticipate SQL injections attacks
ofrece una capa de seguridad adicional a través de la implementación de sentencias preparadas y enlazadas, lo que ayuda a prevenir ataques de inyección SQL.
Code readability: often the PDO queries tend to be more redable and clean, which facilitate the code maintenance and comprehension
MySQLi (MySQL Improved)
Higher efficiency: MySQLi stands out for its higher performance comparing with PDO at scenarios where it handle large volume of data. This is due to its ability to handle multiple statements efficiently
Advanced features: offer specific MySQL features, such us multiple statements, transactions and access to caching and buffering functions, which is able to improve significally the intensive application performance in database.
Stored procedures: MySQLi provides a complete support for the stored procedures execution, which can be useful in application that make intensive use of database and requier high efficiency
Choice based in the project
Portability: if you plan to use different database in futur, PDO could be the best option due to its ability to support multiples management database systems
Perfomance: if speed and perfomance are critics in yout application, MySQLi often provides a better perfomance in high charge situation, thanks to its specific MySQL features.
Compatibility: if you already have experience in one of the two extensions, you may want to continue using the one that you best to speed up development.
Security: both extensions can be secure if are used properly, but PDO offer a security additional layer with prepared statements.
The selection between PDO and MySQLi depends ultimately on the specific requires and objectives of your project, including the perfomance. Both extensions are solids and effective, and the right choice will depend on factors like versatility, efficiency, security and developer expierence. The most important thing is understand the difference between both extensions and choose the one that best suits your project needs. In the end, both are powerful tools to interact with database MySQL and can be used with success in a wide range of applications.
