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title PHP Performance Guidelines
scope php

PHP Performance Guidelines

OPcache

  • Enable OPcache in production (it is included with PHP)
  • Key settings:
    • opcache.enable=1
    • opcache.memory_consumption=256
    • opcache.max_accelerated_files=20000
    • opcache.validate_timestamps=0 in production (restart/clear cache on deploy)
    • opcache.jit=1255 for PHP 8.0+ JIT compilation

Preloading (PHP 7.4+)

  • Use opcache.preload to load frequently used classes into shared memory
  • Preload interfaces, abstract classes, and commonly used value objects
  • Generate the preload script as part of the build process

Memory Management

  • Use generators (yield) for processing large datasets instead of loading everything into memory:
function readLargeFile(string $path): Generator
{
    $handle = fopen($path, 'r');
    while (($line = fgets($handle)) !== false) {
        yield $line;
    }
    fclose($handle);
}
  • Use SplFixedArray for large fixed-size collections
  • Unset large variables when no longer needed in long-running processes
  • Monitor memory with memory_get_usage() and memory_get_peak_usage()

Database Performance

N+1 Query Prevention

  • Eager-load relationships instead of lazy-loading in loops
  • Use JOINs or batch queries for related data
  • Monitor query count in development (e.g., Laravel Debugbar, Symfony Profiler)

Query Optimization

  • Add indexes for columns used in WHERE, JOIN, ORDER BY
  • Use EXPLAIN to analyze slow queries
  • Prefer specific column selection over SELECT *
  • Use pagination for large result sets
  • Cache frequently accessed, rarely changing data

Caching

  • Use PSR-6 or PSR-16 cache interfaces for portability
  • Cache layers (from fastest to slowest):
    1. OPcache (bytecode)
    2. APCu (in-process key-value)
    3. Redis/Memcached (shared, network)
    4. Filesystem cache
  • Cache invalidation strategy: TTL-based or event-based (prefer event-based for consistency)

String and Array Operations

  • Use str_contains(), str_starts_with(), str_ends_with() (PHP 8.0+) instead of strpos() hacks
  • Use array_key_exists() for key checks, in_array() with strict mode (true as third argument)
  • For large lookups, flip arrays (array_flip()) and use isset() instead of in_array()
  • Use implode()/explode() instead of manual string concatenation in loops

Autoloading

  • Use Composer's optimized autoloader in production: composer dump-autoload --optimize --classmap-authoritative
  • Keep composer.json autoload configuration clean and accurate

Long-running Processes

  • Reset state between iterations (clear entity managers, release connections)
  • Implement graceful shutdown for queue workers
  • Monitor memory leaks with memory_get_usage()
  • Use connection pooling for database connections (e.g., with Swoole or RoadRunner)

Profiling

  • Use Xdebug profiler or Blackfire for identifying bottlenecks
  • Profile in conditions close to production
  • Focus on the critical path first — optimize what matters