PHP include VS loop

Question

Using LOOP

for ($i=0; $i < 1000; $i++) 
{ 
    echo "<li>content $i</li>";
}

Using INCLUDE

include("file.php");

the file.php contains same content as the loop but it is hard coded or static.

I've tried to run those two different codes on local host and monitor their response time. I can't decide which one to choose because the response time changes over time, some times the LOOP is faster but some time the INCLUDE is faster.

I want to ask your recommendation on which one is best to use.

If you can't measure the difference consistently, then do you really believe that it matters for performance? — Mark Baker, Jun 06 '17 at 11:54
But if the included file contains the same code as the loop, then you're not even comparing anything different — Mark Baker, Jun 06 '17 at 11:55
@MarkBaker I updated my question. The file.php contains same content as the loop but it is hard coded or static. — Sam San, Jun 06 '17 at 11:57

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Jun 06 '17 at 11:59

Obviously, directly using the loop would be faster. The reason is that when you use the include function, the php compiler has to make a call to include function and then fetch the file. Although the cost of include function is negligible, ( nearly 100 include will cause a lag of 4 milliseconds , but that's not something to worry about).

In the end it all comes down to individual preferences, as this loop might be having a lot of lines of code in the real world and you might want to keep it in a different file for structural purposes

Read This What's the performance cost of "include" in PHP?

PHP include VS loop

1 Answers1