Improve PHP Application Speed By Using Zend OPcache
Zend OPcache Bytecode caches are not new to PHP. We’ve had optional standalone extensions like Alternative PHP Cache (APC), eAccelerator, ionCube, and XCache. But none of these was built into the PHP code distribution until now. As of PHP 5.5.0, PHP has its own built-in bytecode cache called Zend OPCache. First, let me explain what a bytecode cache is and why it is important. PHP is an interpreted language. When the PHP interpreter executes a PHP script, the interpreter parses the PHP script code, compiles the PHP code into a set of existing Zend Opcodes (machine-code instructions), and executes the bytecode. This happens for each PHP file during every request. This is a lot of overhead, especially if PHP must parse, compile, and execute PHP scripts over and over again for every HTTP request. If only there were a way to cache precompiled bytecode to reduce application response times and reduce stress on our system resources. You’re in luck. A bytecode cache stores precompiled PHP bytec