Tag: php
Opaque Objects & GdImage/CURLHandle
PHP 8.0+
PHP 8.0 replaced resource types (gd, curl, xml) with opaque objects — GdImage, CurlHandle, XMLParser — improving type safety and OOP integration.
3mo ago
PHP intermediate
OPcache Preloading (PHP 7.4)
PHP 7.4+
OPcache preloading (PHP 7.4) compiles PHP files into shared memory at server start — eliminating per-request compilation of framework core files for significant performance gains.
3mo ago
PHP advanced
ORM — Object-Relational Mapper
PHP 7.0+
1
A library that maps database rows to PHP objects and vice versa — handling SQL generation, relationships, and lazy loading, at the cost of hiding query behaviour that can cause N+1 problems if used carelessly.
3mo ago
Database beginner
Object Cloning & Security Implications
PHP 5.0+
clone creates a shallow copy — nested objects are still shared references. Implement __clone() for deep copy and audit what sensitive state gets duplicated.
3mo ago
Security intermediate
Out of Memory Errors (memory_limit)
PHP 5.0+
PHP enforces memory_limit in php.ini — exceeding it triggers a fatal E_ERROR that cannot be caught with set_error_handler().
3mo ago
PHP intermediate
OPcache Tuning
PHP 5.5+ OPcache stores compiled PHP bytecode in shared memory, eliminating recompilation on every request — proper tuning is the single highest-impact PHP performance configuration.
3mo ago
PHP intermediate
Opcode Optimisation
PHP 5.5+
2
PHP's compiler applies optimisation passes to the opcode array before caching — constant folding, dead code elimination, and pass-through minimisation reduce instruction count.
3mo ago
Compiler advanced
OpenID Connect (OIDC)
PHP 7.0+
1
An identity layer on top of OAuth 2.0 — while OAuth 2.0 handles authorisation (access to resources), OIDC adds authentication (who the user is) via the ID token.
3mo ago
Networking intermediate
Object Storage
PHP 5.0+ A flat-file storage system (S3, GCS, Azure Blob) where files are stored as objects with metadata and accessed via HTTP — infinitely scalable, separate from application servers.
3mo ago
Cloud intermediate
Opcode Caching
PHP 5.5+
3
Storing precompiled PHP bytecode in memory to skip the parse-and-compile phase on subsequent requests.
3mo ago
Performance intermediate
open_basedir Restriction
PHP 4.0+
A PHP INI directive that restricts file operations to a specified directory tree, limiting the blast radius of path traversal and LFI attacks.
CWE-22 OWASP A5:2021
3mo ago
Security intermediate
openssl_encrypt()
PHP 7.1+
1
PHP's OpenSSL wrapper for symmetric encryption — use AES-256-GCM for authenticated encryption.
3mo ago
PHP advanced
Output Buffering (ob_start / ob_flush)
PHP 4.0+
Capturing PHP output into a buffer rather than sending it immediately, enabling manipulation before delivery or header modification.
3mo ago
PHP intermediate
OPcache
PHP 5.5+
8
A PHP extension that caches precompiled bytecode in shared memory, eliminating repeated parsing and compilation overhead.
3mo ago
PHP intermediate