PHP Using Files on the Server File SystemPHP - Using Files on the Server File System
Using Files on the Server File System
Opening and Closing Files
Reading from Files
Writing to Files
Locking Files
Using Relative Paths for File Access
Avoiding Security Traps with File Access
Working with CSV Data
Parsing INI Files
Retrieving File Information
Copying, Moving, and Deleting Files
Browsing the File System
Using PHP Streams
Using Bzip2 Archives
Returning Files with an HTTP Request
Databases
Although databases are very common, using the file system to store data can be a real alternative. Often, it is easier to implement that way. Sometimes, it is faster, and much more importantly, all hosting providers have file access enabled, whereas database support might only be available at extra cost.