PHP:
Sending an HTTP request

How to:

PHP’s got a neat way to handle HTTP requests with the cURL library. But the newer kid on the block is using file_get_contents for simpler GET requests, or the stream_context_create for POST requests. Here’s a quick look at both.

GET Request with file_get_contents():

// The URL you're hitting up
$url = "http://example.com/api";

// Use file_get_contents to perform a GET request
$response = file_get_contents($url);

// Dump output to see what you got
var_dump($response);

POST Request with stream_context_create():

// The URL you're posting to
$url = "http://example.com/api";

// The data you're sending
$data = http_build_query([
    'foo' => 'bar',
    'baz' => 'qux',
]);

// Stream context options
$options = [
    'http' => [
        'header'  => "Content-type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded\r\n",
        'method'  => 'POST',
        'content' => $data,
    ],
];

// Create a stream context
$context  = stream_context_create($options);

// Perform the POST request and put the response in a variable
$result = file_get_contents($url, false, $context);

// See what you've received
var_dump($result);

Deep Dive

Back in the day, fsockopen() was the go-to for PHP HTTP requests. It was clumsy, but it got the job done. Then along came cURL, still powerful and widely used, especially for complex operations. But sometimes, you don’t need a chainsaw to cut a piece of string. That’s where file_get_contents() and stream_context_create() shine.

One key thing about file_get_contents() is it’s simplicity. Perfect for simple GET requests. But what if you need to POST data? Enter stream_context_create(). This little gem lets you fine-tune your HTTP requests with headers, methods, and more.

Under the hood, file_get_contents() and stream_context_create() use PHP’s stream wrappers. These replace the low-level socket operations handled by fsockopen().

One drawback? Error handling can be trickier. If something goes south, these functions are less forgiving than cURL. If you need detailed response info or have to deal with complex HTTP tasks, consider sticking with cURL.

See Also

• cURL’s official PHP doc: https://www.php.net/manual/en/book.curl.php
• PHP stream contexts: https://www.php.net/manual/en/context.php
• HTTP context options: https://www.php.net/manual/en/context.http.php