CODEWITHSUNDEEP
phpperformancepdf
user1016265
user1016265

Reputation: 2397

Is downloading file through PHP or through direct link faster?

I need to get user download some file (for example, PDF). What will be longer:

In 1st case the original file could be in private zone. But I'm thinking it will take some time to send this file by PHP.

So how I can measure PHP spent time to sending file and how much memory it can consumed?

P.S. in the 1st case, when PHP sends headers and browser (if pdf plugin is installed) will try to opening it inside browser, is PHP still working, or it push out whole file after headers sent immediately? Or if plugin not installed and browser will show "save as" dialog PHP still working ?

Upvotes: 2

Views: 940

Answers (2)

halfer
halfer

Reputation: 20467

Your main issue with PHP is the memory it consumes - each link will create a new process, which would be maybe 8M - 20M depending on what your script does, whether you use a framework etc.

Out of interest, I wrote a symfony application to offer downloads, and to do things like concurrency limiting, bandwidth limiting etc. It's here if you're interested in taking a look at the code. (I've not licensed it per se, but I'm happy to make it GPL3 if you like).

Upvotes: 2

Matt Seymour
Matt Seymour

Reputation: 9415

There will be very little in it if you are worried about download speeds.

I guess it comes down to how big your files are, how many downloads you expect to have, and if your documents should be publicly accessible, the download speed of the client.

Upvotes: 2

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