Are there alternative services or APIs available for IP geolocation in PHP that do not require downloading large databases and are compatible with shared web hosting environments?

One possible solution to avoid downloading large databases for IP geolocation in PHP is to use a third-party API service that provides geolocation data. These services typically offer APIs that can be easily integrated into PHP applications without the need for maintaining a local database. By using an API, you can retrieve accurate geolocation information for an IP address in real-time without the need for extensive storage or processing capabilities on your shared web hosting environment. 

// Example code using an IP geolocation API to retrieve location data for an IP address
$ip_address = '123.456.789.012';
$api_key = 'your_api_key';

$url = "https://api.ipgeolocation.io/ipgeo?apiKey=$api_key&ip=$ip_address";

$response = file_get_contents($url);
$data = json_decode($response);

if($data && $data->country_name){
    echo "Country: " . $data->country_name . "<br>";
    echo "City: " . $data->city . "<br>";
    echo "Latitude: " . $data->latitude . "<br>";
    echo "Longitude: " . $data->longitude . "<br>";
} else {
    echo "Unable to retrieve geolocation data.";
}

Keywords

IP geolocation alternative services APIs PHP shared web hosting.

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