Are there any recommended PHP functions or extensions for handling file downloads more effectively?

When handling file downloads in PHP, it is recommended to use the `readfile()` function for efficiently streaming the file to the user's browser without loading the entire file into memory. Additionally, using the `Content-Disposition` header with the `attachment` value can prompt the browser to download the file instead of displaying it in the browser window. 

<?php
$file = 'path/to/file.ext';

if (file_exists($file)) {
    header('Content-Description: File Transfer');
    header('Content-Type: application/octet-stream');
    header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="' . basename($file) . '"');
    header('Expires: 0');
    header('Cache-Control: must-revalidate');
    header('Pragma: public');
    header('Content-Length: ' . filesize($file));
    readfile($file);
    exit;
} else {
    echo 'File not found.';
}
?>

Keywords

PHP file downloads functions extensions handling.

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