How can PHP be used to compare and synchronize folders on a server?

To compare and synchronize folders on a server using PHP, you can iterate through the files in each folder, compare their attributes (such as file size and modification date), and then synchronize any differences by copying or deleting files as needed. 

<?php

function compareFolders($folder1, $folder2) {
    $dir1 = new RecursiveDirectoryIterator($folder1);
    $dir2 = new RecursiveDirectoryIterator($folder2);

    foreach (new RecursiveIteratorIterator($dir1) as $file1) {
        $file2 = str_replace($folder1, $folder2, $file1);
        
        if (!file_exists($file2) || filemtime($file1) > filemtime($file2)) {
            copy($file1, $file2);
        }
    }

    foreach (new RecursiveIteratorIterator($dir2) as $file2) {
        $file1 = str_replace($folder2, $folder1, $file2);
        
        if (!file_exists($file1) || filemtime($file2) > filemtime($file1)) {
            copy($file2, $file1);
        }
    }
}

// Usage
$folder1 = 'path/to/folder1';
$folder2 = 'path/to/folder2';

compareFolders($folder1, $folder2);

?>

Keywords

PHP folder comparison folder synchronization server file handling

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