What are the advantages and disadvantages of using UDP over TCP for communication in PHP applications?

When deciding between using UDP or TCP for communication in PHP applications, it's important to consider the advantages and disadvantages of each protocol. UDP is faster and more lightweight than TCP, making it ideal for applications where speed is crucial. However, UDP does not guarantee delivery of packets and does not provide error checking or retransmission of lost packets like TCP does. Therefore, UDP is better suited for applications where occasional packet loss is acceptable, such as real-time streaming or online gaming. 

// Example of sending data using UDP in PHP
$socket = socket_create(AF_INET, SOCK_DGRAM, SOL_UDP);
$host = 'udp://127.0.0.1';
$port = 1234;
$message = 'Hello, UDP!';
socket_sendto($socket, $message, strlen($message), 0, $host, $port);
socket_close($socket);

Keywords

UDP TCP communication PHP applications advantages

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