What are the advantages of using readfile() over Curl for file downloads in PHP?

When downloading files in PHP, using readfile() is often more straightforward and efficient compared to Curl. readfile() directly outputs the file to the browser without needing to save it locally first, which can save time and resources. Additionally, readfile() handles large file downloads more efficiently than Curl. 

$file_url = 'https://example.com/file.txt';

// Using readfile() to download the file
header('Content-Type: application/octet-stream');
header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="' . basename($file_url) . '"');
readfile($file_url);
exit;

Keywords

readfile Curl file downloads PHP advantages

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