What are the key considerations when dealing with file downloads and compression in PHP scripts?

When dealing with file downloads and compression in PHP scripts, it is important to consider the file size, file type, and user experience. Compressing files before downloading can reduce the download time and bandwidth usage. Additionally, ensuring that the file is properly sanitized and validated before allowing the download is crucial for security reasons. 

// Example code for compressing and downloading a file in PHP
$file = 'example.txt';

// Compress the file using gzip
$compressedFile = $file . '.gz';
$fp = gzopen($compressedFile, 'w9');
gzwrite($fp, file_get_contents($file));
gzclose($fp);

// Set headers for download
header('Content-Type: application/x-gzip');
header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="' . basename($compressedFile) . '"');
header('Content-Length: ' . filesize($compressedFile));

// Output the compressed file for download
readfile($compressedFile);

// Delete the compressed file after download
unlink($compressedFile);

Keywords

file downloads compression PHP scripts gzip zip

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