What are the potential benefits of using cURL instead of file_get_contents for downloading files in PHP?

When downloading files in PHP, using cURL instead of file_get_contents can offer better performance, error handling, and more control over the request. cURL is a powerful library that supports various protocols, allows for customization of headers and options, and can handle large files more efficiently. Additionally, cURL provides more detailed information about the request and response, making it easier to troubleshoot any issues that may arise during the download process. 

$url = 'https://example.com/file.zip';

$ch = curl_init($url);
$fp = fopen('downloaded_file.zip', 'w');

curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_FILE, $fp);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HEADER, 0);

curl_exec($ch);

if(curl_errno($ch)) {
    echo 'Error: ' . curl_error($ch);
}

curl_close($ch);
fclose($fp);

Keywords

cURL file_get_contents downloading files PHP benefits

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