What are the potential performance differences between using file_get_contents() and join() to read a file into a string in PHP?

When reading a file into a string in PHP, using file_get_contents() is generally faster and more concise compared to using file() and then joining the array elements with join(). This is because file_get_contents() reads the entire file into a string in one step, while file() reads the file into an array line by line, which can be slower for larger files. Therefore, it is recommended to use file_get_contents() for better performance.

// Using file_get_contents() to read a file into a string
$file_contents = file_get_contents('example.txt');