What is the difference between == and === when comparing two values in PHP?

In PHP, the double equals (==) is a loose comparison operator that checks if two values are equal, but it does not consider the data types. On the other hand, the triple equals (===) is a strict comparison operator that not only checks if the values are equal but also ensures that the data types are the same. When comparing two values and you want to make sure they are not only equal but also of the same data type, you should use the triple equals (===) operator. 

$value1 = 5;
$value2 = '5';

// Loose comparison
if ($value1 == $value2) {
    echo 'Values are equal';
} else {
    echo 'Values are not equal';
}

// Strict comparison
if ($value1 === $value2) {
    echo 'Values are equal';
} else {
    echo 'Values are not equal';
}

Keywords

PHP comparison operators == === type coercion

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