What is the difference between including a PHP file and reading its content using file_get_contents?

When including a PHP file, the code within that file is executed as part of the current script, allowing access to variables and functions defined in the included file. On the other hand, using file_get_contents reads the content of the file as a string, without executing any PHP code within it. If you only need to access the content of the file as a string, file_get_contents is the appropriate choice. However, if you need to execute the PHP code within the file, including it is the way to go. 

// Including a PHP file
include 'file.php';

// Reading the content of a file using file_get_contents
$content = file_get_contents('file.php');

Keywords

PHP include file_get_contents file handling code execution

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