What is the difference between is_file() and file_exists() functions in PHP?

The main difference between is_file() and file_exists() functions in PHP is that is_file() specifically checks if the given path is a regular file, while file_exists() checks if the path exists and can refer to a file, directory, or link. Therefore, if you want to verify that a path points to a regular file, you should use is_file(). If you just want to check if the path exists, file_exists() is more appropriate. 

// Using is_file() to check if a path points to a regular file
$path = 'example.txt';
if (is_file($path)) {
    echo 'The path points to a regular file.';
} else {
    echo 'The path does not point to a regular file.';
}

// Using file_exists() to check if a path exists
$path = 'example.txt';
if (file_exists($path)) {
    echo 'The path exists.';
} else {
    echo 'The path does not exist.';
}

Keywords

PHP is_file() file_exists() functions difference

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