What is the difference between the mail() function and the Mail class in PHP?

The main difference between the mail() function and the Mail class in PHP is that the mail() function is a built-in PHP function that sends an email directly using the server's built-in mail transfer agent, while the Mail class is a part of the PEAR Mail package that provides a more flexible and object-oriented way to send emails. The Mail class allows for more customization and control over the email sending process compared to the mail() function. 

// Example of sending an email using the mail() function
$to = "recipient@example.com";
$subject = "Test Email";
$message = "This is a test email.";
$headers = "From: sender@example.com";

mail($to, $subject, $message, $headers);


// Example of sending an email using the Mail class
require_once "Mail.php";

$smtp = array(
    'host' => 'smtp.example.com',
    'port' => 25,
    'auth' => true,
    'username' => 'username',
    'password' => 'password'
);

$mail = Mail::factory('smtp', $smtp);

$headers = array(
    'From' => 'sender@example.com',
    'To' => 'recipient@example.com',
    'Subject' => 'Test Email'
);

$body = "This is a test email.";

$mail->send('recipient@example.com', $headers, $body);

Keywords

mail() Mail class PHP difference email functionality

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