What is the difference between using preg_split and explode in PHP for splitting a string?

When splitting a string in PHP, the main difference between preg_split and explode is that preg_split allows for more complex splitting patterns using regular expressions, while explode only splits based on a simple string delimiter. If you need to split a string using a regular expression pattern, preg_split is the appropriate choice. However, if you simply need to split a string based on a specific character or substring, explode is more efficient.

// Using preg_split to split a string based on a regular expression pattern
$string = "Hello, World! How are you?";
$words = preg_split("/[\s,!?]+/", $string);
print_r($words);

// Using explode to split a string based on a specific delimiter
$string = "apple,orange,banana";
$fruits = explode(",", $string);
print_r($fruits);