What is the difference between using stristr() and preg_match() in PHP for user agent detection?

When detecting user agents in PHP, using stristr() is a simpler and more efficient way to check if a specific string exists within the user agent. However, if you need to perform more complex pattern matching or want to extract specific information from the user agent, using preg_match() with regular expressions is more suitable. 

// Using stristr() for simple user agent detection
$userAgent = $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT'];
if (stristr($userAgent, 'Mozilla') !== false) {
    echo 'This is a Mozilla-based browser';
}

// Using preg_match() for more complex user agent detection
$userAgent = $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT'];
if (preg_match('/Chrome/i', $userAgent)) {
    echo 'This is a Chrome browser';
}

Keywords

stristr preg_match user agent detection PHP difference

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