When should I use class instances in PHP for better performance?

Using class instances in PHP can improve performance by allowing you to encapsulate related data and functionality into objects, reducing the need to pass around multiple variables or arrays. This can also make your code more organized and easier to maintain. You should use class instances when you have data that needs to be shared and manipulated across different parts of your application.

class User {
    private $name;
    private $email;

    public function __construct($name, $email) {
        $this->name = $name;
        $this->email = $email;
    }

    public function getName() {
        return $this->name;
    }

    public function getEmail() {
        return $this->email;
    }
}

$user1 = new User('John Doe', 'john@example.com');
echo $user1->getName(); // Output: John Doe
echo $user1->getEmail(); // Output: john@example.com