Top Related Projects
The Symfony PHP framework
PHP 5.x support for random_bytes() and random_int()
Compatibility with the password_* functions that ship with PHP 5.5
All PHP functions, rewritten to throw exceptions instead of returning false
Quick Overview
The Symfony Polyfill project is a set of PHP classes that provide functionality missing from the current version of PHP. It aims to provide a consistent set of functions and classes that can be used across different versions of PHP, allowing developers to write code that works on a wide range of PHP environments.
Pros
- Compatibility: The Symfony Polyfill project helps ensure that your code works consistently across different versions of PHP, reducing the need for complex version-specific logic.
- Standardization: By providing a consistent set of functions and classes, the Symfony Polyfill project helps to standardize the way developers interact with certain PHP features, making it easier to write and maintain code.
- Extensibility: The Symfony Polyfill project is designed to be easily extended, allowing developers to add support for new PHP features as they are introduced.
- Community Support: The Symfony Polyfill project is maintained by the Symfony community, which means that it benefits from a large and active user base, as well as regular updates and bug fixes.
Cons
- Dependency: Using the Symfony Polyfill project means that your code will have an additional dependency, which can increase the complexity of your project's setup and deployment.
- Performance: The Symfony Polyfill project may introduce a small amount of overhead, as it needs to provide functionality that is not natively available in the current version of PHP.
- Maintenance: As the Symfony Polyfill project needs to keep up with changes in PHP, it may require regular updates to ensure that it continues to work as expected.
- Scope: The Symfony Polyfill project may not cover every single feature that is missing from the current version of PHP, so developers may still need to write custom code to handle certain use cases.
Code Examples
Here are a few examples of how you can use the Symfony Polyfill project in your PHP code:
// Using the Symfony Polyfill for the `mb_str_split()` function
use Symfony\Polyfill\Mbstring\Mbstring;
$string = 'Hello, World!';
$chars = Mbstring::str_split($string, 1);
print_r($chars);
This code uses the Mbstring
class from the Symfony Polyfill project to split a string into an array of individual characters, even on systems where the native mb_str_split()
function is not available.
// Using the Symfony Polyfill for the `is_iterable()` function
use Symfony\Polyfill\Php70\Php70;
$data = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
if (Php70::is_iterable($data)) {
foreach ($data as $item) {
echo $item . ' ';
}
}
This code uses the Php70
class from the Symfony Polyfill project to check if a variable is iterable, which is a feature that was introduced in PHP 7.0. This allows the code to work on older versions of PHP that do not have the native is_iterable()
function.
// Using the Symfony Polyfill for the `mb_chr()` function
use Symfony\Polyfill\Mbstring\Mbstring;
$character = Mbstring::chr(0x2603);
echo $character; // Output: ☃
This code uses the Mbstring
class from the Symfony Polyfill project to get the Unicode character for a given code point, which is a feature that was introduced in PHP 7.2. This allows the code to work on older versions of PHP that do not have the native mb_chr()
function.
Getting Started
To use the Symfony Polyfill project in your PHP code, you can install it using Composer:
composer require symfony/polyfill
Once you have installed the Symfony Polyfill project, you can start using the provided classes and functions in your code. The specific classes and functions that you need to use will depend on the PHP features that you are trying to access.
For example, to use the mb_str_split()
function, you would need to include the Symfony\Polyfill\Mbstring\Mbstring
class and call the `str
Competitor Comparisons
The Symfony PHP framework
Pros of symfony
- Comprehensive full-stack framework with extensive features and components
- Highly modular architecture allowing for flexible usage and customization
- Large, active community providing support and continuous development
Cons of symfony
- Larger footprint and potentially steeper learning curve
- May include unnecessary components for smaller projects
- Higher resource requirements for deployment and execution
Code Comparison
symfony:
use Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Response;
$response = new Response();
$response->setContent('<html><body>Hello, World!</body></html>');
$response->setStatusCode(Response::HTTP_OK);
$response->headers->set('Content-Type', 'text/html');
polyfill:
if (!function_exists('mb_strlen')) {
function mb_strlen($string, $encoding = null) {
return \Symfony\Polyfill\Mbstring\Mbstring::mb_strlen($string, $encoding);
}
}
The symfony example showcases a more feature-rich approach to handling HTTP responses, while the polyfill example demonstrates a simple function implementation for cross-version compatibility.
symfony offers a complete framework solution, whereas polyfill focuses on providing backward compatibility for specific PHP functions across different versions.
PHP 5.x support for random_bytes() and random_int()
Pros of random_compat
- Focused specifically on providing secure random number generation
- Extensively audited for security vulnerabilities
- Includes comprehensive unit tests and continuous integration
Cons of random_compat
- Limited scope compared to Polyfill's broader feature set
- May require additional dependencies for full functionality
- Less frequent updates and maintenance
Code Comparison
random_compat:
$bytes = random_bytes(32);
$integer = random_int(0, 100);
Polyfill:
use Symfony\Polyfill\Php70\Php70;
$bytes = Php70::random_bytes(32);
$integer = Php70::random_int(0, 100);
Key Differences
- Polyfill provides a wider range of PHP compatibility features
- random_compat focuses solely on secure random number generation
- Polyfill integrates seamlessly with Symfony framework
- random_compat offers more detailed documentation on cryptographic security
Use Cases
- Choose random_compat for projects requiring only secure random number generation
- Opt for Polyfill when needing broader PHP compatibility features
- Consider Polyfill for Symfony-based projects for better integration
Community and Support
- Polyfill has a larger community and more frequent updates
- random_compat benefits from security-focused maintainers and audits
Both libraries serve important roles in PHP development, with random_compat excelling in secure random number generation and Polyfill offering a comprehensive set of compatibility features.
Compatibility with the password_* functions that ship with PHP 5.5
Pros of password_compat
- Focused specifically on password hashing compatibility
- Lightweight and easy to integrate for projects only needing password functionality
- Provides a straightforward implementation of the password_* functions
Cons of password_compat
- Limited scope compared to Polyfill's broader range of PHP compatibility features
- Less frequently updated, with the last commit being several years old
- May not be necessary for newer PHP versions that already include these functions
Code Comparison
password_compat:
$hash = password_hash("password", PASSWORD_DEFAULT);
if (password_verify("password", $hash)) {
echo "Password is valid!";
}
Polyfill:
use Symfony\Polyfill\Php54\Php54;
$hash = Php54::hash_pbkdf2("sha256", "password", "salt", 1000, 20);
if (hash_equals($hash, Php54::hash_pbkdf2("sha256", "password", "salt", 1000, 20))) {
echo "Password is valid!";
}
Summary
While password_compat provides a targeted solution for password hashing compatibility, Polyfill offers a more comprehensive set of polyfills for various PHP versions. password_compat is simpler to use for projects only needing password functionality, but Polyfill is more actively maintained and covers a broader range of compatibility issues. The choice between them depends on the specific needs of your project and the PHP versions you need to support.
All PHP functions, rewritten to throw exceptions instead of returning false
Pros of Safe
- Provides type-safe wrappers for PHP functions, enhancing code reliability
- Throws exceptions instead of returning false or null on errors, improving error handling
- Offers a more consistent API for PHP functions
Cons of Safe
- Limited to wrapping existing PHP functions, not providing new functionality
- Requires learning a new API for familiar PHP functions
- May have a slight performance overhead due to additional function calls
Code Comparison
Safe:
use function Safe\file_get_contents;
$content = file_get_contents('file.txt');
// Throws exception on failure
Polyfill:
$content = file_get_contents('file.txt');
if ($content === false) {
// Manual error handling required
}
Key Differences
- Safe focuses on improving PHP's native functions, while Polyfill aims to provide compatibility layers for newer PHP features in older versions
- Polyfill is more widely used and maintained by the Symfony community
- Safe requires explicit use of its functions, whereas Polyfill works transparently in the background
Use Cases
- Use Safe when prioritizing type safety and consistent error handling in your project
- Choose Polyfill when needing to support multiple PHP versions or use newer language features in older environments
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Symfony Polyfill
This project backports features found in the latest PHP versions and provides compatibility layers for some extensions and functions. It is intended to be used when portability across PHP versions and extensions is desired.
Polyfills are provided for:
- the
apcu
extension when the legacyapc
extension is installed; - the
ctype
extension when PHP is compiled without ctype; - the
mbstring
andiconv
extensions; - the
uuid
extension; - the
MessageFormatter
class and themsgfmt_format_message
functions; - the
Normalizer
class and thegrapheme_*
functions; - the
utf8_encode
andutf8_decode
functions from thexml
extension or PHP-7.2 core; - the
Collator
,NumberFormatter
,Locale
andIntlDateFormatter
classes, limited to the "en" locale; - the
intl_error_name
,intl_get_error_code
,intl_get_error_message
andintl_is_failure
functions; - the
idn_to_ascii
andidn_to_utf8
functions; - a
Binary
utility class to be used when compatibility withmbstring.func_overload
is required; - the
spl_object_id
andstream_isatty
functions introduced in PHP 7.2; - the
mb_ord
,mb_chr
andmb_scrub
functions introduced in PHP 7.2 from thembstring
extension - the
sapi_windows_vt100_support
function (Windows only) introduced in PHP 7.2; - the
PHP_FLOAT_*
constant introduced in PHP 7.2; - the
PHP_OS_FAMILY
constant introduced in PHP 7.2; - the
is_countable
function introduced in PHP 7.3; - the
array_key_first
andarray_key_last
functions introduced in PHP 7.3; - the
hrtime
function introduced in PHP 7.3; - the
JsonException
class introduced in PHP 7.3; - the
get_mangled_object_vars
,mb_str_split
andpassword_algos
functions introduced in PHP 7.4; - the
fdiv
function introduced in PHP 8.0; - the
get_debug_type
function introduced in PHP 8.0; - the
preg_last_error_msg
function introduced in PHP 8.0; - the
str_contains
function introduced in PHP 8.0; - the
str_starts_with
andstr_ends_with
functions introduced in PHP 8.0; - the
ValueError
class introduced in PHP 8.0; - the
UnhandledMatchError
class introduced in PHP 8.0; - the
FILTER_VALIDATE_BOOL
constant introduced in PHP 8.0; - the
get_resource_id
function introduced in PHP 8.0; - the
Attribute
class introduced in PHP 8.0; - the
Stringable
interface introduced in PHP 8.0; - the
PhpToken
class introduced in PHP 8.0 when the tokenizer extension is enabled; - the
array_is_list
function introduced in PHP 8.1; - the
enum_exists
function introduced in PHP 8.1; - the
MYSQLI_REFRESH_REPLICA
constant introduced in PHP 8.1; - the
ReturnTypeWillChange
attribute introduced in PHP 8.1; - the
CURLStringFile
class introduced in PHP 8.1 (but only if PHP >= 7.4 is used); - the
AllowDynamicProperties
attribute introduced in PHP 8.2; - the
SensitiveParameter
attribute introduced in PHP 8.2; - the
SensitiveParameterValue
class introduced in PHP 8.2; - the
Random\Engine
interface introduced in PHP 8.2; - the
Random\CryptoSafeEngine
interface introduced in PHP 8.2; - the
Random\Engine\Secure
class introduced in PHP 8.2 (check arokettu/random-polyfill for more engines); - the
odbc_connection_string_is_quoted
function introduced in PHP 8.2; - the
odbc_connection_string_should_quote
function introduced in PHP 8.2; - the
odbc_connection_string_quote
function introduced in PHP 8.2; - the
ini_parse_quantity
function introduced in PHP 8.2; - the
json_validate
function introduced in PHP 8.3; - the
Override
attribute introduced in PHP 8.3; - the
mb_str_pad
function introduced in PHP 8.3; - the
ldap_exop_sync
function introduced in PHP 8.3; - the
ldap_connect_wallet
function introduced in PHP 8.3; - the
stream_context_set_options
function introduced in PHP 8.3; - the
str_increment
andstr_decrement
functions introduced in PHP 8.3; - the
Date*Exception/Error
classes introduced in PHP 8.3; - the
SQLite3Exception
class introduced in PHP 8.3; - the
mb_ucfirst
andmb_lcfirst
functions introduced in PHP 8.4; - the
array_find
,array_find_key
,array_any
andarray_all
functions introduced in PHP 8.4; - the
Deprecated
attribute introduced in PHP 8.4; - the
mb_trim
,mb_ltrim
andmb_rtrim
functions introduced in PHP 8.4; - the
CURL_HTTP_VERSION_3
andCURL_HTTP_VERSION_3ONLY
constants introduced in PHP 8.4;
It is strongly recommended to upgrade your PHP version and/or install the missing extensions whenever possible. This polyfill should be used only when there is no better choice or when portability is a requirement.
Compatibility notes
To write portable code between PHP5 and PHP7, some care must be taken:
\*Error
exceptions must be caught before\Exception
;- after calling
error_clear_last()
, the result of$e = error_get_last()
must be verified usingisset($e['message'][0])
instead ofnull !== $e
.
Usage
When using Composer to manage your dependencies, you
should not require
the symfony/polyfill
package, but the standalone ones:
symfony/polyfill-apcu
for using theapcu_*
functions,symfony/polyfill-ctype
for using the ctype functions,symfony/polyfill-php54
for using the PHP 5.4 functions,symfony/polyfill-php55
for using the PHP 5.5 functions,symfony/polyfill-php56
for using the PHP 5.6 functions,symfony/polyfill-php70
for using the PHP 7.0 functions,symfony/polyfill-php71
for using the PHP 7.1 functions,symfony/polyfill-php72
for using the PHP 7.2 functions,symfony/polyfill-php73
for using the PHP 7.3 functions,symfony/polyfill-php74
for using the PHP 7.4 functions,symfony/polyfill-php80
for using the PHP 8.0 functions,symfony/polyfill-php81
for using the PHP 8.1 functions,symfony/polyfill-php82
for using the PHP 8.2 functions,symfony/polyfill-php83
for using the PHP 8.3 functions,symfony/polyfill-php84
for using the PHP 8.4 functions,symfony/polyfill-iconv
for using the iconv functions,symfony/polyfill-intl-grapheme
for using thegrapheme_*
functions,symfony/polyfill-intl-idn
for using theidn_to_ascii
andidn_to_utf8
functions,symfony/polyfill-intl-icu
for using the intl functions and classes,symfony/polyfill-intl-messageformatter
for using the intl messageformatter,symfony/polyfill-intl-normalizer
for using the intl normalizer,symfony/polyfill-mbstring
for using the mbstring functions,symfony/polyfill-util
for using the polyfill utility helpers.symfony/polyfill-uuid
for using theuuid_*
functions,
Requiring symfony/polyfill
directly would prevent Composer from sharing
correctly polyfills in dependency graphs. As such, it would likely install
more code than required.
Design
This package is designed for low overhead and high quality polyfilling.
It adds only a few lightweight require
statements to the bootstrap process
to support all polyfills. Implementations are then loaded on-demand when
needed during code execution.
If your project requires a minimum PHP version it is advisable to add polyfills
for lower PHP versions to the replace
section of your composer.json
.
This removes any overhead from these polyfills as they are no longer part of your project.
The same can be done for polyfills for extensions that you require.
If your project requires php 7.0, and needs the mb extension, the replace section would look something like this:
{
"replace": {
"symfony/polyfill-php54": "*",
"symfony/polyfill-php55": "*",
"symfony/polyfill-php56": "*",
"symfony/polyfill-php70": "*",
"symfony/polyfill-mbstring": "*"
}
}
Polyfills are unit-tested alongside their native implementation so that feature and behavior parity can be proven and enforced in the long run.
License
This library is released under the MIT license.
Top Related Projects
The Symfony PHP framework
PHP 5.x support for random_bytes() and random_int()
Compatibility with the password_* functions that ship with PHP 5.5
All PHP functions, rewritten to throw exceptions instead of returning false
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