How Can PHP Make Asynchronous HTTP Requests Without Blocking?

Asynchronous HTTP Requests in PHP: How to Avoid Waiting for Responses

In PHP, handling HTTP requests typically involves using blocking functions like file_get_contents(), which pauses script execution until a response is received. This can limit efficiency, especially when making multiple or non-time-sensitive requests.

Solution: Non-Blocking HTTP Requests

To overcome this limitation, PHP offers methods for making non-blocking HTTP requests. One approach is to use stream_context_create():

$options = [
    'http' => [
        'method' => 'POST',
        'header' => 'Content-Type: application/json',
        'content' => json_encode($data)
    ],
    'ssl' => [
        'verify_peer' => false
    ]
];
$context = stream_context_create($options);
file_get_contents("http://example.com/api", false, $context);

This initiates an HTTP request without waiting for a response. However, it's important to note that the verify_peer option is set to false to avoid certificate verification issues.

Custom Implementation with Sockets

Another option is to create sockets directly using PHP's fsockopen() function:

function post_without_wait($url, $params)
{
    // Prepare POST data and URL parameters
    $post_string = http_build_query($params);

    $url_parts = parse_url($url);
    $host = $url_parts['host'];
    $port = isset($url_parts['port']) ? $url_parts['port'] : 80;

    $socket = fsockopen($host, $port);

    // Construct HTTP POST request header
    $request = "POST {$url_parts['path']} HTTP/1.1\r\n";
    $request .= "Host: {$host}\r\n";
    $request .= "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded\r\n";
    $request .= "Content-Length: " . strlen($post_string) . "\r\n";
    $request .= "Connection: Close\r\n\r\n";
    $request .= $post_string;

    // Send HTTP request and close socket
    fwrite($socket, $request);
    fclose($socket);
}

This function sends an HTTP POST request without waiting for a response. It requires a URL and an array of parameters as arguments.

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