PDO stands for PHP Data Objects. It is a PHP extension that provides a consistent interface for accessing different databases using a set of driver classes. PDO can be used with various database management systems (DBMS) such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, Oracle, and more.
The primary use of PDO in PHP is to provide a uniform way to access databases and to enable developers to write database-independent code. Some of the key benefits of using PDO include:
- Database abstraction: PDO provides a database abstraction layer that allows you to write code that is independent of the underlying database system. This means that you can switch between different DBMS without changing your code.
- Prepared statements: PDO supports prepared statements, which can help protect your application against SQL injection attacks. Prepared statements allow you to execute the same SQL statement repeatedly with different parameter values, which can improve performance.
- Error handling: PDO provides a consistent interface for handling errors, making it easier to write code that is robust and reliable.
- Performance: PDO can be faster than other database extensions such as MySQLi because it uses a lazy connection approach. This means that a connection to the database is only established when it is actually needed.
- Object-oriented interface: PDO provides an object-oriented interface that can make your code more readable and maintainable.
Overall, PDO is a powerful and flexible tool for working with databases in PHP. By using PDO, you can write database-independent code that is more secure, reliable, and maintainable.