PHP Compiler with Zend engine. The programming languages are powerful in order to produce different kinds of applications. When we execute an application, it allows us to avail of all the functionality that has been provided to it by the quality of the code. There is a program lying in the system that knows what the code needs to communicate and then it performs the application respectively and this program is known as a compiler.
The compiler may be described as a specific kind of program that converts the code written in the high-level language to machine-language form so that the processor could read it. For all programming languages, there is a separate compiler. In this post, we will learn about the PHP compiler.
What is PHP Compiler?
It is a particular kind of program that utilizes the PHP statements into the machine code so that it could be read by the processor. The processor of any system knows only binary code (0 or 1), which means the compiler transforms the high-level language into the machine code form so that it could be read and processed by the processor.
Any programming language program is insignificant without a compiler. All of the IDEs that give a complete platform to edit and run the program is composed of the compiler that compiles the program composed in it to the machine-level language. In real terms, the compiler is nothing but just a program that helps in converting anything written using the statements into binary form.
The purpose of a compiler is not just to convert the code into the machine language but also to get sure that the statement composed in the program is error-free. When it begins error checking, the compiler assures that the program is conforming to the syntax and have used the predefined keywords properly. When the compiler finds the error, it tells the developer to know about it by showing brief details about the error, and such errors are known as a compile-time error.
In the error, it displays the line number in which the problem is happening together with the kind of error. The error has to be revised in order to let the compiler converts the code into the binary code that could be understood by the processor.
Zend Engine PHP compiler
The Zend Engine PHP compiler is a particular kind of compiler that gives a system to compile the PHP program and also allows the runtime engine. It can also be analyzed as a specific kind of program that is written in order to give a complete solution to compile and execute the code composed in the PHP programming language.
This system was developed by Andi Gutmans and Zeev Suraski who later organized the company named Zend Technologies. It operates the same way as that of the compiler by offering something much extra. This program can be used on the server-side to assist the render of the PHP script which has to be transferred to the client from where the script run request was started.
The working of the Zend engine is quite easy and has been described below using the design. In normal terms, the PHP code is converted into the machine code language which is then processed by the processor. But when running with the Zend compiler, the PHP script is converted into the Zend Opcodes. The opcodes are then powerful while the creation of the HTML syntax page is served to the client eventually.
It operates in an easy method and gives extra features as compared to the common compiler. The Zend Engine also allows the runtime engine that makes the user work with the code. Though the Zend engine gives the platform to compile, it has to load the PHP script into the memory before it could begin the entire compiling process.
The basis for favoring the Zend engine over the other PHP compiler program is the additional features that it happens. No compiler assists in the actual running of the code but the runtime engine given by the Zend engine assists us in operating the application as well. In enhancement to that, it also presents assistance that is given by Zend technologies.
As shown in the above diagram, the HTML is created using the Zend Opcodes, where the output generated using PHP is connected with HTML in order to serve the output to the user in an easy and understandable form. Ultimately, the client or a web browser that has started the request to execute the script is served with the output and it all happens using the Zend engine.
The compiler, we used in our simple servers comes with built-in features. They just compile the code and tell the processor to handle the compiled file in order to execute the application. All the programming languages have their own compiler that can read the code composed of that special programming language. The time preferred by the compilers to compile the program file depends on its size. If it’s a large file or the line of code is much more in that case the compiler will take higher time approximately and vice versa.
Conclusion
The PHP compiler is a presentation of a set of statements composed in PHP to compile. It is operated very vital to work with any of the programming languages as without a compiler the codes just make sense to the system. It is considered in terms of transforming the codes to the binary data that the processor power to execute the application or to make the functionality to the application.